Limestone loads headed for Fairlane move north by the old Saginaw depot along CN's Missabe Sub in the late evening. A look at photos previous to my visit showed that there was no Saginaw sign on t... (more)

Repainted IC SD40-3 6253 leads the Rainer local South through the Zim/Sax bog.

After hauling limestone up from Proctor to the Minntac mine, IC 6253 is backhauling 48 loads of chips and fines from the mine and shoving them into the yard at Keenan.

An empty ore train bound for Fairland works north on the CN Missabe Sub as they pass under the CN Rainy Sub at Munger in the late evening light. The CN uses the Missabe Sub mainly for northbounds ... (more)

Hauling a train of dry ice or hot taconite pellets. Doesn't matter, can't see it anyway.

A cold day and hot taconite pellets collide as they mingle on the trip down the CN Missabe sub to Proctor yard.

A few miles into the trip and the steam is rolling off the hot taconite pellets as they travel through the minus 15-degree air on the way back to Proctor, MN.

Empties work up the stiff grade of Proctor Hill behind a trio of SD40 variants.

IC 6253, CN 5349, DMIR 404 and finally CN 2004 backhaul forty-eight loads of pellet chips and fines down from Minntac after delivering forty-eight loads of limestone to the plant.

IC 6253 passing over the fast-flowing St. Louis River as they head back north up the Missabe sub back to the mine to reload after unloading at the United Taconite plant.

IC 6253 and sister IC 6254 are paired up to move rock from the mine to the plant to keep Cliffs United Taconite operations humming along. Here they are departing Largo with loads while the snow fa... (more)

Heavy snow is falling as the 1500 T-Bird pulls up to the signal at the United Taconite coarse crusher loadout.

Repainted IC SD40-3 6253 leads ore loads south into Proctor Yard.

Repainted IC SD40-3 6256 leads ore loads south around the curve and under the former DWP mainline at Munger.

A trio of former IC SD40-3s ease empty ore jennies onto CN's Dock 6 in Duluth in nice golden hour light for the cars to be dumped, and pellets stockpiled, for the upcoming Great Lakes shipping sea... (more)