Hand Car, Velocipede, Sleigh, Station Wagon

Hand Car, Velocipede, Sleigh, Station Wagon. . , Hand Car , Hand and Push Cars were primarily used by section crews to move men and equipment to local work sites. Hand cars did not have a reverse gear and had to be picked up by four men and turned to face the opposite direction., [Photo caption reads] In addition to road work the hand car was ideal for a berry picking excursion., Velocipede , Velocipedes were used primarily by foremen and track inspectors. Due to the portability of the design they were highly susceptible to theft. The following documents share some humor surrounding the loss of a certain velocipede and the recovery of another one while looking for the first., [Several memo images on the marker], Using hand cars and velocipedes for anything other than railroad business was strictly forbidden as demonstrated by the memo from road master John Shea. , [Image of D&IR memo], In 1921 the D&IR owned: , 120 hand cars at $50.00 each. , 126 push cars at $30.00 each. , 63 velocipedes at $35.00 each., Many of these were leased to other railroads or logging firms doing business with the railroad., Sleigh , It is believed that this sleigh may be one of the first pieces of equipment purchased by the D&IR RR. Original cost in 1883 was $60.00., The sleigh was restored in 2010. The runners were completely rebuilt by Bruce Hanson and the seats and body were restored by Ryan Williams., Station Wagon , The wagon on display is an example of what was used to ferry men along some of the rough roads in the area during the construction period of the railroad. It is unlikely that long journeys such as from Duluth to Two Harbors were made in these types of wagons. Steamships from Duluth ran daily to the village of Agate Bay and passenger service was established between Duluth and Two Harbors by 1886., There was a stage company run by Barney Lynch between Two Harbors and Duluth that included the winter U.S. Mail contract., The wagon displayed here was purchased in July of 188x for $60.00. The wagon was a "station wagon" providing local transportation for people arriving by rail., This interpretive panel and restoration work was made possible through a grant from the LaBounty Family Fund, part of the Two Harbors Area Fund and the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation.