Fresh steamy pellets on a 80F morning head out for Two Harbors, MN

A pair of Missabe SD38-2's sandwich the Illinois Central 6250 as they run up to Minntac to load taconite off the west side. Most people shoot the southbound train as it's leaving Minntac but for ... (more)

On a cold and clear morning, Illinois Central 6256 leads GTW 6221 and I.C. 6254 down the hill from Minntac with fresh steaming pellets that are on the way to Two Harbors, MN and the docks there.

A Road Run out of Biwabik shoves empty cars onto the rock track at Minntac. In the distance is part of the mine's expansive open pit iron ore operation, the largest in the United States.

A sharp looking ex-C&NW/UP Dash-8 leads a loaded ore train out of the Minntac plant. Seven miles later this train would derail a number of its new ore cars on the west wye switch at Iron Junction.... (more)

Snow and steam all over as a trio of SD40-3's pull down from Minntac with 137 loads of iron ore pellets which will end up at Two Harbors.

Another train of taconite pellets decends down from U.S. Steel Minntac bound for Two Harbors, MN.

Money money money money....monaaaaaay! The Keenan Road Switch certainly is money for the crew. Not only did it take them 2 hours to go 5 miles, but they get a 4 man crew, unheard of in todays worl... (more)

The Keenan Road Switch finished up delivering bentonite hopers to Minntac and now work on picking up some log cars out of the small yard at Mountain Iron before heading back to Keenan Yard.

Somewhere under all that steam is a fresh batch of taconite pellets heading Two Harbors.

A C40-8 duo with CN 2112, and it's special paint scheme promoting 15 years of privatization, leads CN 2131 and classic Missabe ore cars down the hill from Minntac with fresh taconite loads.

One hundred thirty eight loads of fresh taconite pellets in shiny new ore cars steam their way down off the hill from U.S. Steel Minntac being lead by a trio of SD40-3's on the way to Two Harbors.

A timeless classic on the Iron Range for every railfan that comes here to shoot train pictures. The Highway 169 overpass shot of steaming pellets coming down the hill fresh from the furnaces of U... (more)

BL&E 909 departs Minntac with loads for Two Harbors.

A load of steaming taconite pellets leave the Mintac plant at Mountain Iron behind SD38-2 No. 211 (which, despite the CN paint, is pure Missabe underneath). These are the new ore cars recently pu... (more)