From the trains.com web site:

Shuttered mining road to host excursion trains next month

The former LTV Steel/Erie Mining Co. railroad in northern Minnesota will again see trains this September. On September 21 and 22 the Lake Superior Railroad Museum and the Friends of the 261 will operate a rare-mileage, diesel-powered farewell excursion train over the railroad.

The 72-mile private taconite-carrying railroad was famed for its fleet of F9s, which remained in operation from when the railroad opened in 1957 until the last train operated in July 2001. The trip is sponsored by the Lake Superior Railroad Museum and the Friends of the 261 with the cooperation of the Cliffs Erie LLC, a subsidiary of Cleveland Cliffs Inc.

The scenic and remote line never hosted passenger trains. The train will depart from the former LTV Steel/Erie Mining Co. pellet plant at Hoyt Lakes. The trains will pass through 1,800-foot Cramer Tunnel (the longest railroad tunnel in Minnesota) and descend an 8-mile, 2% grade through deep cuts of basaltic rock and across high fills to Taconite Harbor.

Motive power for the train will come from the Lake Superior Railroad Museum collection, including Erie Mining F9A 4211 (which pulled the last taconite trains over the railroad), Soo Line FP7A 2500-A, and Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range SD18 193. The train will include coaches from the Friends of the 261 car fleet, including Milwaukee Road Skytop observation car Cedar Rapids.

Tickets may be obtained by calling the North Shore Scenic Railroad in Duluth at 1-800-423-1273. Tickets may also be obtained on line by visiting the Friends of the 261 website at www.261.com and clicking on the “tickets” link.



ddg14@msn.com

> From the trains.com web site:

> Shuttered mining road to host excursion
> trains next month

Just curious, but was any thought given to having 261 run these (or any) trips on the LTV RR?? Seems a great way to avoid the attitudes on some of the Class Ones. From what I recall reading/seeing in the various mag articles about that line, the track looks great, and there were few, if any grade crossings.

I susupect that just getting this one diesel-powered trip was a monumental job, but....... it sounds like a great place for 261 to romp.

hpincus@mindspring.com

Historically speaking, having one of the old Erie Mining F9's on the point is much more appropriate for this trip than the 261 since they were the original engines on the line when it opened in 1956 - there never was a steam era on the line, and if this is the first passenger excursion, I guess it's pretty safe to assume that there has never been a steam engine there at all. On the other hand, a first-ever steam trip would be a historic event in its own right. I have to wonder how much potential there is for future trips on that line though - I don't suppose they're doing a whole lot of maintenance now that it's out of regular use.

Has there been any word on what's happening with the rest of the LTV F9 fleet?


rjenkins@railfan.net