• Thursday-What'sUP October 1 - 04:58 pm

In today's top photo, snapped by Mary Chopp, you're looking at the newly restored and painted Locomotive #5 that sits on the Quincy Mine grounds doing it's part in preserving the mining history of the area.

The remaining photos here today, were supplied by Chuck and Jane Pomazal. But first, let's start with some background information on this engine, taken from Chuck's Guest Gallery Album: In 1902, The Quincy and Torch Lake Railroad bought locomotive #5, from the Hancock & Calumet Railroad. It served for a number of years hauling loads, until the mine shut down in 1945. After that it sat in an Enginehouse until 1975, when it was loaded on a truck and place on a short section of rail near the Quincy Hoist.
Fast forward 30 years and you see in the second photo, the sorry state the locomotive was in after sitting that long, out in the Copper Country elements. The "Gooseneck" (a name it was given due to its long boiler), was showing its age.

Chuck is the man behind the restoration of this locomotive, along with his wife Jane, Dennis Leopold, Chuck and Pauline Trabert and Glenda Beirman, all dedicated volunteers. They began the daunting task of bringing Locomotive #5 back to life, in 2006, removing the deteriorated cab sides and floor boards. In 2007, new floorboards were installed, then new cab walls were built, primed and painted primer red. The windows were installed and iron hardware attached, followed by a good coat of black gloss enamel paint in 2008. Then in August of this year, all the metal parts were sandblasted and painted with a coat of primer red. Finally, after two full days, three gallons of paint and perfect weather, Locomotive #5 has a new lease on life. If you look close at that top photo again, you can almost see it smiling there in all it's shiny splendor!
To view a slideshow of Chuck's complete Gallery Album of Locomotive #5, documenting it's working days in the early 1900's, to the present day restoration, click here: Locomotive #5 Slideshow

Special thanks to Chuck Pomazal for allowing me to use the captions from his photos to tell today's story.

And a great job Chuck did! I'm so glad to see the restoration and stabilization work going on at Quincy. The work on the roundhouse, and some of the old boilers and hoists, has really made them easier to see and understand.

Also, anyone who hasn't seen the "new" engine -- the Q&TL #6 which is now sitting near the roundhouse -- should go there and get a real feeling for the size and power of these machines! (Or you can see a bit of the Old #6 here).

WOW! Very cool!!!

Those old trains are cool. Its a C&H train and Greenfield Village isn't it?

I mean there isn't there one there too?

I met Chuck many years ago while I worked at the Hoist. He is very passionate about the Quincy and Torch Lake Railroad. If I remember right, he used to have a license plate along the the lines of QTLRR. He said people thought he and his wife were quilters! Great work Chuck.

Nice...this would be a big hit at the Dream Cruise.

If you check out my other "Guest Photo Galleries" you can see photos of #6's return to the Copper Country and my G-Scale layout at the Hoist.

When I first glimpsed the first two pics I felt so sad. Then saw what dedicated work the folks had done cheered me. A big thank you to the wonderful volunteers! Like old houses, each carries such tales from our past to the future. GOOD JOB!

Very happy to see these efforts and gratefull to the volunteers.

Chuck adopted #5 several years ago and devoted a huge amount of time and effort to restore the cab and finally repaint the locomotive. He has been a major contributor to the Quincy Mine Hoist Association for many years.
Locomotive #6 is the next big challenge. I helped prepare it for the trip back to Quincy Hill. Very few wooden parts survived the years it sat out in the New Jersey salt air. Some of the metal parts have also suffered from the experience. The plan is to get the locomotive back in the roundhouse and restore it. Chuck is again taking a leading role and hopefully more of us will be able to help.
Help comes in many forms, one can earmark contributions to QMHA specifically for locomotives.
All three surviving Quincy locomotive are significant. #5 is the oldest and served all over the Copper Country. #1 is the oldest and longest serving locomotive owned by Quincy, it also is one of the few surviving Brooks narrow gauge locos in the country. #6 is the youngest and largest of the Quincy locomotives, it is a fine example of a Baldwin outside frame narrow gauge locomotive. There was one other, but its remains in the lower peninsula barely resemble a locomotive.
The C&H locomotive at Greenfield Village is the sole survivor of a rare type called a Mason Bogie. The story of how it avoided the scrap drives of WWII and eventually was preserved is quite amazing.

Thanks 4 sharing the "choo choo" train pics.

Paul, Wasn't the loco that's at Greenfield Village found somewhere in the woods in the Copper Country? Seems as though I recall a story many years ago in the Detroit Free Press regarding how this loco was found.

Looks like that car directly behind the locomotive needs some tender loving care.
(Sorry, could not resist) ;-)

Does anyone know if any the current Hoist Assoc. locos were used by the Keweeenaw Central (and/or used up at Delaware) at one time?

Thanks.

Jim,

Except for the years that #5 was with the Hancock & Calumet Railroad, none of the others ever left the Quincy property. Just back and forth on their own Right-of-way from the mine to the mill at Mason. Rock down, coal up.

Very nice before and after pictures. I wonder how much work it would take to get #5 it operating condition ? Speaking of pictures when will the 2010 Pasty Central calender be ready for sale ?

I had read that some of the hopper cars around the Quincy were from the Delaware mine operations so I wondered about the locos.

The story on the "TORCH LAKE" the loco at Greenfield Village is that C&H had used her at the Cliff and Phoenix explorations in Keweenaw County. These were reached via the old Keweenaw Central right of way which C&H came to own. The loco was stored in the Keweenaw Central enginehouse which was right along Eagle River at the junction of M-26 and US-41 about 200 yards North of the Phoenix store. When operations at the two mines ended, the TORCH LAKE was left at Phoenix. Years later, several employees retrieved her. There aren't any official records since the activities weren't actually approved by the Corporation - it was just some individuals who decided to save her. The TORCH LAKE then spent years in the little enginehouse at Allouez until the 1966 Corporate Centennial, after which it was donated to Greenfield Village.
Quincy did have some rockcars from the Arnold & Eagle Harbor RR which operated several miles of railroad in the Copper Falls area. I don't know if any cars from Delaware found their way to the Q&TL.

Kevin Musser would have liked this.