In 1923, the 3 spot display was unveiled next to the Duluth & Iron Range Depot. The first engine purchased by the Duluth & Iron Range Railroad for $9,750, this small engine was enlisted to lay 68 miles of track from Agate Bay to Soudan. Transported to the bay by a scow, towed by the tug Ella G. Stone, the 3 spot arrived at Agate Bay August 29th, 1883. A lightweight locomotive fueled by wood, it transported materials, goods, and people to build the railroad linking rich iron ore deposits near Lake Vermillion to the newly established port on Lake Superior.
In 1899, the company sold the 3 spot to the Alger Smith Logging Company’s Duluth and Northern Minnesota Railroad. Based out of Knife River, the company re-numbered the engine to number 2 and used it to haul logs. After being transferred to several different companies, the engine was found in a Duluth scrap yard. The 30 year veterans Club of the Duluth and Iron Range Railroad convinced the scrap yard owner to sell the engine to the club. It was restored by workers in the Two Harbors railroad shops.
Most recently, it was restored in 2005 with a grant from the Minnesota Department of Transportation and Lake County. Visit the 3 Spot, on display next to the Depot Museum.