North Shore Scenic Railroad

The North Shore Scenic Railroad's RDC (Rail Diesel Car, built by Budd) arrives at Two Harbors, Minnesota, in August of 1990. This was the road's first summer running its tourist operation between the Depot Museums in Duluth (Lake Superior Railroad Museum) and Two Harbors (Depot Museum of the Lake County Historical Society). The Lakefront Line was saved from potential abandonment in 1989 when the Lake Counties Transit Authority purchased it from the DMIR.

The Two Harbors Depot is to the right, of course. The locomotive under the nearby shed is the "Three Spot," the first locomotive purchased by the Missabe Road's ancestor lines. The other shed protects DMIR 221, a Yellowstone (that's the model designation) or a Mallet (that describes its drive system; pronounced "Mallee.") All Mallet locomotives were huge; the Yellowstones were, by some measures, the largest ever made. (Personally, I'd go with the UP Big Boys. C&O's Alleghenys seem also to have a reasonable claim.)

The Two Harbors docks are (barely) visible on the left of the picture.