Chicago & Lake Michigan Railway

Synopsis
The Chicago & Lake Michigan Railway is a Railway line Running from Chicago, IL to Traverse City, MI. It was founded in 1903 to cater to the Carferry Traffic of the C&O, AA and GTW Railroads on Lake Michigan, acting as a Shuttle Line, running cars between the terminals. the road thrived for a few decades but was plunged into receivership during the 1970s. today, it operates with a single locomotive, it's #2, and has survived much longer than many of its speculators projected it would.

History
in Spring of 1920, a group of Chicago Buisnessmen chartered the Chicago & Lake Michigan Railway Company in the banquet room of a Chicago Hotel. The Railway was built to tap into the Agricultural resources on the Western Michigan Coast, as well as provide car-shuttle service between the terminals of the Great lakes Carferrys: Something which many Railroad's Refused to do. The C&NW in particular had been pressured by farmers to build a line through the area, but refused to do so. So the Chicago & Lake Michigan Railway was formed. The Projected route called for a mainline from Chicago, through south bend, then up the Western Michigan Coast to Mackinac City. The Detroit & Mackinac Railway promised an interchange connection as well as trackage rights with the C&LM if it could reach Mackinac City, it's Northern Terminus. It also lent $1500 to the Company to help fund construction. The Railway also got funding from the farmers, and it soon had enough funds to begin construction. Track was laid throughout the summer and into late fall, while grading had been completed to Manistee, Railroad Headquarters. When the company halted construction, it promised a finished Railway by the end on 1921. But lady luck had a different idea. When the thaw came, a good portion of the Railroad had either been washed away or severely damaged by the storms. Despite the setback, the crews rebuilt the railroad, barely finishing the line to Manistee before winter. This time the crews prepared the line for winter, which ended saving the railroad. In January of 1922, the Railway announced that it had an engine: a French 0-8-0 that had recently been acquired from the Bankrupt Peninsula Range Railway in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. In February, the engine made its trial run, and on March 1st, the Chicago and Lake Michigan Railway Ran it's First train, Consisting of a Boxcar, a flatcar and a Caboose. Regular train services were established shortly after. Later, the Railway ordered another Steamer, #12. #12 was a handsome 4-6-0 built for The Railroad's Mixed Train, which operated once a day between Chicago and Manistee. The Chicago and Lake Michigan Railway then turned its sights towards Mackinac City, and with the Wind behind them, Began building North. The Railway made it to Traverse City, where it was revealed that the ground was too swamped to build any more track without going into receivership. Thus, the line simply became the Traverse City Branch. The Railroad continued to generate a respectable Profit through the mid 20th century,even purchasing its first (and only) deisel locomotive, which became it's #2, and ran the line's passenger train, the "Windy City Flyer". Then, the 1970s came around, and the lake Michigan Carferries were shut down one by one. The C&LM suddenly found itself with a singular traffic source, which was it's interchange at Manistee. Equipment abs tracks fell into a dilapidated state. Derailments plauged the railroad, and it went through several owners, all of whom wanted nothing to do with the broken down C&LM. But, believing that things would improve if they preserved, the C&LM had no choice but to grit it's teeth and keep Railroading. Brief spurts of happiness came when Excursions were chartered, or trains needed trackage rights. By 2000, the ailing road was down to a single train each month. the Railroad limped through the 2000s and through the 2010s before it found its 31st receiver. This time, he paid the men the first real paycheck they had seen in years with money from his own pocket. The Railroad soon established a weeklycmixed train, operating behind both of the Railroad's operating locomotives, 2 and 12 (#1 was taken out of service in 2001 after a boiler tube ruptured). Additional locomotives, mostly loaned from other carriers, allowed for the C&LM to begin operating more trains. In 2022, an axle on #12's tender Cracked, leaving the responsibility of operations to #2. #2 has since run all C&LM Trains, and the people of Western Michigan are regaining hope as the railroad slowly begins to climb up the ranks.