(The following story by Lisa Baumann appeared on the Duluth News Tribune website on August 16, 2010.)
DULUTH, Minn. — Heavy rain swept through Duluth last week, taking with it part of an old concrete culvert in West Duluth.
That, in turn, created a sinkhole over Kingsbury Creek that swallowed a section of the BNSF railroad near the Willard Munger Inn.
“It caved in,” BNSF employee Dennis Mercier said about the land under the track. Mercier was operating a bulldozer Monday, grading backfill that will serve as a foundation for new tracks.
Monday’s work was simple compared to excavating around the culvert so a new metal one could be put in the damaged one’s place, he said.
“First we had to dig out the banks so it couldn’t cave in on anyone,” BNSF employee Dan Kolodzeske said.
“We buried an excavator,” Mercier added.
Train activity on the rail line halted Aug. 8. That line, reportedly the first built in Duluth in 1870, is used on weekends and holidays by the Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad, which runs scenic tours along the St. Louis River. The tracks also are used on a regular basis by Tate & Lyle, an international food additives manufacturer at 110 Spring St. in Riverside.
Chris Olson, vice president of community and government affairs with the company, said Monday that they’ve managed to work around the problem of the track closure with minimal impact to plant operations.
But for the Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad, the inability to operate has affected revenue, according to President Andrew Webb.
“August is usually our best month,” he said. “We hope to be back running by Saturday.”
BNSF employees said they thought the job would be complete by late today.
Mercier said they were waiting on 300 yards of rocks to use as a base and after they installed the track and built up more land for a roadway next to the tracks, the job would be complete.
Webb couldn’t remember another time when rain had done such damage to that rail line.
“I think there was a washout in the early ’90s,” he said. “It’s the first time (I know of) that torrential rains have taken out the tracks.”