Earlier this month the North Shore Scenic Railroad welcomed a new addition to their growing fleet of railroad excursion cars. The SkyView is a full length Dome Car, a rare treat here in the Northland. And it comes with a story that I will tell in a minute.
Many if not most tourists to Duluth are familiar with the Lake Superior Railroad Museum in the St. Louis County Depot in Duluth. If not, then I would add it to your list of must stops during one of your visits to the Northland. Trains have played a significant role in our nation's history as well as Duluth's history. You will learn much by seeing the collection here.
John Loyear (L) examines the SkyView exterior with Director Ken Buehler. |
Though nearly 250 Dome Cars with the abbreviated dome were built, only 30 full length Dome Cars were ever produced. Only 23 or 24 are active today, 11 of which belong to a Mr. Ellis. This is the first one to roll in to the Northland. It's name, appropriately, is the SkyView because of the treetop level views in all directions, including up.
The real challenge has been making it ready for service, a job for which Loyear Disaster Restoration has been commissioned. When I met with Ken Buehler and the team from Loyear, the car had been delayed in getting here. It was my understanding that the NSSR wanted the the restoration finished by July 1. Today I learned that they plan to have it ready to go for this weekend's Lilac Lovefest. When you learn the condition of the car, you'll understand why this seemed an ambitious deadline.
The SkyView had been sitting idle in Oregon for the past year or more. Grime covered every surface. The upholstery was so neglected that mushrooms were growing on the seats. To make matters worse, the exterior of the car was tagged twice on its journey from the Northwest through Nebraska to the Twin Cities and here to Duluth.
Example of the kind of grime and debris inside. |
I dropped by early last week and and the Loyear team was busy in every area of the car. When I dropped by yesterday I was astonished at how clean everything was looking. They were cleaning grime out of the oven in the kitchen and preparing to address the exterior today and Thursday. Lilac Lovefest begins Friday.
Oil and filter changes are a maintenance regimen for trains as well as our cars. |
Here are more photos showing the work in progress up to this point.
Tools of the trade. They even use toothbrushes. |
All those panels on the ceiling had to be removed. Mildew and grime needed to be cleaned in places you can't even see. |
The Scenic Railroad's first Dome Car was called the Silver Club and had been used on the California Zephyr. It came to Duluth a couple years ago and has been very popular.
For those who may be interested, the North Shore Scenic Railroad was started in 1992 by Don Shank, then run by the Goldfine family until the Museum took over in 1996. When Ken Buehler became executive director in 1998, 33,000 passengers partook of the opportunity to take a scene ride on the rails. Buehler said that in 2019, "we carried 105,000 guest/passengers, our best year ever."
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Related Links
Fox21 News story about the Sky View Dome Car
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