The tubgoat Edna G. is now a museum which some of our members toured for two dollars, a special price for NRHS members today. It was built in 1896 and Jacob Greatsing, the president of the Duluth and Iron Range Railroad, named the tugboat after his daughter, Edna. She is, perhaps, most famous for her rescue mission to retrieve the survivors of the Madeira shipwreck. The Madeira sank in the 1905 Mataafa storm. After their ship sank, the crew had taken refuge on the cliffs near where Split Rock Lighthouse now sits. They waited on the cliff's edge for several days before the Edna G Tugboat, along with other vessels, came to their rescue.
Edna G. saw continuous service at Two Harbors until her retirement, except when she was seized by the United States Government and sent to the East Coast during World War I. There she guided naval vessels and hauled supplies. In 1974, the Edna G. was designated a National Historic Site, as the only steam-powered tug operating on the Great Lakes. She was donated to the City of Two Harbors after her retirement in 1981.
Edna G. docked at the harbor.
The Canadian National ore docks.
I think we know who once owned this tug boat.
The engine room.
Looking out towards the harbor.
The tugboat's control room.
The water cannon.
Looking out from the rear.
A side view.
This emblem was on the table.
The ore docks as seen from the tugboat.
A final view of this historic boat.
The train at the Two Harbors station.
Soo Line 4-6-2 2719.
Soo Line 2719 and Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range SD138 316, built by Electro-Motive Division in 1960, which was added to our train.
SOO Line 2719 before I boarded the train to rest.
The crew re-spotted the train and coupled on to Soo Line 2719.
Our train then reversed out of Two Harbors out to that switch we had to pass before returning to Duluth.
Our train pulled forward and proceeded around the curve towards the grade out of Two Harbors. The engine worked and barked as it climbed the grade and almost stalled when it slowed down but then conquered the hill and increased speed. Another photo runby was announced for Knife River.
We detrained and saw the Knife River station which was originally built to serve commuter rail service at a point called Lester Park on the eastern edge of Duluth. This service was offered by a partnership of the Duluth & Iron Range and the Northern Pacific out of Duluth Union Depot starting about 1886. When the Duluth Street Railway's trolleys were extended to Lester Park in 1892, the D&IR dropped its portion of the commuter service, and the depot sat largely unused until the fall of 1899 when it was moved on flatcars to Knife River in order to serve the growing traffic to and from the Duluth & Northern Minnesota Railway. The depot has always been D&IR / DM&IR property, but it was utilized by the D&NM for their scheduled mixed trains while they ran.
Soo Line 4-6-2 2719.
The crew cleaned the ash pan and accidentially set some ties on fire but put it out with a water hose from the engine.
Reverse move two at Knife River.
Photo runby two.
Reverse move three.
Photo runby three.
A static pose at Knife River before we reboarded and continued back to Duluth, although we were delayed at Lakeside for the 3:00 PM Lester River train.
Our train returned to Duluth and I suggested to our car host that he tell the car's passengers to let the Skally Limited Trip passengers off first so we could get to the waiting buses. He agreed that was a good plan and after the train was spotted at Duluth Union Station, I walked to the bus for my late afternoon trip on the Skally Limited.
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