Duluth and Northern Minnesota 14

Duluth and Northern Minnesota No. 14 is a preserved MK class 2-8-2 light "Mikado" built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for the Duluth and Northern Minnesota Railroad in 1913. In 1919, the D&NM declared bankrupt, and the locomotive was sold to the Michigan-based Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad, to operate there as No. 22. It was renumbered back to 14 in 1924. In 1959, the 14 was sold to the Inland Stone Division of Inland Steel Company, another Michigan-based corporation, and it operated there until 1966. In 1974, it was transferred to the Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway, and then it was donated to the Lake Superior Railroad Museum in 1981. The locomotive was restored to operation for use on the museum's North Shore Scenic Railroad between 1992 and 1998. As of 2021, the 14 remains on static display inside the museum in Duluth, Minnesota.

Duluth and Northern Minnesota 14
No. 14 on display inside the Lake Superior Railroad Museum, 2019
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
BuilderBaldwin Locomotive Works
Serial number39665
Build dateApril 1913
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • Whyte2-8-2
 • UIC1'D1 h
Gauge4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Driver dia.51 in (1,300 mm)
Wheelbase57.33 ft (17.47 m)
 • Engine28.42 ft (8.66 m)
Adhesive weight137,000 lb (62,000 kg)
Loco weight178,000 lb (81,000 kg)
Tender weight115,000 lb (52,000 kg)
Total weight293,000 lb (133,000 kg)
Fuel typeCoal
Fuel capacity10 lb (4.5 kg; 0.0 t)
Water cap6,000 US gal (23,000 l; 5,000 imp gal)
Firebox:
 • Firegrate area		41.30 sq ft (3.837 m2)
Boiler pressure200 psi (1,400 kPa)
Heating surface:
 • Firebox		153 sq ft (14.2 m2)
CylindersTwo, outside
Cylinder size20 in × 28 in (510 mm × 710 mm)
Valve gearWalschaerts
Performance figures
Tractive effort37,333 lb (16,934 kg)
Factor of adh.3.67
Career
OperatorsDuluth and Northern Minnesota Railroad
Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad
Inland Steel Company
Lake Superior Railroad Museum
Class13 (D&NM)
MK-1 (LS&I)
NumbersD&NM 14
LS&I 22
LS&I 14
GN 807
Last runOctober 3, 1998
Retired1966 (Revenue Service)
October 3, 1998 (Excursion Service)
RestoredJuly 6, 1992
Current ownerLake Superior Railroad Museum
DispositionOn static display, based in Duluth, Minnesota

History

Original service life

The Duluth and Northern Minnesota Railroad was a logging company based in Knife River, Minnesota, which was 20 miles north of Duluth.[1] They purchased two lightweight class 13 2-8-2 "Mikados" in April 1913 from the Baldwin Locomotive Works of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, numbered 13 and 14. They were the largest steam locomotives used on a Minnesota logging line, weighing in excess of 90 tons in working order. By 1915 the D&NM main line had been extended to 99 miles, and combined with branch lines and spurs, they had over 350 miles of track. Logs were brought down and loaded onto boats at Knife River. Primarily used as a freight hauler, No. 14 occasionally saw service as a passenger locomotive when it was assigned to the daily mixed train between Knife River and Finland, or on weekend “Fisherman’s Special” trains that took locals into the woods. In 1919, the Alger-Smith Lumber Company closed down its operations, including the D&NM.

As part of their liquidation process, Nos 13 and 14 were sold off to the Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad,[2] and while they were reclassified as MK-1s, they were renumbered 21 and 22, since numbers 13 and 14 were occupied by two B-4 class 2-8-0 "Consolidations" on the LS&I. No. 22 was used by the LS&I to pull iron ore trains between West Ishpeming, Negaunee, and Marquette, Michigan. Though rather slow and lumbering, the 22 could pull "like all get-out", as railroad men remarked, and it proved its value around the ore mines, and it never stalled when the going grew heavier. Although, the sound of its bell was not pleasant upon the ear, and its whistle was strident enough to make one jump. In 1924, the LS&I purchased the Munising, Marquette and Southeastern Railway, and while 2-8-0 No. 14 was renumbered 29, the MK-1 was renumbered 14 again. The 21 was also renumbered 15.

No. 14 resumed revenue service, spotting cars around the ore mines, as well as pulling log trains when other locomotives mainly used for this work were temporarily sidelined. It also occasionally saw use working the mixed trains on the mainline. Engineers always liked its big cab, and it could handle a phenomenally huge haul. A peculiar feature of it was the noticeable steam-sounding peep emitting out of the smoke stack just before the exhaust. As the 1950s progressed, No. 14 was stored for stand-by service; it was last used by the LS&I during the Winter months in Negaunee and Ishpeming on "roustabout" service whenever diesel locomotives weren't available. By March 28, 1959, No. 15 was sold for scrap, while No. 14 was sold to the Inland Lime and Stone Division of Inland Steel Company of Port Inland, Michigan. There, it was reassigned as a switcher for a few seasons, but by 1966, No. 14 was retired from revenue service, and it was then used as a portable steam generator to supply steam and hot water for thawing limestone.

Preservation

In 1974, the Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway's president, Donald B. Shank, who was also the founder of the Lake Superior Railroad Museum,[3][4] became aware of No. 14’s existence and whereabouts. He made inquires to Inland, and the company that owned No. 14 agreed to trade No. 14 in exchange for one of the DM&IR's surplus hot water generator cars. The locomotive was towed to Proctor, Minnesota in 1975,[5] and it was fully donated to the LSRM six years later. The LSRM wanted a steam locomotive in operation for their new North Shore Scenic Railroad,[6] and No. 14 seemed like a good candidate. In October 1988, No. 14 was sent to Fraser Shipyards in Superior, Wisconsin, for boiler work. By early 1990, Fraser completed multiple repairs on No. 14, and it was moved to the Hallett Dock Company shops in Duluth for extensive work. It returned to the LSRM in September 1991, where the remainder of restoration was completed.

On July 6, 1992, No. 14 was fired up and moved under its own power for the first time in twenty-six years, and on July 11, No. 14 pulled its first excursion run from Duluth to Two Harbors with a Christening ceremony.[7] The highlight was when it passed through Knife River, where the locomotive had last worked seventy-three years prior. Over the next six years No. 14 was used on North Shore Scenic and traveled to several communities in Minnesota and Wisconsin to pull special excursions, and sometimes, it would be assisted by EMD fp7 No. 2500. Its last run took place on October 3, 1998. After that, the LSRM no longer had plans to run the locomotive again, and it was left as a display piece, instead. In 2001, the LSRM's members discussed the probability of giving No. 14 another overhaul for operational purposes. However, those plans never came to fruition, and the museum decided to concentrate its efforts on other projects, including the restoration of Duluth & Northeastern 28.

For the next several years, No. 14 would remain on outdoor display beneath an engine shed, exposed to the elements. On May 11, 2013, No. 14 was brought out of its display site to participate in National Train Day. It quietly sat opposite[8] from that night's photo session, which featured Soo Line 4-6-2 2719 and Milwaukee Road 4-8-4 261.[9] After the event was over, No. 14 was moved back to its display spot. In November 2014, the LSRM began the process of giving No. 14 a cosmetic restoration to improve its appearance after sitting out in the open for so long.[10] A new number plate was also fabricated to replace the original, which the LSRM still has in its collection but is keeping off the locomotive to discourage theft. LSRM member Gordon Mott funded the restoration. The following spring, several pieces of equipment were pulled outside for use on the North Shore Railroad, and No. 14 was moved inside the LSRM's building for permanent display. In June 2019, No. 14 was put back on outdoor display, and it was lined up with No. 2719 and Minnesota Steel 0-4-0 No. 7 to greet Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014. As of 2021, No. 14 still remains at the LSRM at Duluth, and whether or not it will be restored for operation again is yet to be determined.

Starring in Iron Will

In 1993, No. 14 was selected as the locomotive used to be recorded in the "Arrowhead" region for the 1994 Walt Disney film Iron Will, which starred Mackenzie Astin and was directed by Charles Haid. It is a fictionalized account of a 1917 cross-country sled dog race sponsored by the Great Northern Railway. In some scenes, No. 14 would appear in its original livery, and in other scenes, including many of the racing scenes, it would masquerade as Great Northern No. 807[11] with a golden smoke stack and a red number plate. Although, the original GN 807 was a 4-8-0 "Mastodon", not a 2-8-2.

Historical significance

No. 14 is the only surviving locomotive ever owned by the D&NM, as well as the only surviving 2-8-2 that was ever owned by the LS&I. It was also one of the last steam locomotives to operate in regular service in the state of Michigan.

See also

References
  1. "Duluth & Northern Minnesota 2-8-2 "Mikado" Locomotives in the USA". www.steamlocomotive.com. Retrieved 2021-01-27.
  2. Durocher, Aurele A. (1958). "The Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad Company". The Railway and Locomotive Historical Society Bulletin (98): 7–31. ISSN 0033-8842.
  3. "Welcome to the Lake Superior Railroad Museum". Lake Superior Railroad Museum. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
  4. "Lake Superior Railroad Museum Duluth - www.rgusrail.com". www.rgusrail.com. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
  5. "Pictures of DNM 14". www.rrpicturearchives.net. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
  6. fsol. "North Shore Scenic Railroad". Duluth Trains. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  7. "Minnesota Steam Locomotives". www.steamlocomotive.com. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
  8. "RailPictures.Net Photo: D&NM Duluth & Northern Minnesota Steam 2-8-2 at Duluth, Minnesota by Todd M." www.railpictures.net. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  9. "RailPictures.Net Photo: Soo 2719 Soo Line Steam 4-6-2 at Duluth, Minnesota by Jeff Terry". www.railpictures.net. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  10. Glischinski, Steve; November 10, Jeff Terry |; 2014. "Minnesota 2-8-2 undergoes cosmetic restoration | Trains Magazine". TrainsMag.com. Retrieved 2021-01-30.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. Korst, Lindsay (2017-12-01). "Iron Will 1994". Obscure Train Movies. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
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