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

Yellow Smiley Face Outlawed In Duluth

You might call this a sequel to last month's ouster of Bent Paddle Been from the municipality of Silver Bay. In that instance the controversial decision to eliminate Bent Paddle was made by the city council. Yesterday my inbox contained a press release about the breaking story here in Duluth in which a local judge outlawed the Smiley Face here in the Northland. I'm not sure whether we'll see protests here locally, but I do expect to see a few countersuits related to the iconic emblem of appreciation. Facebook will no doubt weigh in to see just where the law applies and does not apply. For example, are Smiley Faces forbidden on billboards but permitted on our laptops and other devices? Is the image forbidden on T-shirts, but OK when we're doodling? What kind of fines will be levied against those who use them?

You no doubt recall from the epic biography of Forrest Gump how he played a role in Harvey Ball's development of the image. Serendipity plays a role in many success stories.

Personally, I think the judge is overstepping his authority, but we'll see how it plays out.

Here's the press release as I found it along with a video clip of the judge handing down his controversial verdict:

DULUTH, MINN. March 31, 2016 – The career of the ubiquitous yellow Smiley Face has reached the end of the line in Duluth.

“I hereby order Mr. Smiley Face to leave town forever, because Duluth’s new symbol of joy is the happy visage of Thomas the Tank Engine,” said Lake Superior Court Judge Foyer Self, citing the delight Thomas brings to thousands of kids each summer along the Duluth waterfront.

The judge said that, effective April 1, the lifetime Smiley Face ban covers everything – including LOL text messages and emails. “Sure, Mr. Face could appeal, but he won’t,” added the judge. “That’s because he’s too cowardly. He’s yellow.”

Judge Foyer Self said rumors about Smiley Face being railroaded are untrue: “This court has no ulterior loco-motives. We simply choo-choose Thomas.”

By now you realize that the judge hasn't gone off the rails. Director Ken Buehler of the North Shore Scenic Railroad (NSSR) and "Buehler's Bygones" is just trying to see how punny he can be while simultaneously drawing attention to the North Shore Scenic Railroad, which is back on track.  This is the same railroad that the Duluth Dylan Fest folk rent for the annual "Blood on the Tracks Express" event on Thursday night each year during their annual week of Dylan-themed events (which you can read more about here on Facebook.)

If you like making puns or enjoy winning contests, Judge Self, uh Buehler, is inviting people to submit their best train-related puns to www.NorthShoreScenicRailroad.org by June 1. Entrants will have a chance to win tickets to Day Out With Thomas, who will be at the Duluth Depot Aug. 5, 6, 7, 12, 13 and 14, 2016.

The NSSR’s Smiley Face campaign was created by Greenfield Communications, a PR and advertising agency that has coasted since about 2005. The video shooting and editing were deftly handled by Stokes Media House. Both companies got stiffed by the NSSR.

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That's all folks!