Scene from the past: steam locomotive moves ore cars donated by Canadian National

DULUTH, Minn. — It was a scene right out of the early 1950s: a Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range steam locomotive pulling a string of ore cars and a caboose on the line between Two Harbors, Minn., and Duluth. But the date wasn’t 1952, but May 12, 2024, as the Lake Superior Railroad Museum’s DM&IR 2-8-0 pulled eight ore cars donated to the museum by Canadian National to storage along the museum’s North Shore Scenic Railroad.

CN is rapidly replacing its fleet of former Missabe Road ore cars built in the 1950s with new cars. The museum wanted to preserve some cars for historical purposes and possible photo charter use. CN agreed to donate two “mini-quad” sets to the museum – four cars permanently coupled together to help eliminate air leaks through hose couplings in the rugged Minnesota winter. The eight 70-ton cars were constructed 1952 and 1953 by Pullman-Standard.

Last week CN notified the museum that the donated cars were in Two Harbors and said, in effect, “come and get them.” The museum’s ex-DM&IR North Shore Scenic Railroad connects Duluth and Two Harbors, but rather than use a diesel to get the cars, LSRM Executive Director Ken Buehler, NSSR operations chief Scott Parker, and the steam crew headed by Scott Carney decided to send Missabe 2-8-0 No. 332 to retrieve the cars.

No. 332 has received extensive work over the last few years, and more test runs were in order. On May 11, the museum celebrated National Train Day by having the 2-8-0 pull its “Duluth Zephyr” from the museum to Duluth’s Lakeside neighborhood with DM&IR SD18 No. 193 running behind the train to pull it back to downtown Duluth.

The next day, May 12, under skies laden with smoke from Canadian wild fires and with No. 332 flying white flags symbolizing an extra run, it headed to Two Harbors as a “caboose hop,” pulling DM&IR bay window caboose C-205. At Two Harbors, the engine was watered and wyed, then picked up the eight ore cars. At Marbles siding outside Two Harbors, switching was done to place the caboose on the rear and the train headed to Palmers siding, with smoke-filled run-bys at Knife River and Palmers before the cars were set out for storage. No. 332 then headed back to Duluth with C-205 in tow.

More trips are in the offing for No. 332. On June 8-9, the locomotive will pull a round trip each day to Palmers. The 2½-hour trip will include two of the museum’s three dome cars. Because there are no turning facilities at Palmers, No. 332 will pull the train back to Duluth tender first.

Trips that run the length of the North Shore Scenic to allow passengers to take in fall colors will run Sept. 26-27. The round trip from Duluth to Two Harbors will offer passengers the chance to visit Two Harbors while the locomotive is turned and serviced before the return to Duluth. Dome car seating will also be offered on these trips.

The final weekend of steam trips will close out the regular North Shore Scenic Railroad season on Oct. 26-27 with a repeat of the round trips to Palmers.

American Locomotive Co.’s Pittsburgh Works built the locomotive in 1906 for the Duluth, Missabe & Northern as No. 332. It was operated by DM&N successor Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range Railway as No. 332 until 1955, when it was sold to short line Duluth & Northeastern of Cloquet, Minn., and renumbered 28. The locomotive remained in service on D&NE until 1964 and was donated to the museum in 1974. In 2019 it was restored to its DM&IR appearance and renumbered back to No. 332.

For more information go to https://duluthtrains.com.