The Guys Go To Duluth

Duluth by Ed


Bob and I drove for three hours to get to Duluth, Minnesota to visit the railroad museum and see the city.  Bob and Sandy lived there for 2 years early in the '70's.   It was a major industrial city in its formative years, 1880-1920.  They mined iron ore north of the city and used Lake Superior for shipping.  Ore and wheat were transported on the Great Lakes.

The train depot is the home of the museum.    It was designed by Peabody & Stearns and built at a cost of $600,000 in 1893.  It was designed to service up to 5000 passengers a day.   Seven different rail lines dispatched 50 trains daily in its heyday, 1910-1940.

It became a museum in 1973.  The building had been abandoned and was saved from ruin.

I wish I had taken this picture, but I wasn't born yet.

I was taken with this furniture created by a master carver from the Duluth area.

Here I am, in my glory standing between  the William Crook steam locomotive on the left and one on the right I don't remember the name of.

The Crook is the oldest steam locomotive in Minnesota circa 1861.  You can come visit a model of it in my library at home.  The green one on the right is pretty interesting too. 

Missabe & Iron Range Yellowstone Type #227

(not my photograph)

The machine was the highlight of entire exhibit for me.  It's an articulated steam engine, wheel arrangement 2-8-8-4 built by Baldwin Manufacturing Co. in Philadelphia in 1941.  It is one of the largest and most powerful ever built.  Fully loaded it weighed,  with the tender,  

1.15 million pounds.  Its water capacity was 25,000 gallons and fuel capacity 26 tons oil or coal.  It is one BIG mama.  It rivals the Big Boy 4-8-8-4.

It was designed specifically for one purpose:  to haul iron ore from the mines with 

loads well over 10,000 tons.

A few more views.

The front

Inside the cab

We took an hour ride on the North Shore Scenic Railroad along the shore line of Lake Superior.  It's operated by a volunteer group.  We left from the Duluth Depot.  

It felt like a step back in time.  

The conductor realized he had some sucker rail enthusiasts aboard and invited us to ride in the cab with him at the back of the train in a Budd RDC  (Rail Diesel Car 1949) which was pulled behind the train.

This is the locomotive that powered the train.  It is a GM Electro Motive Division, 1960 SD18.  Very historic.

We crossed this bridge from Wisconsin into Minnesota.  It's a lifting bridge designed to allow passage of large cargo carriers.

Bob was especially excited because this may be the first of the season.  A week earlier there was still ice on the lake.

The roadway is coming down after the ship passed.

We drove up the hills (like San Francisco) to see how the other half lives.  There were more millionaires per capita in Duluth at the turn of the 20th century than anywhere else

 in the country.

What a great day we had!!  Now I have to go to a fish fry!