Just In Time for Lilac Lovefest: Full Length Dome Car Is New Addition to the North Shore Scenic Railroad

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. 

The North Shore Scenic Railroad (NSSR) received its first Dome Car from a supporter. The first class railroad car has been quite popular. "Every time it went out it sold out," said Ken Buehler, Executive Director. "The new Dome Car is a 64 seater. It is the biggest thing we’ve ever done,” Buehler said. “This is our first time taking on debt.”

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.

John Loyear, who came up from Minneapolis to discuss the project, admitted that this is the first railroad car project for their team, but a relatively easy project compared to the many disaster sites they've restored over the course of several decades. Loyear Disaster Restoration is Minnesota's 2nd oldest disaster restoration company serving Duluth, the Twin Cities Metro and surrounding areas.

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.

While there Tuesday I also talked with the gentlemen who service all the railroad cars on behalf of the museum and Scenic Railroad. I learned that in addition to the very small full time staff they have about 20 volunteers who assist in various. ways in taking care of the museum's needs. The men were giving the big diesel engine an oil change while I was there, after which they started it up. This is not an engine that makes the train go, but rather a power plant for the electricity, appliances and lights that operate in the car. 

Here are more photos showing the work in progress up to this point.

Tools of the trade. They even use toothbrushes.

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Photo of wall showing before (left) and after in progress.

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A first class Dome Car needs a first class kitchen.

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In a Dome Car, it's all about the view. Here we see what 
a difference cleaning the windows makes.

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All those panels on the ceiling had to be removed. Mildew 
and grime needed to be cleaned in places you can't even see.

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You wouldn't believe what these seat cushions looked like.

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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

North Shore Scenic Railroad website

Loyear Restoration home page