First day of winter came in like a lion in Northeastern Minnesota, causing operating heartburn for CN's ore operations. Here an empty 115-car train heads northbound out of Two Harbors for Minntac ... (more)

CN train carrying limestone, sand or other minerals in short ore cars skirts the banks of the Duluth Harbor. Ramp in the immediate background is inactive and carried tracks up to one of the two sh... (more)

In a view from Skyline Drive, one gets an eyeful. First, you see a CN ore train in the process of running the power around to unload onto TWO ships at the dock. Across the port, over in Superior... (more)

A CN taconite train is seen unloading at Dock 6 in this view of the Twin Ports from Skyline Drive. Two ships are at Dock 6 and another is visible across the bay in Superior, WI. Who knows how fa... (more)

A loaded taconite train has arrived at Dock 6 from Proctor and the power is now running around the train to begin the unloading process. Meanwhile, across the bay in Superior, three BNSF SD70MAC's... (more)

The great port cities of Duluth, Mn and Superior, Wi. Two ships are loaded with iron ore from northern Minnesota, while in the distance, a MERC coal train from the Powder River Basin unloads in S... (more)

Easing ore loads down Proctor Hill towards the dock in Duluth.

The late afternoon sun casts long shadows on this CN power set that has just dropped off a cut of interchange cars at BNSF's ex-NP yard in Duluth.

A nice match set of DMIR tunnel motors pull one of the sets of T-Brids trains between Largo and Fairlane. Here the loaded side is passing thru Iron Jct., as they work south to United Taconite's Pl... (more)

DMIR 409,408 are southbound near Zim with loads from the Fairlane plant headed to Proctor. At the time the Fairlane plant was producing two to three loaded trains a day.

A nice trio of DM&IR tunnel motors (409, 405 and 404) hustle a train of ore from Minntac through the Superior National Forest en route to Two Harbors.

Southbound taconite loads round a curve in Wales, MN enroute to Two Harbors, MN. The train will change crews in Highland before departing for Two Harbors.

DMIR 409 south accelerates after meeting a northbound empty ore train at Brimson, MN. The train is destined for Two Harbors, MN. The temps this morning were so cold (-18) that the steam coming of... (more)

Three SD40Ts are hauling a loaded ore train back to Duluth. The Fireman is getting out to flag the intersection, Highway 7 and county road 101. An earlier collision resulted in toppled over warnin... (more)