DULUTH, Minn. (Northern News Now) – The Duluth Missabe and Iron Range Railroad was part of our lives for decades and now the Lake Superior Railroad Museum wants to hear your story of the rails. The roots of the DM&IR railroad were laid down along with its tracks in the 1880s to haul ore out of the Soudan Mine. Passenger service all across the Iron Range to the Twin Ports was offered as well on cars like old number 19 here, which wasn’t the epitome of comfort.
“The windows opened for air conditioning, which meant you also got all the dust and dirt and soot and grime and smoke from the steam locomotive,” said Lake Superior Railroad director Ken Buehler.
Car 19 comes from 1890 and is the first exhibit the museum got when it opened in 1973. It has just emerged from a restoration and finding period-correct parts was tough.
“We started out by trying to find historic-looking carpet, which is harder to do than one might imagine,” said Corrie Hackbarth.
Corrie Hackbarth is museum curator. Now that Coach 19 is all fixed up, the next project will be to gather stories from people about their memories of the DM&IR.
“We are starting a program called ‘Working on the Railroad – Stories of the DM&IR,’ and what we’re trying to do is collect oral histories or collect objects with stories behind them to really bring that story forward,” said Hackbarth.
The oral history project is still in the planning stages, but those with tales to tell will be welcomed in the near future.
Hackbarth feels those tales are worth telling and preserving.
“The DM&IR was our local railroad and our local story, and it was such an important part of our history, and it helped grow us to where we are now,” said Hackbarth.
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