By 1938, the D&IR merged with its partner, the Duluth Missabe & Northern Railroad to form Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range Railroad (DM&IR).
The DM&IR was a major iron/taconite hauler in the region, hauling the high grade Missabe Iron Ore to Lake Superior and to Pittsburgh.
United States Steel had control of the DM&IR until 1988, when they spun their railroad holdings off to Blackstone Group, who in turn sold them to Canadian National in 2003.
The DM&IR was a subsidiary of Canadian National until 2011, when it was fully purchased by Wisconsin Central, ending the long history of the railroad.
This line however was spun off to the Lake Superior Railroad Museum as a tourist/heritage railroad. The railroad currently operating the line is North Shore Scenic Railroad, which provides daily tourist railroads between Two Harbors and Duluth.
Today, the CN has trackage rights over this railroad, yet rarely uses them, unless a special case warrents it.
06/26/21
Located at the northeast end of Duluth, this large deck girder bridge crosses the Lester River.
Originally built as part of the original line, the bridge was upgraded in 1896 to feature a lattice deck truss and a deck girder approach on either side.
In 1944, this main lattice truss was replaced with an additional deck girder. This new deck girder also featured steel tower piers. These were set onto concrete blocks, while the abutments of the bridge were constructed of stone.
Currently, the 1944 configuration of the bridge is still in use.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in good condition. Little deterioration was noted on the bridge.
The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant.
The photo above is an overview. The area makes for unique photos with the beautiful surroundings.