Nostalgia & History > Lac LaBelle & Calumet narrow gauge coach

On Dec 11, this narrow gauge passenger car on a flatbed trailer was parked at truckstop at I-70 and Ward Road in Wheat Ridge, CO, just west of Denver. As you can see, it is excellent condition, lacking only the air brake system to be operational. The Lac LaBelle & Calumet Railroad was a narrow gauge railroad which operated in the Keweenaw Peninsula, or the extreme northern Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The line ran between a stamp mill at Lac La Belle and two copper mines, the Mendota and the Delaware, from 1883 to 1888, when poor economic conditions forced the line's closure. The The Ohio Falls Car & Locomotive Company was founded at Jeffersonville, Indiana, 1 June 1864. Production of railroad cars fell off during the 1920s, and the Jeffersonville plant was closed in 1930. Any further information would be welcome.

---

---

---

Interesting. No trainline brakes, but seemingly operable hand brake. I don't immediately see cut levers accessable without steping between the cars, but maybe I'm not looking in the right place. There are safety chains and hooks to guard against coupler failure. Paint is in real good shape except for a small part of the roof at the end that is on the back of that road trailer, where it looks like they couldn't reach the area to paint; possibly it was stored at the back wall of a car barn and coulnd't be moved when being painted?

This reminds me a lot of the Lilly Belle that used to occasionally show up on the end of one of the Disneyland trains.

lwilton Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Interesting. No trainline brakes, but seemingly
> operable hand brake. I don't immediately see cut
> levers accessable without steping between the
> cars, but maybe I'm not looking in the right
> place. There are safety chains and hooks to guard
> against coupler failure. Paint is in real good
> shape except for a small part of the roof at the
> end that is on the back of that road trailer,
> where it looks like they couldn't reach the area
> to paint; possibly it was stored at the back wall
> of a car barn and coulnd't be moved when being
> painted?
>
> This reminds me a lot of the Lilly Belle that used
> to occasionally show up on the end of one of the
> Disneyland trains.

I see a cut lever right by the right hand set of steps in the last photo, a pull type cut lever with no need to step between cars.

I think it should be noted that the roof (and even the trailer) is covered in a dusting of light snow, and looks as though said snow fell on the car/trailer while it sat in the spot this photo was taken...with the sun hitting the back end which is leading to the back part of the roof looking like some part was painted black and the other not touched... the black is the wet, the brown is the dry...

just observations



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/11/12 23:27 by nhiwwrr.

More information about this car can be found here:

http://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=32800

Its a fascinating story of how this car is with us today - and I think there is still much left to learn about how it was reconstructed.

Sharing these two emails I have from folks who live in the area for what it's worth on this coach.
Ngfan


1. More info on the Lac LaBelle & Calumet RR coach from a good friend up in Hancock –
Incidently the 4-wheel bobber caboose still exists up in the Keweenaw – in really sad shape – but is slowly being rebuilt. Growing up I saw it all the time along highway 41 outside of Chassell and when I went looking for it later in life, it had disappeared. Someone bought it and hauled it out to a farm where it sat all those years until about 2009 and it was recovered and moved and will hopefully hit the rails again someday:

2. This car was 'reconstructed' from components from the Quincy Q&TL RR
ex-Mineral Range or H&C RR coach the Q&TL made into a caboose, after
shortening the carbody, and eliminating the cupola I believe. The body
was trash, no trucks, obviously found somewhere. This was the handiwork
of Mr. Von Sett (sp?) of Coon Valley WI who also built a MR RR flat out of
Quincy components, and also restored the CMStP "Lake City" obs car that
is now at Union IL at IRM. The above info told to me by a reliable source
(hope its all true!)