Getting C&NW C628's making a cloud of trademark Alco smoke in ore service was a little difficult to accomplish. Most engineers were reluctant to really notch them out for fear of ripping a knuckle, drawbar, or the end off a car.(Don't laugh I've seen the evidence) On this humid June day at Little Lake, I had caught a crew stopped for lunch. I asked the Engineer if he would try to make a little smoke when they were departing. He said that after the Alco's had idled through lunch break he thought he could get it done without tearing the train apart. The Conductor was none to pleased and wanted nothing to do with it. Thankfully he was on the caboose when they headed for Escanaba under one of the best smoke shows I ever was able to photograph on the C&NW ore line. Power was 6702,6716,6718, all of them real grungy and note there is still jointed rail in at this date. I heard the Conductor remark over the radio to the Engineer "hope that ------ kid is around to help if you pull us apart" plus a couple other obscenity's about the slack action.
This will be photos that were taken north of Green Bay on the C&NW ore lines. Mainly photos of ore trains will be in this album along with some manifest trains and switch jobs that worked the area.
