The aerial bridge is the world's coolest erector set.

It was in the early 70’s when my parents, siblings and myself got to ride on the bridge as the laker passed below our feet. The Eastwardly pedestrian walkway had a section caged off for the safety of tourists. The walkway and roadway is constructed of steel grating, so you could clearly view a vessel passing below. Us kids made sure we stood where the Laker’s stack would pass. This practice was discontinued many years ago, I’m now 63. Thanks ever so much for jogging a GREAT memory!

Great Footage Mike. Here is another video idea. An interview with the bridge lift operator. I think your followers would enjoy that.

Thanks for showing the lift bridge. While the various ships are the stars of your videos, they wouldn’t be the same without the faithful costar- the lift bridge. Take care

Met Jim Oberstar a regular guy and a credit to Minnesota - RIP Jim

Most interesting,bit of a mechanical marvel that bridge !

I seen various lift bridge channels but I enjoy yours the best because of your enthusiastic commentary. Nice!

James Oberstar was a serious bicycle rider (up to 2,000 miles per year) and sponsored many bills which funded trails in Minnesota and throughout the United States. As a serious biker myself, I am very appreciative of all his efforts in this area.

Love the classic Laker style of the James Oberstar. Thanks as always Mike, for providing the fun facts that you do, and also for the look at the lift bridge today. We appreciate all you do in capturing these videos!

I am **definitely** a nerd for things like bridges, locks, boats & ships, lighthouses...and (of course) weather. Love to see how all these work behind the scenes and learn about their particulars & history! 😊💜😊💜😊

What a beautiful ship named for a truly great Congressman. I worked on Great Lakes issues for several years and there was no bigger champion for the region and the industry. Nice video!

Hey Mike! 👋 I am glad that you captured what happens when you get "bridged". I had not seen it before. She is one of those ships with the forward pilot house that I love. She looks really great for being built in the 50's. Those waves look like they are helping to push her into the harbor. Happy to see that she made it in safe and sound. Hope you had a great Monday. Take care my friend and chat later. 🙋🚢

Mike, not sure if it’s the feel of “originality” that your video content brings or your embracing and descriptive commentary, but you have to now be one of the best videographers bringing this type of content, watching from here in England, UK, your capturing the feel of moment that others there to will be feeling and thinking, great work, but also great fun, keep it up, much appreciated. Bob

Great to see the lift bridge Mike. I had wondered if that was a vehicle bridge or just pedestrian and now I have my answer. Looks like a nice northern midwest day there 😀. Thank you for sharing.

Thank you for the link to the lift bridge operators area! These ships are all impressive.

My father, born in 1909, who lived in Superior and then Duluth till he graduated from college, told me that at one time people were allowed to ride the bridge up, but then after an unfortunate incident the practice was stopped. I have made numerous trips to the area and have seen quite a few of the vessels you feature; quite a sight for someone from the high and dry Texas Panhandle. Thanks for the posts, they bring back good memories.

Brilliant shot of the bridge cant believe how quiet it is when she goes up 👍👍👍

That is soo cool to see the bridge go up !!!

Thank you! Loved seeing how the bridge works!! ❤

Very cool! I like seeing how to all works! Also, I enjoy the tidbits of history and info that you give! Thanks for your time!

Thank you, Mike!! Another beautiful boat in the books. I was rather befuddled today when you did not finish your sentence while watching the bridge raise. You forgot to say "While I munch on this Salted Pretzel and Cheese Sauce". I need to contact St Paul Community Safety and close my theft report of my Big Wheel Chain Drive -- I see that they are in use on the lift bridge 🙂

Love the old school ship's . Thank you I wonder about the bridge and people walking or driving 👍👍👍👍

Another great video Mike! Thank you for showing the lift bridge in action. Definitely enjoy the behind the scenes look at things and also love the old school lakers.

One has to pause at the sheer engineering feat is it to lift bridge over an active navigable route. Thank you.

Thank you so much for posting this ! I watch on web-cam everyday and I have often wondered what its like to see a ship close up from the pathways and how it all looks around the bridge which is limited on cam !

My parents rode the bridge as pedestrians when they were teenagers. Mom said that it was a bumpy ride, and that the bridge operator yelled at them. The Oberstar was originally owned by Shenango Furnace, and was named Shenango II.

Great video Mike. I was wondering, like a few others, if you could do an interview with the lift operator. That would be interesting.

Cool to see the bridge at work. James Oberstar looks great as always...👍⛴️ 🇺🇸 🇨🇦

I apperciate your enthuasim, and commentary ! I love your knowledge of the lake boats!

Excellent channel, Mike. I enjoy your narration and types of things that you point out. Good work!👍

Thank you Mike. I really like seeing the lift bridge go up. I love the videos of all the ships the go by. I wonder what it is like going up inside the building. Thank you again Mike.

Great Video Of The Bridge And The Ship Mike The Oberstar Is 64 Years Old It Was Converted From Steam Turbine To Diesel I Have Seen The QE2 Leave Boston A Few Times The First Time It Was Powered by Steam It Left Boston At 11 PM The Royal Salute Woke The Sleeplng Seagulls They Took Off My Late Father Was A Boat Fan When He Died My Relatives Told Me He Would Take Them Down To see The Ships The Boston Globe Would Tell You What Was Coming In. The Other Day I Sawa Website That told What Was Leaving And Coming In. like Saturday Morning The PRT Was Coming In At 4 AM. Mike. Have A Great Monday Night 😊 lol

Am originally from the Great Lakes region….loved to see this…thanks so much.

Love the view of the operation of the Aerial Lift Bridge! Another old school laker. Cap't Mike, you rock.........

Can't help but enjoy the videos of old school Lakers. Enjoyed the video Mike and BE SAFE OUT THERE!

WAAAAY COOL! I didn’t know there was such a thing as a lift bridge! I’ve seen the draw bridge over the Chicago River, which is fascinating to watch too. Thanks for sharing!! 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽

I really appreciate your videos behind the scenes in Duluth. I didn’t realize all the stuff I missed before just watching the Duluth cams. Keep up the good camera work!

Great video and commentary, Mike. Thanks!

As always full of information. I look forward to tbese videos.

My friend Mike, you continue to out do yourself for our viewing pleasure. Thank you so much for your wonderful talent that you are blessed with. Stay healthy and safe. PEACE!!

Fantastic. Thank you!

Solid. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for the content Mike,have a good one!!!

This is great !! Good job !!!

Fun video as always Mike! Thanks! I really enjoyed it.

Thank you for sharing,I enjoyed it.

Thank you !

Thank you! Very informative.

Thanks for showing that.

It would be so awesome to be able to ride the bridge up and watch a ship go under.

This was vary cool. Thank you so much for sharing.

Thank you for a great video

Love the hum of the lift bridge as it ascends

Well, thank you for this video.

Moin Mike, your videos about Duluth are the best. How i want to visit Duluth. All four seasons. Cheers : - )

thank you for the video, wow. watching from Australia. The bridge is amazing and the ships too

When she was the Charles M. Beeghly her steam horn sounded great 👍🏾.

Cool clips, thanks, now I want to come visit and see live, very cool

Thanks you always wondered about this.

Excellent documentary! You explained it all very well and provided great background information. 👏

Thanks Mike

I grew up right nextdoor to a draw bridge and shipyard, we used it as are own playground, swimming, diving off the bridge, 75 ft at high tide, watching the tankers come and go, they built huge LNG tankers with giant spheres for the natural gas. 1970's. They built the pocket aircraft carriers for WW11, submarines, General dynamics, Quincy, Mass, foreriver bridge.

What a beauty

Very interesting Always wanted to know how that works

....that's impressive - I was gonna ask about counterweights - but glad I waited...

Outstanding camera work! Extremely sharp and steady.

Absolutely brilliant design! Thanks for sharing. 😊

Interesting video of the bridge going up. I always thought it was smoke from the stacks. Now I have l learned from you its steam! Cool!

Fantastic video. Great photography and narration. (no stupid tecnocrap music) Thanks for sharing these two engineering marvels.

I just discovered this video from several months ago. Fascinating, as prior to finding this channel, I had never before seen a lift bridge. (We have a drawbridge locally- where the road goes up at an angle). I was interested to see what this process looked like. I surely do wish that I could visit Duluth and see these sights! (Also fascinating to learn that people surf on the Great Lakes, as I associate that with the ocean. I would not wish to do it….would be afraid of hidden currents).

Thank you for youre always interesting video's! Adrian, Amsterdam Europe

Very interesting. I sold elevators for 20 years and dealt with a lot of counterweights, but none as massive as these.

Great video

Interesting, thanks for sharing from Arizona City, Az.

incredible engineering

Thanks for showing the map on your phone, nice to have the perspective.

Amazing

Commentator is outstanding

As a kid I was an avid boat watcher! The Charles M Beeghly was one of my favorites!

I wouldn’t mind riding that up!! Would be cool.

That thing is amazingly quiet. Our Houghton-Hancock (MI) lift bridge makes all kinds of clunks, rattles and bangs as it goes up.

I totally didn't expect the bridge to go up the way it did! I was expecting one or both sides to go up to vertical, or for it to swing left or right, but NOT straight up! Wow!

Interesting 😃👍

Hello, Great video friend 👏🇧🇷

Hello there from Port Huron Michigan!

Correction to your comments. The exhaust one sees coming out of the stacks is not "steam". That is heavily laden with moisture air. Steam must be contained under pressure and heated above boiling temperature. Great Video

We have a vertical lift Railroad Bridge on Cape Cod Canal. Don't know that it is bigger than this. The mechanicals are similar.

Great video thanks for sharing

I lived in Abbeville La. and there were 3 counter-weighted lifts I would cross. Old tech needs maintainence and they got it, sometimes!

The rounded aft ends on the older ships are so much sexier than the cheap, squared-off sterns on the newer vessels.

The Jlo will always be the CHARLES M. BEEGHLY, aka the Beagle. She looks great!

“There’s the fancy communication and equipment. And here’s a long stick they use to navigate.”

Thanks, Mike! That didn't look like surf to me, not even bodyboard!

The head on view shows more of the width of the old school vessels compared with the newer ones.

That was pretty cool watching the bridge. The chain attached to the counterweight is massive thing isn’t it? Wonder what it’s purpose is.

Man cool thanks it's better then the bridges that split, nice on the water😊😊

Hi Mike. Really enjoy your videos. Question for you: to your knowledge has the 135' clearance ever not been quite enough such that an antenna or other item on the vessel's flying bridge or superstructure didn't make it under? I'd also like to echo one of the other comments who suggests a you post an interview with the lift operator. Thank you.

we've got a draw bridge across the river in Cheboygan, it's pretty cool; but not Duluth cool, we have oil and gas tankers come up our river, and also the Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw. they don't come up as far as the bridge, they stay a few 100 yards down river. i have enjoyed your content.

OUTSTANDING!!! Thank You for such a great video. I was wondering, while I was watching this particular video, if you happened to have other bridges, and then I see that you have. I am a lover of Amtrak, especially Amtrak 3 & 4 rail systems, Chicago to Oakland mostly, I rarely miss them, along the route there is a bridge in Fort Madison, Iowa, which has what I think is called a swing bridge. It's amazing to watch it slowly open to allow those hugh river barges through. Oftentimes the railcam operator will do some fantastic closeups. But mostly in the interest of the trains that travel across it. The upper level of the bridge handles vehicles, the lower bridge accommodates freight and passenger trains. I am wondering if you have any videos of that particular bridge, I believe its Iowa on one side, and Missouri on the other side.

My favorite place is superior but I come over Duluth to look at the northshore usually. That boat is really long it's got to have bow thrusters.