Hugh A. Hornstein

Hugh A. Hornstein is a railroad enthusiast with a special interest in the railroad carferries of the Great Lakes and railroads of the Upper Peninsula. Hornstein is an Emeritus Professor of Muskegon Co...

Haywire, The
A Brief History of the Manistique and Lake Superior Railroad

Hugh A. Hornstein

"The Haywire," a railroad more properly known as the Manistique and Lake Superior Railroad for much of its existence, was one of what Willis Dunbar called the "Little Fellows." In its earliest days it was the product of a New York visionary who saw a bright future for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Builders laid track through gloomy swamps, heavy forests, and treacherous muskegs. During its three- quarters of a century of existence, the railroad carried iron ores, lumber, pulpwood, alcoholic beverages, and livestock. Having limited passenger accommodations, it carried them in both passenger cars as well as cabooses, in rail-mounted motor cars, and, even, on occasion, in the locomotive cabs. Briefly, it even carried passengers on its own railroad car ferry. 
 
"The Haywire" played a major role in the industrial development of Michigan's Manistique and Schoolcraft counties. However, for much of its life it existed in virtual anonymity--merely the northern branch of a Lower Peninsula railroad. 
 
Started by visionaries, the railroad was finished by scavengers. By 1968, "The Haywire" had outlived its usefulness; it had become an economic drain on its parent, the Ann Arbor Railroad, which also had economic problems. With one exception, the industries it had helped to found had ceased to exist. Trucks, cars, and a major class-1 railroad had taken over virtually all traffic; therefore, on 18 July 1968, at 12:01 A.M. "The Haywire" ceased to exist. 
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"Most of its records went into a bonfire at the Manistique depot in 1955. Hugh Hornstein has replaced an important part of this loss with his research into the life of the Manistique & Lake Superior Railroad. His perseverance and dedication to the history of this small Michigan line are apparent. The company’s successes, difficulties, and eventual failure are a common but rarely documented tale of railroading in America. Hornstein rewards the reader with both insight and an historical record." 
-Graydon M. Meints, author of Michigan Railroads and Railroad Companies and Michigan Railroad Lines 

Reviews

"This attractive volume traces the 77-year history of this interesting Upper Peninsula short line operation....an oustanding job...both author and publisher are to be commended...." - The Michigan Railfan

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