DULUTH — Duluth, Missabe & Northern steam locomotive No. 332 was fired up on Friday afternoon for a test of its mechanical systems.

Built in 1906 by the American Locomotive Works for the Duluth Missabe & Northern Railroad, DM&N steam locomotive No. 332 was mostly used for pulling ore trains and long freights. In 1955, the engine was sold to the Duluth & Northeastern Railroad in Cloquet, where it switched to the Potlatch paper mill until 1964. When retired, it was the last working steam locomotive on a common carrier in the state of Minnesota. The engine was donated to the Lake Superior Railroad Museum in 1974 and was restored to working order in 2019.

The engine has been sidelined for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Recently, it passed several mandated inspections by the Federal Railroad Administration that allowed the engine to be fired up and operated.

The North Shore Scenic Railroad plans to run several weekends of steam excursions to Two Harbors and back later in the season. A schedule will be announced at a later date on www.duluthtrains.com.