Railroad

Museum at 50 – Our Golden Anniversary

By Ken Buehler

Don Shank always said there would be a railroad museum in Duluth, Minnesota. His vision for what is today’s Lake Superior Railroad Museum and North Shore Scenic Railroad started as the last of the behemoth steam locomotives on the Duluth Missabe & Iron Range Railroad were being retired. Shank was vice president and general manager of the DM&IR and realized that saving these relics from the past was important to properly tell the stories of the men and women who built the railroads that built our great nation.

These giants of steam were the 12 Yellowstone Mallet locomotives built during World War II to haul iron ore from the mines on Minnesota’s Iron Range to the company docks in Duluth and Two Harbors. Shank gave the communities of Two Harbors and Proctor each one of the engines for outdoor display. The best one of the fleet was parked in the roundhouse at Proctor with the word “SAVE” scrawled on the boiler. Instead of being scrapped it was preserved for a railroad museum in Duluth that in 1960 didn’t exist outside of Shank’s vision.

It’s now 11 years later, 1971. Amtrak has just been formed and, after years of trying, the railroads are out of the passenger business. With the ability to

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continued from PAGE 2 cancel underperforming passenger trains, Amtrak cuts service to hundreds of communities. Overnight train stations everywhere had no purpose and the railroads declare them surplus. They were being given away. But the question was, what to do with them?

In 1973 Don Shank, Leo McDonnell, Wayne Olsen, Frank King and Shirley Swain had an idea: build an arts, culture and history center in Duluth’s retired Union Depot. Shank’s vision became a reality 50 years ago when the St. Louis County Heritage & Arts Center was born. Today it is the heart and soul of arts, culture and history in the region.

The Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra, Duluth Art Institute, St. Louis County Historical Society, Minnesota Ballet and the Lake Superior Railroad Museum call the Depot home.

The mammoth #227 steam locomotive that Shank set aside for a train museum he only imagined is now one of the crown jewels in the collection. Other artifacts include the William Crooks, the first steam train in Minnesota, a rare steam powered wrecker crane and private, executive coaches Missabe and Car Northland. Many of the exhibits are open to the public so you can feel like the engineer in the cab of a locomotive, or the conductor up in the cupula of a caboose.

Having an operating tourist railroad was also part of the founder’s vision. When the DM&IR was ready to abandon the Lakefront Line, they stepped in and formed the first rail authority in Minnesota. Then they petitioned the state legislature to fund the acquisition of the route between Duluth and Two Harbors and formed the North Shore Scenic Railroad — the line you are riding on today.

The railroad is a natural addition to the museum. It gives every new generation an opportunity to begin their fascination with trains by forming a railroad story of their own. Admission to the museum and the entire St.

Louis County Depot is half price with the purchase of a ticket on the North Shore Scenic Railroad, which you’ve already done. Thank You!

The founder’s vision of this world class railroad museum is now celebrating its Golden 50th Anniversary. Throughout the year there will be many special events, programs and excursion rides. For details go to www.lsrm.org or www.duluthtrains. com.

Ken Buehler is the executive director of the Lake Superior Railroad Museum and general manager of the North Shore Scenic Railroad.