This morning I arose early and uploaded more corrections for the stories then went down for a quick breakfast before leaving for the train. I turned around to get my umbrella and tried to take a picture but realized I had forgotten to put the memory card back into my camera. Back to the room for a third time to get it and I was set.
The Duluth Skywalk crosses the streets in downtown Duluth.
The interior of the Skywalk, complete with my favorite machines. I walked to the parking structure then the rest of the way to the station, where I was fourth in line to board the train to Grand Rapids.
Today's trip over the BNSF line from Duluth to Grand Rapids returns a passenger train to a route that has not seen a regular passenger train since 1959, when it was discontinued by the Great Northern Railroad. According to John Luecke's book, "The Great Northern in Minnesota The Foundations Of An Empire", the line to Grand Rapids got its start as part of the Duluth and Winnipeg Railroad. The D&W was incorporated on February 11, 1878 and was conceived as a locally-backed means of breaking the domination of the traffic to and from Duluth on the part of the existing railroads of the day. D&W hoped to build an "Air Line" to connect the Twin Ports with Winnipeg and the main line of the Canadian Pacific. The D&W began construction of a line along the St. Louis River as early as 1881, but this stalled until 1888, when the D&W began construction in Cloquet and worked its way east. On December 4, 1888, the first rails were spiked down in Cloquet and reached the Mississippi River at La Prairie, just easy of today's Grand Rapids late in May 1889. Duluth and Winnipeg began operations as a logging railroad and no regular train service was scheduled until May 1890. The beginning of regular service came about after D&W made arrangements with the Saint Paul and Duluth Railroad to run its first trains into Duluth in the early 1890.
In April 1891, work began to build east from Cloquet to Duluth. By November, ten miles of twisting track was completed, terminating at the junction with the St. Paul Railroad at Short Line Park west of Duluth. D&W used the St. Paul and Duluth tracks into Duluth proper and made arrangements with Duluth Union Depot Company to use their facility. The first passenger trains began oprations on November 16, 1891. D&W also graded a route from Superior, Wisconsin to Cloquet, which included two crossings of the St. Louis River, a heavy ruling grande and numerous curves and bridges. Contrcts were for ore docks at Allouez Bay east of Superior, and on October 29, 1892, the first train of the Mesabi Range iron ore travelled east on the new route - the D&W handled ore trains for the Duluth, Missabe and Northern from Brookston and the ore docks. But DM&N ended its trackage agreements in 1893 and built its own docks at Duluth. D&W went into receivership in 1894 and was reorganized as the Duluth, Superior and Western in 1896. In the meantime, James J. Hill eyed the old D&W line and brought into his ownership by purchasing the DS&W through his Eastern Railway Company of Minnesota on June 22, 1898. It was now part of the Great Northern empire.
Earlier, with Hill's anticipating his future acquisition, he corrected the shortcomings of the original D&W route between Cloquet and Superior by building a new cut-off from NP Junction (later Carlton) and Boylston in 1898. The 28 mile line was 14 miles longer than the old D&W route but had easier grades and superior engineering, a hallmark of Hill and the Great Northern. Eventually, the line from Gunn, east of Grand Rapids and Brookston to Superior, would handle some of the heaviest trains on the Great Northern, thanks to ore trains rolling in from the Mesabi Range. The ore docks at Allouez were expanded and handled as much as 32 millions of ore a year.
The queue grew much longer before boarding commenced and I chose a seat in the parlour car "Braddock Inn". Our train consisted of Great Northern SD45 400 "Hustle Muscle", Amtrak P42DC 166, lounge car Mount Vernon" 800708, "Kitchi Gammi Club" VRIC7 800705, Southern Pacific coach "Golden Sands" 800748, Southern Pacific coach "Golden State" 800881, Santa Fe lounge "Mojave", parlour car "Braddock Inn" 800854, New York Central parlour car 38 800655, Super Dome 800862 and "Cedar Rapids" 800040.
Our train left Duluth Union Station.
The Canadian National ore docks.
Great Northern SD45 400, built by Electro-Motive Division in 1966 as the first SD45, looked great on the point of our special train to Grand Rapids, Minnesota.
Rounding the curves on the way to the Grassy Point draw bridge.
The draw bridge came into view.
Our crossing of the former Northern Pacific Grassy Point draw bridge, which carries BNSF tracks across St. Louis Bay and into Duluth. It is also used by Canadian Pacific (former SOO LIne) and Union Pacific (former Chicago and North Western) transfer runs. Built in 1912, it is a swing bridge with through plate girder and trestle and is 660 feet long with the largest span being 430 feet.
The first bridge here was built in 1887 by the Minneapolis & Duluth Railroad in 1887, which was later incorporated into the Northern Pacific. However, in 1912 the bridge would be rebuilt with the current structure which features a large riveted and pin connected through truss swing bridge. In addition to the main span, the bridge is also approached by through girder spans and trestle on either side. While there were three draw bridges crossing between Duluth and Superior, this is the sole remaining structure. The bridge rests on concrete and timber substructures. While the bridge was built double track, it has had the eastbound track removed. There are still slots for it on the steel spans, but the wood spans for that second track are gone.
The majority of rail traffic crossing the St. Louis River into Wisconsin up here crosses downstream on the Oliver Bridge, instead of on this bridge.
Rounding that tight curve in Superior.
BNSF power in the former Northern Pacific yard.
Central Avenue.
At Saunders, the Canadian National line passed underneath.
An interesting shack out in the trees.
Approaching Boylston, where my new mileage would start.
At Boylston, the line to the Twin Cities took off and I was now on new trackage all the way to Grand Rapids.
Just another rural road.
The interior of parlour car "Braddock Inn", ex. MARC 190, exx. New Jersey Transit 5411, exx. Penn Central 1509, exxxx. Pennsylvania Railroad 1509, exxxxx. Pennsylvania Railroad 8246 "Per Schoenberger", nee Pennsylvania Railroad 21 roomette sleeper 8246 "Braddock Inn" built by Budd Company in 1948 for operation on "The Iron City Express" between New York City and Pittsburgh. Over the years the car was reconfigured as a sleeper, coach, café-parlor and ultimately back to first class service to meet the needs of the various railroads including New Jersey Transit and Maryland Department of Transportation MARC Train Service. While in service for MARC, the car operated as a parlor/lounge car on an express commuter train between Washington, D.C. and Martinsburg, WV, where seats were highly sought after and often fully occupied.
Now owned by the Collis P. Huntington Railroad Historical Society, the "Braddock Inn" is part of a working pool of passenger cars that are used on private excursions including the New River Train Excursion.
The author enjoying "Braddock Inn".
Some open land in the forests.
A unique farm in Wisconsin.
A pond along our route.
Crossing the Huson trestle near State Line, which was a gauntlet bridge when the line was double-tracked. A gauntlet track is where railroad tracks converge onto a single roadbed and are interlaced to pass through a narrow passage such as a bridge for tunnel. A frog at each end allows the two tracks to overlap, and the four rails run parallel through the passage on the same ties, then separate again at the other end.
Trees on the rolling hills.
Carlton, Minnesota, where the Great Northern crossed the Northern Pacific at a crossing guarded by an interlocking tower. Carlton was a real junction town for the Northern Pacific, with lines radiating it to the Brainerd, Cloquet, Duluth, St. Paul and Superior.
The Cloquet kraft pulp plant of South African Pulp and Paper Industries Limited. The company was founded in 1936.
Freight cars in Cloquet.
Our route followed the St. Louis River for miles westward.
The forest along our route.
The town of Floodwood, which is at the mouth of Floodwood River and received its name from the stream, which formerly was obstructed by natural rifts of driftwood. The city was incorporated as a village on May 10, 1899; the post office begain in 1890. The Great Northern station has been moved away from the tracks and is used as a visitor's centre along US Highway 2.
We ran through the Tiaga Forest.
The 9,216 foot siding at Island, which was named for its having a tract of dry farmling land surrounded by a very extensive swamp region.
Our train was stopped by a red signal and the dispatcher could not identify our train with Great Northern 400. After trying for ten minutes, he just used Amtrak 166 for our train ID and we were then given a green signal and took off again for Grand Rapids.
Cars in storage at Swan River.
The wye at Gunn, the western junction with the Casco Subdivision from Hibbing and Kelly Lake. It was named for a nearby lake, which in turn was named for a pioneer lumberman. It was thought that our train would be turned here but that did not occur.
Our train crossed the Prairie River with railfan chasers choosing this spot as the best location on the railroad. A few minutes later, we arrived at Grand Rapids and all the passengers detrained.
Great Northern SD45 400 "Hustle Muscle".
Our train prior to running west four miles to wye for the trip back to Duluth.
The line for lunch today was for Subway sandwiches and after my meal, I explored town.
The station at Grand Rapids built in 1898. After that I met Bart Jennings and we started the photo line for our train's return.
A local plant at the photo line.
Our train returned to Grand Rapids and we all reboarded then just after 2:00 PM, we departed and I relaxed in the "Braddock Inn".
Leaving Grand Rapids.
At Brookston, only passengers with cameras were allowed off for the photo runby.
The reverse move.
The photo line.
Photo runby one.
The "Braddock Inn", the car I chose to ride today. We all reboarded the train and continued to Duluth.
Our Amtrak Conductor Kurt, who went to Conductor School in Wilmington, Delaware with CJ of Let's Talk Trains fame.
Later, we crossed the Huson trestle near State Line as we were back in Wisconsin.
Rounding that tight curve at Superior before turning west and crossing the Grassy Point draw bridge back into Minnesota.
A BNSF freight followed us across the bridge.
Our passengers were excited when we spotted this Canadian National power set.
Canadian National SD40-3 407, ex. Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range 407, nee St. Louis-Southwestern SD45T-2 9278 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1973.
Canadian National SD40-2 6254, ex. Illinois Central 6254, exx. Illinois Central 6752, exxx. Illinois Central 6143, nee Burlington Northern 6752 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1976.
Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range SD38-2 211, nee Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range 9002 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1975.
One last look at this unique motive power set.
Our train was wyed at BNSF's Rice Point Yard.
That BNSF freight arrived at the yard as our train reversed into Duluth Union Station, where I detrained and walked to the parking structure to get into the Skywalk. I found it locked so wasted time and had to walk up the hill to Superior Street where I found a way into the Skywalk. I stopped for a Subway sandwich and chocolate chip cookies for dinner then returned to the Best Western to have my dinner and my last night in Duluth as I wrote this story.
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