August 09, 2007 After my morning ride along Lake Superior, on the North Shore Scenic Railroad, I had some time to kill before my scheduled ride on the Lake Superior & Mississippi Railroad (LS&M). So, what is a railfan to do while in the Twin Ports? A stop for lunch of course at the premier sandwich and pizza joint in Proctor - just across from the former DM&IR roundhouse and yard.
Having been to the Twin Ports several times in the past, each visit means a stop at the Railway restaurant is always in order. The decor is one any railfan would love; many pictures, railroadiana and a nice O-scale model under glass, makes this spot one of my must stops when I visit Duluth - not to mention, the food is great. After eating my fill of a chicken caesar wrap I had one more stop to make before heading to the depot to catch my train.
Where could that be? Mount X-ray! It earned this name for Xrayguy, an active member of the forums at TCR.com and the wheelman for many of the TCR forum member's adventures across the state. While taking in what has to be the best view of Duluth and Superior, I thought back to the last time I was at this spot. Several months earlier Xrayguy, Brahamfireman, Aaron, and Xrayguy stood in awe as we watched the activity of the vast Canadian National's Pokegama yard. I pondered what the area once looked like when trains ruled the area. Looking at the clock I saw that it was almost time to head down the hill. This time I would not be traveling at breakneck speed down the hill, and the antennas on my trunk were in no danger of be ripped from their mounts by low hanging branches! Read Aaron and my blogs from May 2007 to get the background on that adventure.
Arriving safely at the LS&M depot, which is little more than a shack in a parking lot, I was overwhelmed with anticipation for this ride. It has been called the most scenic train ride in Minnesota. Looking over the consist for the day, it is a stark contrast from the NSSR's vast roster of equipment. The train is led by a General Electric 45-Tonner followed by only three cars for me to choose from. Seeing as the temperature was now around 85 degrees, I chose to ride in the open-air, scratch-built Safari car in an attempt to stay cool. The other two cars were vintage DM&IR coaches.
Boarding the train, I could almost feel the spirts of long ago railroad men who once rode in these cars. Looking at the well-worn wood inside of the car, it was as if the cars had stood still and untouched since 1913.
With a toot of the small whistle mounted on the locomotive, we started our journey south out of West Duluth. Passing through Riverside, we learned that this was once a company town, founded by the owner of the Barnes-McDougall Shipyard. Here they once built bulk carrier ships during World War I & World War II. Departing BNSF trackage for the LS&M, we would pass through many groves of trees right up to the shores of the St. Louis river. Here, we would see just a glimpse of the vast beauty that I was hoping to see. Arriving at Spirit Lake we venture across a small island where legend has it that the daughter of an Ojibwa chief and the son of a Sioux chief fell in love; they where chased by braves towards the island and were never found again.
Looking around I could see the bluffs and hills along both sides of the river. Tall grass rocked in the wind as water splashed along the shore - you could almost feel the presence of the two native children who are said to still wonder the island, hand-in-hand. Cruising along at a speed of 10 miles-per-hour, we were not only allowed to take in the views and sounds of the area, but we were also under attack from the grasshoppers jumping from places unseen. They would land on heads, backs, shoulders and legs, causing a few of the more timid to run to the coach cars for cover.
The next area we would run through was Morgan Park. Morgan Park is another old, company town (circa 1914). It is said to have paved streets, underground utilities, and stucco houses built with bomb shelter like qualities. A town with no bars or slums, it had all of its shops and stores located in one building. This could very much be considered the "first" shopping mall, beating out Southdale mall in Edina by 38 years.
Picking up speed as we head downgrade, the cars rock back-and-forth; and the rails causing a few of my fellow riders to hold tight to the car. Arriving at Mud Lake we headed across a causeway once built of wood timbers harvested from the forests of northern Minnesota. Now it is a land bridge which holds the rails. Here we notice signs posted in the water warning all to stay out since the water is contaminated from many years of mining operations, dumping tailings out into the river.
As we headed through Gary I could hear the unmistakable sound of a train horn in the distance, knowing that we were approaching the Canadian National bridge at Oliver, I had mixed emotions. The first was a mix of anger and disappointment. I have spent countless hours waiting on the Wisconsin-side of the bridge for a train to cross and have yet to catch one. The second emotion was that of joy changing to happiness. Since I would finaly catch a train crossing the bridge I had waited for so long, even though it is not from the angle I had hoped to get. Snapping photos from a mile away up until we passed under the bridge I must have cleared close to 75 pictures. Just south of the Oliver bridge we would reach the end of the line.
Pulling into the siding at New Duluth, the locomotive cut off and ran around the train to begin our journey back to West Duluth. Taking the time on the return trip to look closer at the area surrounding the tracks, I saw many sights of random beauty. This is indeed one of the most scenic trips I have been on yet, and one I will make again. I hope one day you too can take advantage of these hidden gems of northern Minnesota. Enjoy a day of rail travel along the shores of the St. Louis river.