STEAM EXCURSIONS 2024
DM&IR #332 Steams Again!!
Congratulations to the Lake Superior Railroad Museum volunteers on the “Steam Team” who worked over several years to make the improvements necessary to fire up #332 last fall, on its first public excursion in several years. The photo to the left shows the engine pulling into Knife River, Minnesota, where the awaiting “Christmas Tree Farm” was setup to load trees on for passengers to take back to Duluth.
With the help of the boiler makers from Fraser Shipyards, and other contributors, improvements have been made to the firebox, and locomotive as a whole, and its in great shape to pull excursions this year.
May 11th – Testing and steamup date, with opportunities to see, hear, and smell the locomotive, to help celebrate National Train Day. The National Train Day events will be included with museum admission, and the Duluth Zephyr excursions and Pizza Trains will be operating these dates for their standard ticket pricing.
June 8 & 9 to Palmers: $75 adults and $65 for kids on a 2.5 hour steam train ride, “up and back” with no station stops. Capacity and offerings will be similar to the Two Harbors excursion train, including a coach car, and nice lower level lounges. Two Domecars will be included on the train, for reserved seating at $90
Sept 14 & 15 Steam to Two Harbors: Fall color rates of: $95 and $85… $110 in Dome. Travel to Two Harbors, Minnesota, about 30 miles to the other end of the North Shore Scenic Railroad line. Stop for about 2 hours to have lunch while the engine is serviced and turned around for the return trip.
October 26 & 27 to Palmers: $75adults and $65 for kids on a 2.5 hour steam train ride, “up and back” with no station stops. Capacity and offerings will be similar to the Two Harbors excursion train, including a coach car, and nice lower level lounges. Two Domecars will be included on the train, for reserved seating at $90
History of the locomotive:
The #332 locomotive was built by the Pittsburgh Locomotive Works in 1906 for the Duluth, Missabe and Northern. A typical drag freight consolidation type engine of the early 1900s, she weighs in at 102 tons (172 tons with tender loaded). The capacity of the tender is 8,000 gallons of water and 12 tons of coal.
No. 332 was sold to the Duluth & North Eastern in 1955, and got its #28 numbering and was used to haul logs, lumber products and some general freight. It worked in this service until 1964 and was last under steam in 1965. The D&NE restored and donated the locomotive to the Museum in 1974.
In the Fall of 2013, a restoration project began to bring the engine back to operating condition. It operated for the first time in 2017 on the North Shore Scenic Railroad as #28, and was renumbered/painted to be its original #332 for the 2019 season.