Chicago & Northwestern Railway


I grew up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in the mid '60's when the C&NW was still running the Fairbanks-Morse "Baby Trainmasters" on iron ore and general freight trains, and the "Peninsula 400" passenger train made daily runs. There was also a Sunday only passenger train from Chicago to Menominee and return, usually powered by E7's. I don't know if that train had a name or not. These slides were taken on Kodachrome II film.

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The newest photos added to this page have a light green background (Last update 4-20-2009).

cnw_grb.jpg (137569 bytes) This is the very first railroad slide I ever took! It is in Green Bay, Wisconsin of a southbound train at the station in the late afternoon in April of 1964.
Here is of the "Sunday Afternoon" passenger train's engines (an E7A) at the Menominee Station. April of 1964.
This engineer of the above engine was kind enough to let 2 teenagers into his cab of the Sunday afternoon passenger train at Menominee. April of 1964.
On a nice sunny April of 1964 afternoon I wandered around the Green Bay shops taking photos and no one seemed to care at all!
Just blasting away with my old Kodak Rangefinder camera loaded with Kodachrome II film that my Mom got me for Christmas of 1963. Taken April 1964.
Green Bay, Wisconsin - April 1964.
Green Bay, Wisconsin - April 1964.
Here's a view taken from just inside a side door of the Green Bay roundhouse. July 1964.
cnw_P400.jpg (254519 bytes) The Peninsula 400 usually arrived in Menominee just after sunrise on its southbound run, and usually with only 1 or 2 coaches. Here it has 4 coaches, and I think it must have been a holiday weekend, maybe the 4th of July in 1964.
cnw_tx.jpg (93958 bytes) This is the northbound Peninsula 400 at the Marinette station likely around 10pm during the summer of 1964.
cnw_sunday.jpg (178907 bytes) Here is the so-called "Sunday Afternoon" passenger train that came up from Chicago and turned at Menominee and returned to Chicago, on Sundays only. This photo is on the bridge between Menominee and Marinette as it is beginning its return south. Sept. 1964.
cnw_4098C.jpg (158584 bytes) This is the power from the "Noon Freight" in the Marinette yard returning to the station for lunch. I think it was the last time I saw one of the so-called "black" F units. Oct. of 1964.
This is the "Sunday Afternoon" passenger train at the Menominee, Michigan station on a nice cool October of 1964 afternoon.
The southbound Peninsula 400 is just arriving at the Menominee Station early on an October morning in 1964.
This is the only C&NW unit I ever saw with silver painted trucks. Menominee, Michigan - October of 1964.
I've forgotten what the occasion was for this special passenger train, but here it is ready to head south towards Green Bay early on a November 1964 morning. It came north from Green Bay the night before.
This is a southbound Push-Pull commuter train at the old CNW Milwaukee Wisconsin station on March 22, 1965.
cnw_1681.jpg (227716 bytes) This is a late afternoon northbound in Menominee, just south of the Milwaukee Road crossing. May of 1965.
cnw_tm_im.jpg (181059 bytes) The only time I got a photo of the all-green Trainmaster was here at Iron Mountain in June of 1965 in this consist with a Milwaukee unit and a regular yellow-green CNW unit.
cnw_steam_1512.jpg (233258 bytes) This southbound freight at Milepost 142, Lakeshore Sub, has ex LS&I 2-8-0 #32 dead-in-tow, and from what I heard that steamer went to an artillery range in Florida to be used for target practice! Is this correct, or is my memory failing me?? :)
Here is a new (or freshly painted) CNW Bi_Level Control Cab car on a southbound commuter train at the Lake Forest, Illinois station. September of 1965.
cnw_1501.jpg (165874 bytes) This is the southbound "Noon Freight" leaving Marinette. The lead unit is a EMD re-engined Baldwin unit, and the trailing unit is a FM "Baby Trainmaster" riding on Baldwin trucks. Sept. 10, 1966.
Here is a set of steam engine tenders used for ore-thawing service...see the photo below for a photo of them in service. Escanaba, Michigan - September of 1966.
It was rather early in Green Bay when I got this train on October 1, 1966.
This is the Menominee, Michigan station on November 11, 1966.
Another area station was this one at Peshtigo, Wisconsin, just a few miles south of Marinette. Dec. 18, 1967.
cnw_1692.jpg (148499 bytes) On a cold Dec. 30, 1966 this set of 2 Baby Trainmasters and 2 old steam engine tenders used as water tanks are shown in Escanaba. These were used to heat iron ore so that it would not stick to the cars when being dumped into ships at the ore docks.
A different set of old steam engine tenders is shown here on March 17, 1967 at Escanaba.
cnw_1906.jpg (196934 bytes) The afternoon freight is just leaving Marinette headed south on April 1, 1967.
This was one of the yard engines assigned to the Marinette-Menominee area. April 1, 1967.
cnw_5017a.jpg (179887 bytes) April 2, 1967 finds this clean E7A on the south end of the "Sunday Afternoon" passenger train in Menominee.
This was my first shot of a CNW SD45, the only ones built without dynamic brakes. North Fond du Lac, Wisconsin on April 8, 1967.
One of the few engines that still had the large UDE light above the regular headlights. North Fond du Lac, Wisconsin - April 8, 1967.
One of only 4 FP9's ever built for the USA market, and I think they were rebuilt from FT's or F3's. Green Bay, Wisconsin. April 8, 1967/
The late afternoon sun really made this engine stand out with the great color that only Kodachrome can give, and not fade like most other useless slide films. Green Bay, Wisconsin - April 8, 1967.
cnw_1676.jpg (212454 bytes) Late in the afternoon of a sunny July day in 1968 the power of a southbound freight is in the Marinette yard.
Here are two yard engines at the service area in Marinette in September of 1968.
This is the "Sunday Afternoon" train headed south back to Chicago passing the Marinette yards. June 15, 1969.
Not all trains along M35 near Rock had ore cars. Here is a southbound pulpwood train on July 12, 1969.
Another shot of the "Sunday Afternoon" train in Menominee in October of 1969.
A SW1 in Marinette - October 1969.
It wasn't often that you would see a FM "Trainmaster" engine pulling a passenger train. Menominee, Mich in October of 1969.
Nov 9, 1969 saw this ex Chicago Great Western SD40 on the point of an ore train near Ishpeming, with 2 FM units trailing.
At the Menominee station on December 14, 1969 this E7 has the steam generator going full throttle to keep the coaches warm.
A couple of weeks later I got the same train just coming into town under a cold threatening sky on December 21, 1969.
Typical freight train power at Marinette on April 25, 1970.
The 1906 was one of the last FM Trainmasters to be painted in the older, striped scheme. Marinette, Wisconsin in July of 1970.
cnw_1699.jpg (239800 bytes) This turned out to be one of the last shots I ever got of the Northwestern Trainmasters, account soon after this was taken, I moved to the Sault and started working for the Algoma Central. Menominee, Mich in July of 1971.
I did get a few more Trainmaster photos, such as this one in Menominee, Michigan on May 11, 1974. But by this time the units were about to be retired, and I likely didn't get many more.

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