Copper Country Limited

Legend

424 mi 682 km Calumet 410 mi 660 km Houghton 402 mi 647 km Chassell 385 mi 620 km Keweenaw Bay 384 mi 618 km Baraga 378 mi 608 km L'Anse 367 mi 591 km Hermon 358 mi 576 km Nestoria 353 mi 568 km Michigamme 347 mi 558 km Champion 337 mi 542 km Republic 327 mi 526 km Witch Lake 315 mi 507 km Channing 312 mi 502 km Sagola 291 mi 468 km Iron Mountain Menominee River MI WI 278 mi 447 km Pembine 268 mi 431 km Amberg 259 mi 417 km Wausaukee 248 mi 399 km Crivitz 237 mi 381 km Coleman 229 mi 369 km Lena 224 mi 360 km Stiles Junction 197 mi 317 km Green Bay 192 mi 309 km De Pere 170 mi 274 km Hilbert 163 mi 262 km Chilton 156 mi 251 km New Holstein 152 mi 245 km Kiel 146 mi 235 km Elkhart Lake 139 mi 224 km Plymouth 130 mi 209 km Adell 125 mi 201 km Random Lake 120 mi 193 km Fredonia 85 mi 137 km Milwaukee WI IL 17 mi 27 km Glenview 0 mi 0 km Chicago

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The Copper Country Limited was a passenger train operated by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (the "Milwaukee Road") and the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway (DSS&A) between Chicago, Illinois and Calumet, Michigan, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It operated from 1907 to 1968.^[1]

According to historian Jim Scribbins the name "Copper Country Limited" was first used in March 1907 to describe an existing Chicago–Champion, Michigan–Calumet service which had run since 1899. The DSS&A handled the train north of Champion. The train operated overnight in both directions.^[2]: 41

With the arrival of the Chippewa-Hiawatha on the Milwaukee Division during May 1938, the Copper Country Limited took a back seat on the Milwaukee Road's trains to Upper Michigan. During 1958, the through Sault Ste. Marie sleeper was discontinued entirely after several cutbacks leaving only the sleeper to Calumet. As ridership continued to slide the Milwaukee offered the sleeper only three days a week beginning in the spring of 1964. During its final years, the Copper Country carried only a few cars. Its existence persisted almost entirely because of the lucrative U.S. mail contracts that kept many similar trains running across the country. The Copper Country Limited lost its mail car in October 1967. With little reason to keep it and few riders remaining, the train made its last runs on March 7, 1968. ^[3]

The summer of 1967 timetable shows the northbound Copper Country Limited leaving Chicago at 7:25 p.m., arriving at Milwaukee at 8:50 p.m., leaving Milwaukee at 9:20 p.m, stopping at Green Bay from 12:20 a.m. to 12:55 a.m. and arriving at Champion, Michigan at 6:45 a.m. On Soo Line Railroad tracks, the Copper Country Limited left Champion at 7:20 a.m. and arrived in Calumet, Mich. at 10:05 a.m. The train made 31 stops in the 424 miles between Chicago and Calumet. The southbound Copper Country Limited left Calumet at 5 p.m., stopped at Champion from 7:40 to 7:50 p.m., Green Bay from 1:15 to 1:45 a.m., Milwaukee from 5:15 to 6:05 a.m. and arrived at Chicago at 7:45 a.m. The route had 31 stops between Calumet and Chicago.^{[4]: 508, 649}

In steam days, the Copper Country Limited was hauled by non-streamlined Pacific 4-6-2 steam locomotives. In 1952, diesel locomotives took over and classes included EMD FP7, EMD E7A and EMD E9.^[5]

• The Copper Country Limited at Calumet in 1966
• More photos of the Copper Country Limited