After working through the night to load the train with taconite pellets at U.S. Steel Minntac, the crew is racing at track speed to get home just as the sun is coming up on this cold morning.
As the sun rises in the east the taconite pellets from the Iron Range roll south. As the detector states 1 degree this cold morning the train, with two units up front and one DPU on the rear, rol... (more)
After loading 138 of the "classic" DM&IR ore cars with taconite pellets at United Taconite, the engineer aboard Illinois Central 1033 gives a little thottle to get the train moving southward for P... (more)
A loaded all-rail taconite train opens it up on the straight stretch throught the swamp land of Zim, MN and rolls south after getting the track warrant at M.P. 51. on the Missabe Subdivision.
During a short break in the heavy snow, the sun actually tried to shine through casting slight shadows on the white landscape as train U-717 with 140 loads of fresh steaming taconite pellets roll... (more)