Soo Line 2719, a 1923 product of the American Locomotive Company, was the last steam engine to operate in Soo Line service, pulling a round-trip excursion train from Minneapolis to Ladysmith, WI, on June 21, 1959. It was then donated to the City of Eau Claire, where it was displayed at Carson Park.

In 1996, the non-profit Locomotive & Tower Preservation Fund, which operates a live-steam railroad at Carson Park and also preserved the former Chicago & North Western Eau Claire Tower there, began the process of restoring the 2719 to active service. The Pacific type engine steamed again in 1998 and was last operated in 2001 before being stored at Union Pacific's roundhouse in Altoona, near Eau Claire. In April 2004, the roundhouse was torn down and the engine had to be stored outside, and a subsequent deal to move the engine to Montana for excursion service fell though.

In 2005, LSRM member Glischinski approached both organizations with the idea of moving the engine to Duluth for display and operation. Negotiations are under way to work out an operating agreement and movement schedule. The locomotive is listed on the Wisconsin and National Registers of Historic Places, one of the few steam locomotives in the country so listed and the only one in the Midwest.