Cutting through the long shadows of a short winter afternoon on the way back to Proctor yard.

Cold and snow falling as an unusual 4 pack of the dash 8 variety pull the usual 145 ore cars of taconite round the bend near north Biwabik as they head south for Two Harbors yard.

After departing the Minorca mine, CN 2041 comes down the CN Rainy Sub pulling 145 ore cars of taconite pellets with the mine dumps of the U.S. Steel Minntac looming in the background.

After a meet here at Allen Jct. with a NB empty, CN 2031 is ready to pull for the rest of the trip back into Two Harbors to put these loads into stockpile until the boats can take them to a mill.

The R901 job based out of CN's Keenan yard is retrieving the Plasser & Theurer RM802 High-Production Ballast Undercutting/Cleaning Machine that has been stored since fall when rehabilitation work ... (more)

Coming out of United Taconite with steaming pellets bound for Proctor as a railfan captures the moment.

Coming out of United Taconite and crossing over to Main 1 for the trip back north to the mine to reload.

Steaming away on a winter's day. Fresh made taconite pellets come around the corner and down the hill from the Minntac plant who's steam plume can be seen above the trees located in Mountain Iron... (more)

Coming up from Two Harbors to set out and pick up at Keenan yard, DMIR 400 now steps off the Missabe sub and onto the east leg of the wye onto the Iron Range sub for the return trip back to Two Ha... (more)

After a yearlong shutdown, Northshore Mining is back up and running, albeit at a reduced capacity and based on what owner Cleveland Cliffs needs for suppling customers. Shortly after sunrise the ... (more)

After a yearlong shutdown, Northshore Mining is back up and running, albeit at a reduced capacity based on what owner Cleveland Cliffs needs so it was nice to see a train on this line again. Here ... (more)

The low light towards the end of a winter's day bathes this U717 from United Taconite as their hot taconite pellets move south for the yard at Proctor, MN.

Snow falling and the wind howling as a trio of dash 8s come crawling along the CN Iron Range Sub with 145 ore cars for loading.

Passing through some snow while the sun is shing, CN 2041 leads as they head up to the U.S. Steel Minntac plant to load taconite pellets.

Asking for and receiving the necessary lights to leave the plant's yard and head back to the mine's course crusher to reload taconite rock before returning and doing it all over again.