Duluth's 'River Train' rides again - Jiaxing Steel Casting Inc.

DULUTH — For the Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad's first public excursion since fall 2019, Tom Ledin set the tone.

"Happy to be alive," he declared as passengers climbed aboard one of the railroad's restored coaches Saturday morning, "happy to be running the train!"

Ledin took a microphone and provided running commentary during the train's 70-minute run south along the St. Louis River. Many passengers weren't able to hear him, though, as they left the enclosed coaches and enjoyed the sunny weather from the train's open-air "Safari Car."

The North Shore Scenic Railroad is bigger, busier and more visible, but Northland train buffs recognize the Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad as its predecessor — both in the line's original construction and in its present-day service as a tourist attraction.

"This was the first rail line that came into Duluth, in 1870," said engineer Harold Dols, standing outside the line's borrowed locomotive before the train departed its Irving neighborhood depot Saturday. "That connected us with St. Paul and connected Duluth with the rest of the world. That allowed it to become the city it is now."

That history explains the railroad's name, which may confuse latter-day riders since the train runs neither along Lake Superior nor the Mississippi. The name, which was revived when the Lake Superior Transportation Club launched excursion service along the line in 1981, refers to the track's original role as a critical link between the lake and the navigable waters of the Mississippi River.

(The North Shore Scenic Railroad, which runs along a train line dating to 1886, was dedicated in 1989 for tourist service under its current name and later came under co-management with the Lake Superior Railroad Museum.)

The St. Louis River, being already connected to the lake, may not have been the main attraction in 1870, but today the train rides highlight the ongoing transformation of the riverfront as western Duluth attracts an increasing amount of the development attention formerly concentrated to the east.

One of the most striking sights along the line is the open expanse of dirt where a reclamation project at the former site of a U.S. Steel plant — designated a Superfund site 40 years ago — is nearing completion. The railroad's excursions were put on hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, then the pause in operations extended while work on the U.S. Steel site prevented access to that section of the line.

Rail service along the river's west bank might never have returned at all: one of the possibilities on the table in recent years was for the right of way to be used as a trail exclusively for non-motorized recreation. "Ultimately," the News Tribune's Peter Passi reported, "officials agreed the corridor could accommodate both a restored train line and a bike/pedestrian pathway."

There was a distinct Little Engine That Could energy around Saturday morning's excursion, which paused a few times so that the all-volunteer staff could clear the tracks of debris.

"We've been out here working all week, so it was probably one of these storms that just came through the other night," said conductor David Moore. "There's fishermen out here, there's walkers, there's animals. We stop for whatever is on the track."

The "River Train" is not exactly a bullet train. When the first train arrived in Duluth from St. Paul back on Aug. 1, 1870, Ledin told passengers, "it traveled at the same speed as we'll be traveling today: 10 mph. That first trip took 16 ½ hours."

The leisurely pace of the Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad makes for a two-hour round trip — on Saturday morning, slightly more. The line snakes down along thick riverside foliage, crossing Mud Lake along a low causeway. A train rarely feels so much like a boat.

Just shy of Boy Scout Landing, the train stops for the locomotive to make a runaround, switching to the train's opposite end for the trip back. With the railroad's usual engine under repairs that are dragging on due to supply-chain issues, a borrowed locomotive from the Wisconsin Great Northern Railroad in Trego is currently in use.

The Safari Car passengers cheered as the locomotive locked into its return-trip position Saturday morning. While there were dozens on board, the train was running well under its total capacity of 150. Volunteers hope the word will get out about their resumed excursions, which employ renovated coaches (both dating to 1912) and the rebuilt Safari Car (a converted 1928 flat car).

Today, the 153-year-old Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad route gives passengers a front row seat to some of the most consequential changes shaping Duluth's future.

In addition to the U.S. Steel site, the train passes new property developments, as well as the aquatic battleground where authorities are trying to control a population of geese whose appetites are threatening the reestablishment of wild rice beds.

As the train rolled through the U.S. Steel site, workers in waders continued the cleanup while their colleagues on shore paused to watch, one person lifting a phone to photograph the historic equipment rolling through the site.

The train was also a focus of fascination, and some frustration, when it briefly had to stop while blocking East McCuen Street. Some drivers honked impatiently, while others stepped out of their cars to wave and take photos.

Ledin discoursed on the route's industrial history, pointing out the site where Primient produces food additives ("if you're a fan of Jolly Rancher candy, this is where it all starts") and the ME Elecmetal steel casting foundry — known for casting the steel "shoes" on the massive crawlers that carry NASA spacecraft to the launch pad.

But never mind Mars: On Saturday, the railroad volunteers were pleased enough to have taken their 10 mph train on its first successful, public round-trip mission to the river landing since 2019. As I rose to exit the coach, an ebullient staffer stopped and deposited a souvenir in my palm.

"These are supposed to be for kids," she said about the train-flattened penny, "but you can have one too."

For information on Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad excursions, see lsmrr.org.