Longtime Duluth railroad museum leader resigns, search begins for successor

Ken Buehler resigned as executive director of the North Shore Scenic Railroad and Lake Superior Railroad Museum, and the boards of both Duluth nonprofits have started a search for his replacement. Buehler had led the closely linked institutions since 2002 and stepped away after 26 years of service.

The leadership change lands at the center of two of Duluth’s most recognizable heritage attractions. The North Shore Scenic Railroad runs narrated excursions from Duluth’s historic Union Depot, through Canal Park and along Lake Superior’s shoreline, with trains operating from Memorial Day through mid-October using historic rail equipment from the museum’s collection. The museum is housed in the same Union Depot, a building that has been part of the city since 1892 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The railroad and museum are structured to work together. The museum says the railroad is its subsidiary, and that both organizations are operated as nonprofits in cooperation with each other. The museum also says it owns and operates the railroad, using equipment from its collection to support the excursions. That collection includes locomotives, rolling stock, cabooses and electric locomotives, giving the operation both its exhibits and the hardware that keeps the summer rides moving.

Buehler’s departure puts a new face over a pair of institutions that are tied to downtown Duluth’s tourism corridor and to the city’s rail identity. The railroad’s trips are a familiar draw for visitors heading between the depot, Canal Park and the waterfront, while the museum preserves the rail artifacts that tell the story of the Lake Superior region. A smooth handoff will matter for seasonal scheduling, preservation work and the public programming that depends on a stable leadership team.

The organizations have also grown up together. In 2022, the museum marked its 50th anniversary and said the North Shore Scenic Railroad was entering its 33rd operating year. That shared history gives the next executive director a broad mandate: keep the excursions running, safeguard the collection and maintain the Union Depot footprint that helps define this corner of downtown Duluth.