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A Six Pack and a Prayer
By: Dave Schauer
September 24, 2006
 | | Dave Schauer |
For railfans in northeastern Minnesota the year 1998 brought smiles to the faces of everyone. It was during late 1998 that LTV Steel Mining Company (the former Erie Mining) assembled an A-B-B-B-A set of veteran F9s for use in hauling pelletized iron ore from their mine near Hoyt Lakes on Minnesota's Mesabi Iron Range to the company ore dock at Taconite Harbor on Lake Superior, 72 miles distant.
Although previously well known for its F unit fleet (mainly A-B-B-A and occasionally A-B-B-B-A sets), this was the first year that the railroad had operated six of their covered wagons together on a consistent basis due to increased train lengths (125 cars versus 96 cars previously). What made the consist even more impressive is that the railroad's 11-unit F9 fleet was dealt a serious blow in January of 1997 when an A-B-A set was destroyed in a runaway accident at the harbor. That left only eight F9s remaining, five boosters and three cab units.
With the stunning set of six F9s operating into 1999 and 2000, it became a pilgrimage for fans across the country to pay their last respects to what were arguably the last EMD F units operating in the same freight service that they were originally intended for. What made photographing this set hard was the fact that the railroad only operated when the dock needed to be filled and that two other motive power sets were in operation, one with leased GEs from LRC and the other with an F9 leading four or five LTVSMC geeps. Added to the mix were the standard mechanical ailments that commonly plagued the elder statesmen, leading to the A-B-B-B-A set being broken up on numerous occasions while a unit was tended to.
Given this backdrop, it was with eager anticipation that I waited at Salem, Minnesota on the morning of August 18, 2000 in hopes the loaded 07:00 train from Hoyt Lakes would have the famed "Six Pack" for power. I had received intelligence that the previous day's trains had run in such an order that the F set would be the first out in the morning, plus a quick check of the Boat Watchers Hotline out of Duluth indicated the dock would need to be recharged. That information, coupled with a clear weather report, made the decision to drive "up north" from Duluth that morning an easy one.
The one element photographers in the lake and mosquito capitol of Minnesota learn early is that the fair weather "evaporation" clouds can form quickly on a seemingly perfect day. That is what I faced as I set up for the shot at Salem. I could hear the hard working train while it was still a good ten miles from my location, but at the same time the "puffy" clouds began to form at an alarming rate and cast shadows in the surrounding area. I could tell there were no GEs from the sound, so my hopes were raised, then dashed as the clouds scudded overhead. My only hope was a prayer to help keep the clouds away. In this specific high risk, high reward game my prayer was answered.
Just as the Six Pack rounded the curve and into my viewfinder the clouds cleared and this scene, taken from the former DM&IR Wales Branch overpass, became bathed in light. A little water in the ditch and yellow flowers helped add to the image. It was, however, not the photo I recall on that summer day but the sound of six F9s working past this spot as they throttled up out of a small creek valley. In a poignant lesson to photograph everything you can today, less than a year after this photo was taken the mine and railroad were shut down.
Copyright © Dave Schauer. All Rights Reserved.
This article has been viewed 6606 times.
User Comments on this Article:
Posted by Chris Starnes on September 24, 2006:
Very nice, Dave. Thanks for sharing. I wish we had an audio recording of that one :)
Posted by Glenn Davis on September 24, 2006:
Beautiful Shot and Great story, Dave!
Posted by Louis Becker on September 25, 2006:
Another railroad lost in time but captured by your great photo, Dave.
Posted by Ralph Back on September 25, 2006:
Your nice article reminds me of one of my situations with an A-B-B-A set of C&NW F3s from the US Hwy 52 overpass at Inver Grove Heights, MN on May 1, 1976, and praying the clouds would part as the train approached. They did and the shot turned out to be one of my most favorite C&NW Kodachromes. My photo on that day is featured on McMillan Publications 2007 FALLEN FLAGS Color Calendar.
Posted by christophersmuller.com on September 25, 2006:
Time worked against me to capture this railroad before it became history. Still too young with no drivers license made it impossible for me to make the venture over there. The memories and photos you share inspire younger fans to get out and get what they can today, before it may be too late.
Posted by Chris Groeling on September 25, 2006:
Dave, excelent article, and a great photo!
Posted by Bret Stringer on September 29, 2006:
Very nice article and photograph. Enjoyed both.
Posted by Smithville Railfan on October 1, 2006:
Thanks for the story, Dave.
Posted by Ron Flanary on October 9, 2006:
One heck of a great shot, and story! I can still hear the sound of five Southern F-units climbing north out of Oakdale, Tennessee in 1970 one night on a rail train....with me riding the rear unit as a management trainee. The memories and the sound of those EMD 567s singing through the night haunt me 36 years later....
Posted by John Puda on November 22, 2006:
One great shot. I have been to Minnesota but to St. Paul, I wish i could have gone up there. Great reading!
Posted by Robert Walker on July 28, 2008:
Nice article and great Photograph. Yes, you are correct about getting those Photographs when you can, because you never know if you will see that same image again. I wish young people today could appreciate the history of those mighty locomtives and all the work they preformed, moving people and freight all around the country. sometimes I worry, that one day there will be no more Passenger rail service in this country, that will be a sad day indeed.
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