Whether the North Shore Scenic Railroad will buy the Lighthouse at Emily's restaurant building and add Knife River to its list of stops is expected to be decided this week by the railroad's board of directors.
NSSR general manager Ken Buehler announced at a Knife River Recreation Council program last week that he has secured the funding to buy the building and will take a plan to the board of directors for the final decision this Thursday.
Buehler said that when he took over at the railroad 13 years ago, the train had about 34,000 passengers a year. Last year it drew 78,000 passengers, 6,800 of which went from Duluth to Two Harbors, the longest trip.
"We need a new destination and we need one that's family-friendly," he said. "If we are going to grow our business to be more family-friendly, then we need a destination that's not too far."
Buehler reiterated that tourist railroads are evolving and that a focus now is what happens when people get off the train - not what happens on the train. Buehler said he believes that Knife River can be the perfect destination for families; it would be the first new stop for the railroad in 20 years.
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Buehler laid out a tentative plan for stops at Knife River. According to the NSSR website, the train travels to Two Harbors on Fridays and Saturdays from about mid-May to the end of June, and on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from the beginning of July to mid-September. The plan would be to add an extra self-propelled railcar to the train that already travels to Two Harbors and drop it off in Knife River on its way.
"We aren't cutting out any service to Two Harbors," Buehler said. "The businesses need it and count on us to bring those 6,800 passengers a year."
Once in Knife River, adult passengers could head to Lighthouse at Emily's for lunch and drinks while the children would take box lunches from Emily's and walk to the beach near the marina for activities. Buehler said nothing is set in stone, but he'd hope to have someone talk to the children about minerals and rocks from the area such as iron ore and agates, as well as the history of Knife River. Because the railcar would be self-propelled, the Knife River passengers could return to Duluth earlier than the Two Harbors train.
"Once we're done, we'll load up the kids, pick up the parents and head back to Duluth and be back there around 2 p.m.," Buehler said.
He also said that once passengers were done on the beach, railroad volunteers would clean the beach and take any trash back to Duluth.
At last week's meeting a few community members expressed concerns about a train stopping in Knife River, including decreased property value because of a railcar engine left running during stops, and possible trespassing on private property near the beach.
Buehler said the railcar would be parked in Knife River for only about an hour and half. The engine would have to run to keep air conditioning going because the windows don't open on the car. The noise would be minimal, he said, and the engine doesn't produce much exhaust. As for the private property, he said that volunteers would know where the group can and cannot go on the beach and would make sure to abide by property lines.
"We try our best every day to be the best possible neighbors we can be," Buehler said.
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The owners of Lighthouse at Emily's, 218 Scenic Drive, announced in August that they would be closing their doors in October because the building's owner was putting the property up for sale. The restaurant then entered a month-to-month lease with the owner until the building's fate was decided. It reopened in January.
Restaurant staff "would be thrilled" if the board of directors agreed on the plan.
"Lots of people from the area" are hoping it comes to pass, said co-owner Claire Pierson, "and we would love it."
The family-run restaurant would be a good complement to the other ideas in the works, she said, nothing the restaurant would stay the same. A small "quick" menu meant to cater to the passengers might be devised.
If NSSR purchases the building, Lighthouse at Emily's will remain open under a new lease with the railroad.
