DULUTH, Minn. — A proposal released Monday by the city of Duluth would allow for the preservation of a tourist railroad which had faced the prospect of being shorted to accommodate a recreational trail.
The Duluth News Tribune reports that the plan deals with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s clean-up of toxic waste at a former U.S. Steel site along the St. Louis River, which includes part of the 5.2-mile Lake Superior & Mississippi. At one point, a proposal would have removed the tracks through the clean-up area, but the proposal released Monday would see the tracks removed — suspending rail operations for three construction seasons — then restored after clean-up.
The city will accept comment on the proposal for the next 30 days.
The tourist railroad operates with a General Electric 50-ton center-cab switcher, two coaches dating to 1912, and an open-air car. The railroad has not operated this year, citing “unexpected mechanical issues” on its website.
They just announced: replacement locomotive has arrived, the first trains will operate July 27!
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