Boat Break
Boat Break!
Here's another rare non train photo here at Dave Blaze Rail Photography. I've shared a photo of this vessel before because I caught her on my first visit to the region in May and was fortunate to see her again on this October trip.
As I've mentioned this can kind of count as a 'rail photo' since this laker is actually a railroad owned asset....for now. The Philip R. Clarke is leaving Lake Superior and starting into the Duluth Entry as it passes the Duluth South Breakwater Outer Light at the tip of the south pier. This lighthouse was completed in August 1901 replacing the first which became operational in 1874. The fourth order Fresnel lens (made in France in 1877) from the original lighthouse was transferred to this tower and remained in operation until 2014 when it was replaced with an LED beacon and that lens was placed on display in the nearby Lake Superior Marine Museum. The lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.
As for the Clarke, they are headed to CN Dock 6 to load iron ore pellets destined for Toledo. If the paint scheme of this vessel reminds you of a modern CN Gevo you wouldn't be wrong and that's why this counts (per my arbitrary rules) as a rail photo. The Clarke is owned by Great Lakes Fleet whose parent company is indeed the Canadian National which came to own the company in 2004 when it purchased Great Lakes Transportation Company from Transtar. Their primary motivation was to acquire the Duluth Missabe and Iron Range Railway and Elgin Joliet and Eastern Railroad but ending up with the Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad and the Great Lakes Fleet and associated docks as part of the package deal!
The Clarke is one of nine self unloading bulk carriers in the company's portfolio and is of the classic laker design with the superstructure and bridge on her bow. Launched in 1952 she is oil fired and steam driven and was 647 ft long when built but lengthened to 767 ft in 1974. To learn more I direct you to this links.
For info on the Great Lakes Fleet company here is a nice history and below that a downloadable PDF brochure from the CN.
www.lakesuperior.com/the-lake/maritime/383-great-lakes-fl...
www.cn.ca/-/media/Files/Our-Business/Brochure/CN-Great-La...
And here is a great history of this classic septuagenarian vessel:
greatlakesships.wordpress.com/philip-r-clarke/
As an aside, the CN put the company up for sale in 2022 so if they ultimately sell the vessels and docks I guess this won't qualify as a train photo anymore!
Duluth, Minnesota
Saturday October 7, 2023
Boat Break
Boat Break!
Here's another rare non train photo here at Dave Blaze Rail Photography. I've shared a photo of this vessel before because I caught her on my first visit to the region in May and was fortunate to see her again on this October trip.
As I've mentioned this can kind of count as a 'rail photo' since this laker is actually a railroad owned asset....for now. The Philip R. Clarke is leaving Lake Superior and starting into the Duluth Entry as it passes the Duluth South Breakwater Outer Light at the tip of the south pier. This lighthouse was completed in August 1901 replacing the first which became operational in 1874. The fourth order Fresnel lens (made in France in 1877) from the original lighthouse was transferred to this tower and remained in operation until 2014 when it was replaced with an LED beacon and that lens was placed on display in the nearby Lake Superior Marine Museum. The lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.
As for the Clarke, they are headed to CN Dock 6 to load iron ore pellets destined for Toledo. If the paint scheme of this vessel reminds you of a modern CN Gevo you wouldn't be wrong and that's why this counts (per my arbitrary rules) as a rail photo. The Clarke is owned by Great Lakes Fleet whose parent company is indeed the Canadian National which came to own the company in 2004 when it purchased Great Lakes Transportation Company from Transtar. Their primary motivation was to acquire the Duluth Missabe and Iron Range Railway and Elgin Joliet and Eastern Railroad but ending up with the Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad and the Great Lakes Fleet and associated docks as part of the package deal!
The Clarke is one of nine self unloading bulk carriers in the company's portfolio and is of the classic laker design with the superstructure and bridge on her bow. Launched in 1952 she is oil fired and steam driven and was 647 ft long when built but lengthened to 767 ft in 1974. To learn more I direct you to this links.
For info on the Great Lakes Fleet company here is a nice history and below that a downloadable PDF brochure from the CN.
www.lakesuperior.com/the-lake/maritime/383-great-lakes-fl...
www.cn.ca/-/media/Files/Our-Business/Brochure/CN-Great-La...
And here is a great history of this classic septuagenarian vessel:
greatlakesships.wordpress.com/philip-r-clarke/
As an aside, the CN put the company up for sale in 2022 so if they ultimately sell the vessels and docks I guess this won't qualify as a train photo anymore!
Duluth, Minnesota
Saturday October 7, 2023