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 Route, its flaws, and it's Deterioration.
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 projected 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, as the railroad had no turntable.

into the 21st Century.
The Railroad limped on through the 20th Century, going from receiver to receiver. scandals and schemes plagued the railroad, and the C&LM soon fell into a state of near disrepair. The tracks of the Traverse city Branch soon became too weak to handle trains, so an old Model T was used for branchline service, hauling what little traffic was needed over the line. Critics also took advantage of the Railroad's low financial state, ridiculing it and creating propaganda. but the railroad did have a few good moments. The Illinois & Lake Michigan, which runs from Chicago to the southern Illinois border, agreed to begin interchanging with the C&LM. one grace was the purchase of their one and only diesel, 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. in 2020, the Pandemic hit, plummeting the railroad into a further state of bankruptcy. but a new receiver, Max Stewart, was appointed. Max lived on the opposite side of the state, but a steady stream of payroll began making it's way to the lone 5 employees who worked on the railroad. max visited his road, where he learned of it's troubles. but he was able to breathe new hope into the men, and soon the railroad was making a daily run. While it has been acknowledged that the railroad will never make a full recovery, the C&LM is at a rather stable point for the first time in it's history. Nobody can tell exactly what The Future holds for the railroad, but it appears to have a better one than it did only a few years prior.