National Railway Historical Society Convention
Duluth, MN

Trip Report by J. David Ingles

Wednesday August 12, 2009

Photos by David Ingles
To begin, we detoured via Ladysmith just to see what progress they've made rebuilding after the bad tornado there a few years ago, as we were thru there just afterward, and it was heartbreaking. The Soo display train is uprighted, but the paint on the cars is fading to a sort of tannish-maroon.

I had pre-registered for the convention, but wound up not ordering any tickets. We drove north mainly for the opportunity to shoot Soo 2719 in action, which was successful. Had to return home before the big Saturday diesel trip out to Grand Rapids, MN, on BNSF, which featured GN SD45 "Hustle Muscle" in front of Amtrak P42 166 on the train.

Soo 2719, northbound dinner train for NRHS convention, North Shore Scenic RR (ex-DMIR), Duluth to Two Harbors, MN, left at 5:30, the 2719 and 5 cars, a nice looking train (no water tender, tool car, etc., just the Pacific and cars, all Lake Superior Transp. Museum's). Consist: DMIR business car Northland; DMIR combine W24, LSTM baggage/commissary/power 1000 GN paint, GN 1250 Lake of the Isles diner; NP 517 coach.

Photo by Carol Ingles
Lakeside neighborhood, Duluth

Photo by Carol Ingles
Near McQuade Road

Photo by Carol Ingles
McQuade Road crossing

Photo by Carol Ingles
Old Hwy. 61 overpass, DMIR heralds still evident

Photo by Carol Ingles.
Lake Superior Transportation Museum's Soo GP30 700 in action. Evening run crossing Hwy 61, north end of Duluth, Lake Superior in background. Caboose 1, box 1001, GN coaches trail the GP30.

Thursday August 13, 2009

Lake Superior Transportation Museum special on North Shore Scenic, northbound. The train had 8 cars: Northland, W24, 1250, 1000, GN coaches 1115, 1116, NP 517, DMIR 33.
Photo by Carol Ingles
Lakeside neighborhood, Duluth.

Photo by Carol Ingles
The only runby northbound, north of Hwy. 61 (4-lane) grade crossing.

Photo by Carol Ingles
Topping the hill into Two Harbors. coming under outbound Biwabik line.

Photo by Carol Ingles
Meeting at Two Harbors; SDM 316 there by museum to help southbound up grade. That's 2719 popping off, not the SD.

Southbound Soo 2719 NRHS convention special, Two Harbors-Duluth is seen chuffing slowly upgrade out of Two Harbors, finally had to ask the SDM crew for just a tad of throttle. (Photo by Carol Ingles}

Photo by David Ingles
Backing up for Knife River runby.

Photo by Carol Ingles
McQuade Road floral display.

Photo by David Ingles
Pacing in solitude, south of McQuade Road (JDI shooting, Carol steering).

Photos by David Ingles
SOO 700 takes siding at Lakeside to meet inbound Soo 2719 NRHS special.

Photo by Carol Ingles
Tourist line Lake Superior & Mississippi, on ex-NP, first line linking Twin Cities and Twin Ports. NRHS special.

Friday August 14, 2009

Photo by Carol Ingles
DMIR 211, one of only 3 units on the CN subsidiary still active in DMIR maroon paint, SD38-2 211 leads a limestone train out of Proctor for the Ore Dock in Duluth; IC rebuilt SD40-2 6254 and DMIR Tunnel Motor 407 are trailing. Sister 215 is out of service in the shop, and Tunnel Motor 403 was north on an empty ore train, the only one of the 10 DMIR Tunnel Motors still in maroon.

Photo by Carol Ingles
A UP local job, units Y639 and 714, switches a tank-car customer in the morning fog in Superior.

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