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Lake Superior & Ishpeming Railroad Ore dock | marine, dock (maritime)

USA / Michigan / Marquette /
 marine, dock (maritime)
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This steel-framed dock juts out almost a quarter of a mile into Lake Superior, 75 feet above the water. It's a monumental sight to see - and to hear when loading is in progress. The railroad approach is a mile-long earthen embankment. Railroad cars bring taconite pellets from Cleveland-Cliffs Iron's taconite processing facility near their vast Tilden and Empire open-pit mines south of Ishpeming and Negaunee. The rail cars continually move out along the top of the ore dock and empty taconite pellets down into the ore dock's 200 pockets.

(Taconite is a concentrated form of iron-bearing rock, formed with clay into balls for compact, cost-effective shipment.)

Some 20 to 30 bulk ore carriers a month come to load taconite. Chutes from each pocket are lowered into the vessel's cargo hold, and taconite thunders down into it. Then the ship shifts 20 or 30 feet (winches being tightened or loosened let it move), and new pockets empty into the hold. It's a noisy, impressive spectacle - a worthwhile opportunity to view big freighters in action. Vessels that carry taconite are usually older 600-footers. Thousand-footers usually come to Marquette only to unload coal.
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   46°34'46"N   87°23'17"W

Comments

  • theDECk
    It should be noted that this ore dock has not been upgraded like others on Lake Superior, meaning it still only uses it's gravity shoots & does not have a conveyor belt system to load the ships.
This article was last modified 13 years ago