Spared from further deterioration and vandalism as a park display, the Soo Line Engine 1003 was fully restored and follows the tracks of the Wisconsin and Southern Rail once again. As the sun sets in the west, this vivid scene captures the Mikado type locomotive in action, pouring the power to its 68 inch drivers, creating a wonderful silhouette.
   Rolling off the assembly line in March 1913, the American Locomotive weighed in at 433,000 pounds. Able to travel on all but the light rails of the Soo Line, Engine 1003 proved quite versatile, moving freight for the next 46 years. After its tender was replaced in 1944, the locomotive could carry 10,000 gallons of water and 17.5 tons of coal. With this increase in capacity, the total weight of the locomotive was well over 250 tons.
   Because of the locomotive's versitility, the locomotive was kept in a standby mode after diesel locomotives took over in 1955. But, 1959 spelled the end of the steam locomotive era, and the ALC 1003 was relocated to a park display in Superior, Wisconsin. After years of neglect, the first noble attempt at restoration failed. Undaunted, crews finally achieved success with the first test runs of a rebuilt boiler at the Duluth Transportation Museum in late 1996. Now the 1003 stands as a remarkable resurrection of a steam era workhorse, another piece of railroad history.

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