Putt-Putt cars return to Duluth

A national non-profit organization made a stop in the Northland. The North American Railcar Operators Association (NARCOA) collects, restores and runs their Putt-Putt cars on railroads around the country. Monday they were at the Lake Superior Railroad Museum at the Depot after traveling from Two Harbors to Duluth on the North Shore Scenic Railroad.

The cars are called "Putt-Putts", MOW Vehicles, Speeders, Fairmonts and Draisines. According to the Lake Superior Railroad Museum, these railway crew railcars were used by Maintenance Of Way personnel to travel to and from work sites along the railroad.

The lightweight, often single cylinder engines were easy to lift off and on the tracks to allow trains to pass. They are now collector items.

Photojournalist Carl Sauer captured all the sights and sounds of the Putt-Putts.