Ridiculously cold weather (-34 plus a wind chill at the time of this photo) across northern Minnesota as polar vortex envelopes the region but the trains are still moving albeit it takes a little ... (more)
CN installed this equipment and it's designed to detect uneven track (soft spots) that might cause loaded ore cars to derail. There is this old ore car that works out of Proctor and a new car wit... (more)
After just departing United Taconite in the frigid -15 degree weather, IC 6251 charges down the former DMIR trackage with ore loads destined for the docks of Duluth, MN. IC 6251 still wears its or... (more)
After making the trip north from Proctor, IC 6251 leads another IC SD40-3 and a CN-painted, DMIR tunnel motor into the United Taconite loadout at Fairlane.
Running south on the CN Missabe sub back to the yard at Proctor with a string of empty DMIR Difco side dumps that were used to deliver limestone to the U.S. Steel Minntac plant at Mountain Iron, M... (more)
After loading their train, BLE 900 takes the signals out of the yard at United Taconite to enter the CN Missabe Sub for the trip back to Proctor, MN.
Loaded out with 138 cars of steaming taconite pellets behind them, the conductor dials up RTC to ask for signals off the running track at United Taconite to head back to Proctor down the CN Missab... (more)
With the United Taconite plant and the end of their train in the background, IC 6254 with sisters DMIR 404 and DMIR 409 pull 138 loads of taconite pellets in the old Missabe era ore cars and proc... (more)
CN 6024 running as U-716 north pulls into the United Taconite Fairlane plant at Forbes for the purpose of loading 144 ore cars with taconite pellets before heading back to the yard at Proctor.
After taking about 18 hours to load their train, BLE SD40T-3 900, IC SD40-3 6253 and CN SD40u 6006 head south on the Missabe Sub. While loading at Fairlane, something let go at the load out causin... (more)
Limestone empties head south on CN's Missabe Sub.
Minorca-Proctor limestone empty U718 heads south through Fairlane on CN's Missabe Sub.
A very clean CN SD40-2W 5337 leads an empty limestone train south on the Missabe Sub.
Cutting through the cold winter's air with hot taconite pellets from Minntac bound for Proctor.
The crew of M-341 proudly displays the American flag on the nose of their locomotive as Independence Day is celebrated across the United States.