Chicago & Lake Michigan Railway

Synopsis
The Chicago & Lake Michigan Railway is a Railway line Running from Chicago, IL to Traverse City, MI.

History
The Chicago & Lake Michigan Railway Company was Chartered in 1920 by Holbart Williams of Chicago, to build a railroad linking Chicago with the Upper Peninsula of Michigan VIA the west coast of Michigan. in addition to tapping into agricultural resources and hauling transfer traffic between the Carferry terminals of the GTW, AA and C&O Railroads. Bonds were issued for the railroad no more than 1 month after charter was granted, and by June of 1920, The C&LM had 51 employees, and Construction was ready to begin.

The Downfall of the C&LM
The Tracks of the Chicago & Lake Michigan run out of Chicago, through south bend, and weave alongside the Eastern Shore of Lake Michigan, briefly dipping inland at various points before reaching Manistee Michigan, the projecte middle terminus of the Railroad. from manistee, tracks were built only as far north as Traverse City, where the ground was too swampy to continue building track. The line simply became the Traverse City Branch of the C&LM. The Railroad's Mainline Deteriorated Quickly, and was subject to damage of all kinds. Washouts swamped Tracks, Unsafe Trestles Repeatedly gave way underneath the weight of Trains, and an infamous Rock cut south of Manistee regularly flooded, making it impassable following rainstorms. After storms, Days would sometimes pass between trains. but the railroad continued to operate, generating enough money to pay the bills each month and keep it moving.

Freight Service
Freight Service was never a reliable source of revenue of GTW Management reported that it was rare that a single carload of freight made it intact to chicago without delay. A feud developed between the tiny C&LM and the behemoth Chicago Central & Illinois line that made railroad history in a wild sort of way. The CC&I Wanted control of the C&LM, promising to complete it's original route and bring service up to date. But the C&LM refused to sell, and the CC&I tried repeatedly to take control of the Railroad, failing every time. Derailments were often frequent, and trains operated much faster than 20 MPH.

Passenger Service
The Passenger Service was not much better than the Road's Freight Service. The Equipment on the trains was all used, aged and mismatched, with everything from a heavyweight coach to a civil war-era passenger car operated on one train. two old "Overton" type cars also made appearances on trains. The Railroad's Passenger Train, nicknamed the Windy City Flyer, operated so slowly that one could simply walk up to the Train and board it as it trundled by. The Railroad's Few Passengers, in spite of the erratic timetable, continued to pay the fare from Chicago to Manistee and an additional fare for passage on the Traverse City Branch. The C&LM's Passengers were all farmfolk who lived alongside the tracks, and enjoyed the service. many built little paths that led to the tracks, where the train would stop and allow them to board before continuing on. children used this as a way to get to school listening for the whistle of the train in the early morning. The Train took 11 hours to make a trip to and from Chicago, and oftentimes ran in reverse when the railroad's turntable jammed in the ice.

21st Century.
The Railroad limped on through the 20th Century, going from receiver to receiver. scandals and schemes plagued the railroad. the railroad's one grace was the purchase of their one and only deisel, their #2. it was supposed to make service faster, but instead, it kept "Stubbing its toes" (Derailing weak tracks in 1961. in 1999, the railroad only operated with this engine, and has continued to use it for all freight and passenger movements. trains operated only when necessary, and the railroad barely stayed profitable.