Lake Superior Railroad Museum, Duluth, MN

Railroad was an important part of Minnesota's history and advancement. The Lake Superior Railroad Museum in Duluth, Minnesota is located at the Historic Union Depot where it works with the North Shore Scenic Railroad to provide history to visitors and residents. The building it is housed in was built in 1892 in the French Chateau style. It was a hub for the railroad during much of the 1900's, most particularly in 1910 when seven railroads were dispatched from the depot. This meant 50 trains a day would move through Duluth.

There was a waiting room called the Immigrants' Waiting Room that was much like Ellis Island in New York. It was a place for new arrivals in the west to make their connections or get off the train. In war periods soldiers used the streets to wait for their train. The last train to ever leave the station was in 1969 for commercial and residential use. In 1973 the city began to restore the depot to its former glory, as well as create the Lake Superior Railroad Museum.

Many of the displays at the museum include trains inside the depot which one can walk around and on. The museum is in the Depot Square with a ?scale of Duluth's downtown. It depicts what the town looked like in 1910. Minnesota has also claimed to have more millionaires per capita than any other. The equipment one can see on a visit to the museum includes steam, diesel, and electric locomotives. They also have freight cars, passenger cars, dining cars, and equipment used for logging and mining that used to be shipped via the trains.

Several of the exhibits are authentic rather than recreations like the 1970's locomotive simulator to test out a visitors' mettle as an engineer. The museum is dedicated to preserving the history of the railroad, not only through the equipment but also through the library of books, maps, photos, and publications. Students at local schools will also find educational programs are offered to teach the history of the railroad.

Admission into the museum is $12 for anyone over 13. Children 3 to13 are $6. Discounts are 10 percent off if a visitor is an AARP or AAA member. Group rates are $4 to $6.75 depending on the age group of the visitors. The building is open Sunday through Saturday 9:30am to 6pm in the summer. Winter hours are 10am to 5pm Monday through Saturday, and Sunday 1pm to 5pm.

Duluth has many scenic areas including those that the railroad used to take. As part of the museum there are train rides being offered. The dates and times are subject to change from year to year, as are the rates. The train rides are about an hour to two hours depending on the choice a visitor makes. It adds the experience at the museum. The numerous exhibits are fascinating to see with the refurbished locomotives and equipment that was used in the early 1900's as a way of life.