The end of an era in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, this is Empire's Last Stand, a special presentation by the Thornapple River Rail Series!
While Michiganders thought at first that the Upper Peninsula was a wasteland, history has borne out the “UP” to be loaded with natural resources and natural beauty.
It didn’t take long for mineral extraction to begin, and the forestry industry was likewise quick to make profit of the bountiful woodlands. While both industries are decades off their zenith, the remaining operations are still the lifeblood of the economy for the upper peninsula.
A Negaunee staple since 1963, the Empire Mine has employed countless people over the years, providing good jobs with steady wages, until the plant churned out its last viceroy flux pellet for the steel mills of Indiana on August 4th, 2016. Despite many shutdowns over the years in periods of weak demand, this shutdown will be permanent.
In this edition of Pure Michigan Trains, we’ll follow some of the last iron ore trains to call at Empire, the CN iron ore jennies of U741 and U743, which ceased to operate in October 2016.
Thanks for watching! Don’t forget to share this video, like and subscribe to Thornapple River Rail Series!
Like TRRS on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/thornappleriverproductions
Videography Equipment:
-Primary: Sony HDR-PJ790V HD Camcorder
-Aerial Platform: DJI Phantom 3 Advanced Drone
-Edited with: Cyberlink PowerDirector 13
People:
-Alex C: Creator, Owner and Producer
-Andrew E: Aerial platform owner and operator
Copyright 2017 Thornapple River Rail Series by Alex Christmas, All Rights Reserved
Message Thread
« Back to index