In 1983, the C&O completed the abandonment of its car ferry routes and the three vessels were purchased by Glen Bowden and George Towns, who formed the Michigan-Wisconsin Transportation Company (M-WT). This venture, while keeping the ferries running, was doomed to fail almost from the start. Increased labor costs, combined with improved rail and highway routes through Chicago, rendered the ferries obsolete. In 1987, USCG inspections showed that the boiler mounts on the "City of Midland 41" had deteriorated and needed replacement, however these repairs were waived for a year.