Back in March 2017, a pair of Montana Rail Link locomotives were sent east from Montana to pay back some horsepower hours to the BNSF. On their way back west from Minneapolis, they were put at the... (more)

Trackwork kept these rails silent through most of the day, but as the shadows slowly encroach the tracks on one of the longest days of the year, yet another meet is happening on the Wayzata Subdiv... (more)

A parade of westbounds is making its way across the Wayzata Subdivision following a lengthy work window on a June 2018 day. Following just 11 minutes behind a manifest, a unit tank train with an S... (more)

Trackwork, evidenced by the many ties lining the right of way, has kept traffic at a standstill on the BNSF's Wayzata Sub for most of this June 2018 day. Once the maintenance was done for the even... (more)

Two unique to Canadian Pacific SD30C-ECO locomotives lead the daily Tracy, MN to Chicago manifest over the Cottonwood River just east of New Ulm, MN in May 2018.

A Canadian Pacific crude oil train cruises south through the flat Red River valley near the MN/ND border, approaching the then-new US Highway 75 overpass over the BNSF's Moorhead Sub just north of... (more)

An eastbound coal train crosses the Red River between Fargo, ND and Moorhead, MN in September 2020.

A westbound intermodal train departs Green River after a crew change, passing the large depot that still stands. I was inspired to stop on the famous "railfan bridge" while on a family v... (more)

An empty unit sand train rounds the curves at Lake Park on a clear and cold January morning, led by Canadian National power.

Minimum maintenance roads are pretty common in western Minnesota. Some people may be disturbed by such road signs as more proof that yes, you are indeed in the middle of nowhere. As someone who lo... (more)

Every year I take campers from my church to Camp House, near Brimson, MN. It's a former Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range camp that was created for the families of railroad employees. It eventually was... (more)

A pair of EMD's lead the Union Pacific's local out of Worthington, MN south on the former Omaha Road, seen just north of the Iowa border near Bigelow.

I grew up consuming a steady diet of telephoto smashes of SD40-2s in my favorite books and magazines, so I never pass up the chance to make another one. In this case, it was four of them blasting ... (more)

A westbound Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern train passes by the power at the Harvest Land Cooperative elevator near Springfield, MN. The Harvest Land engine started life as a Detroit, Toledo & Ironto... (more)

Big changes in the former Great Northern division point town of Willmar, MN. A southbound BNSF unit grain train waits for a fresh crew at the south end of the new connector between the Morris Subd... (more)