June 8, 1989: Dedication of the North Shore Scenic Railroad

On this day in Duluth in 1989, the St. Louis & Lake Counties Regional Railroad Authority’s Lakeshore Line was rededicated as the North Shore Scenic Railroad. The railroad, which runs between Duluth and Two Harbors, was originally constructed in 1886 by the Duluth & Iron Range Railroad’s Lake Division Branch. In 1938 the D&IR merged with the Duluth, Missabe & Northern Railroad to form the  aka the Duluth, Missabe, and Iron Range Railroad. The DM&IR sold the line to the railroad authority in 1987 and it became known as the Lakeshore Line. Governor Rudy Perpich and Senator Sam Solon were among the 500 people gathered for its rededication. Don Shank, former Vice President and General Manager of the DM&IR, was chosen as the line’s chief operator. In June, 1990, Shank took passengers to the start of Grandma’’s Marathon at Two Harbors. After 1990 the Goldfine family operated the railroad for a several years and currently the line is operated by the Duluth & North Shore Railroad, part of the Lake Superior Railroad Museum inside Duluth’s historic Union Depot. Today the railroad offers trips and special-event trains from May to December using several locomotives.