Lake Superior
Railroad Museum

The Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range History Car Exhibit Turns 49 Today!

A dedication for the Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railroad History Car occurred on this day, August 27th, in 1976.

“The car was dedicated by Mrs. Voss to the memory of her late husband, Fred J. Voss, Missabe president from 1954-1961, and her father C.E. Carlson who served as president from 1930 to 1944.”  (Laker, Autumn 1976, written by Dave Bruns)

The Voss family underwrote most of the car restoration to make the original exhibit possible.

The car was painted dark gray and full of railroad scrap, not the most beautiful car when it arrived. Frank King said the car’s history was a little obscure, but he thinks it was built by Barney and Smith in 1907.  It was a passenger car for the Duluth and Iron Range. There is still evidence that it was a passenger car on the floor, which could be seen when the carpet was removed. The center aisle is still visible with wooden floors on each side. The car was later converted to a gas motor car for cross-range service.

Evidence of the car’s former life as a passenger car. Photo by Corrie Hackbarth.

Tom Gannon took the lead in restoring the car.  Volunteers began by removing paint off the outside, with special attention paid to each little groove of the wooden car. Tom focused on stripping the inside of the car and taking great care to slowly restore the beautiful woodwork and inlays that were hidden under layers of paint. Once the exhibit cases were added to the car, Frank King, Senior Industrial Engineer for the DM&IR at the time, was put in charge of the project. He collected and assembled the Missabe history from the beginning including pictures and artifacts to put on display. His original story can still be seen in the car today. It has been enhanced with new exhibit labels, wallpaper, carpet, and new lighting. The Lake Superior Railroad Museum is open 7 days a week, 10-5, except select holidays.  Come and visit us to learn more about railroading in this area. 

Detail of wooden inlay inside the DM&IR History Car. Photo by Corrie Hackbarth.


Latest News & Features

  • October 28, 2025

    by Theresa Beck, Education Intern   What’s your favorite ghost story? Did you perhaps grow up hearing about ghosts in graveyards, or maybe a haunted hotel? Rail workers had their own ghost stories that they told, chilling tales of mystery and intrigue. One of these more popular tales is the legend of the Joe Baldwin Ghost Light, or more commonly known as the Maco Light. The story originates in North Carolina, 1867, back when workers had to manually couple cars together before a trip. One night, Joe Baldwin, a conductor, hopped out of his train to recouple some cars that were separated, and there was an accident. He died with a lantern in his hand as he tried to refasten the coupler. After that night, it is said that a mysterious light began appearing along the tracks. It would wander back and forth around the tracks before trailing off into the night. Some say that Joe was decapitated during the accident, and that the light can be explained by his ghost wandering around each night to find his missing head. Later, in 1873, a second light began appearing opposite the first each night, before meeting and trailing off together. Passengers and workers alike theorized that perhaps this was a sign that Joe had found his head, and that his head had been searching for him as well. This story gained so much popularity, with so many sightings, that it even reached an investigator out in Washington, DC, who failed to scientifically explain the light. There are also accounts of engineers who stopped their trains for the light, believing that there was someone on the tracks trying to flag them down. Maybe Joe is still out there, searching for his head each night. Rumor has it that our very own depot has its own ghost stories. Perhaps, if you look closely enough, you may see a ghost right here at home.   The Romance & Folklore of North America’s Railroads. Edited by Bill Yenne. New York: Brompton Books Corp., 1994.

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