Accessibility for people with disabilities and limited mobility
Wheelchair & Limited Accessibility:
The North Shore Scenic Railroad and Lake Superior Railroad Museum feature and utilize historic artifacts for display and operation. The coaches used on the North Shore Scenic Railroad are older and most were not designed to be wheelchair accessible. The Railroad does have wheelchair accessibility via a lift at the Duluth Station, which is used to allow access to the baggage/concession car of the train where staff members are present. Patrons in wheelchairs cannot access any other cars than the baggage/concession area due to limited space between the train car connections. Restrooms are not available because of this at any time during the ride. Windows and open doors are available, as well as access to refreshments in the concession car. Guests can ride along in this section on folding chairs.
The railroad offers wheelchair accessibility on the Duluth Zephyr Excursion and Music & Pizza Train only, on a regular basis. All other trains require steps to board or deboard the train.
Patrons with limited mobility (and elderly) can be helped onto and off of the traincars with staff members present to assist. Train cars have approximately 4 steps to board/deboard.
At this time there is not a lift at the Two Harbors station. This means wheelchairs cannot be offloaded in Two Harbors. In order to make sure we can accommodate you promptly upon your arrival, please call the North Shore Scenic Railroad ticket office at (218)-722-1273.
Inside the Lake Superior Railroad Museum, patrons of any mobility can view most of the exhibits from the cobblestone brick (uneven, but still fully accessible) historic train platforms. There are options to read, or in some cases can dial into an audio tour, about our preserved train equipment. The Depot Square exhibit, the Zelda Theater, the gift shop, and the ice cream shop are all fully accessible.
Service Animals & Pets
Pets are not allowed on the trains or in the Depot building. Service Animals, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), are allowed in/on the North Shore Scenic Railroad and Lake Superior Railroad Museum. Service animals are animals that are individually trained to perform tasks for people with disabilities – such as guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling wheelchairs, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, or performing other special tasks. This does not usually include therapy dogs. In order to make sure we can accommodate you promptly upon your arrival, please call the North Shore Scenic Railroad ticket office at (218)-722-1273.
Hearing Impairment
The North Shore Scenic Railroad has a narration guide available that allows you to learn about the sights along the route. It is available upon request in the ticket office and aboard the train.
Future Plans
We strive to make the North Shore Scenic Railroad and Lake Superior Railroad Museum accessible to all. Additional traincars, lifts, and other items are currently being pursued in order to become fully accessible for all excursions.