Railroad museum focusing on railroading in the Lake Superior region and operates the North Shore Scenic Railroad, which runs excursion trains using historic rail equipment from the museum collection
Interactive railroad museum featuring historic locomotives, passenger cars, and exhibits that showcase the role of rail transportation in regional and American history.
General Information
Open year-round except select major holidays
Children (3–13): $7
Children 2 and under: Free
Active-duty military and veterans: $1 discount with valid ID
How to Get There
From Duluth (1 mi): Travel west on Superior Street or Michigan Street toward the Historic Union Depot and follow signs to the museum entrance at the depot complex on West Michigan Street.
Overview
The Lake Superior Railroad Museum is a railroad museum in Duluth, Minnesota. Opened in 1973, the museum focuses on railroading in the Lake Superior region. It is housed in the restored Duluth Union Depot complex. The museum also operates the North Shore Scenic Railroad, which runs excursion trains from Memorial Day through mid-October using historic rail equipment from the museum collection.
The collection includes the William Crooks, which became the first locomotive to operate in the state of Minnesota in 1861, and Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway Number 227, a 2-8-8-4 "Yellowstone" locomotive that was among the largest steam engines to operate.
The St. Louis County Depot is a historic train station in Duluth, Minnesota. It was built as a union station in 1892, serving seven railroads at its peak. Rail service ceased in 1969 and the building was threatened with demolition until it reopened in 1973 as The Depot St. Louis County Heritage & Arts Center.
Today, the building houses three exhibiting museums (the Duluth Art Institute, Lake Superior Railroad Museum, and St. Louis County Historical Society Museum), two performing arts organizations (Duluth Playhouse and Minnesota Ballet), and serves as the departure point for the North Shore Scenic Railroad.
The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Duluth Union Depot in 1971 for its state-level significance in the themes of architecture and transportation. It was nominated as a unique example of the era's large railroad terminals and the connection they provided to the rest of the nation.
Scenic tours from the station continue to be provided by the North Shore Scenic Railroad (a heritage railroad operated by the Lake Superior Railroad Museum), which provides several different excursions from Duluth to points northeast along Lake Superior's northern shore. Regular tours are round-trip, ranging from one to six hours long, with destinations including the Lester River, the area of Palmers, and the city of Two Harbors. The railroad also provides a variety of special excursions throughout the year, as well as opportunities for charter trips.
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Lake Superior Railroad Museum", and "Duluth Depot", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0
