A loaded feeder train bound for the KCS at Kansas City is working east on the Mason City Sub on a cold December morning. The train has all 4-40's wide open as they climb out of Lawler in northern ... (more)

Westbound Marquette to Mason City freight thunder upgrade out of Jackson Junction in northern Iowa. Nice match set of 5 blues lead the way in the afternoon light. By this time the IMRL was down to... (more)

The 470 train today has a nice looking GP 38 leader leading couple beat up SD40's. The train roars along here east of Lawler as they are in notch 8 keeping 50 loads moving on the 1% grade. Nice to... (more)

A 474 train out of St. Paul turned into a 2nd B39 out of Marquette for the run to Mason City. The train had 75 cars of loaded oats bound for Quaker Oats in Cedar Rapids via the Iowa Northern. This... (more)

A loaded ethanol train bound for interchange with the CSXT at Chicago, IL, pulls hard the grade east of Lawler on the Mason City Sub. These 2 AC's unit have their hands full trying to get this 81 ... (more)

The latest winter storm to dump around 7-9 inches of snow, then blew it all over with 50 mph winds. The winds were still strong most of the next morning. Here 471 fights their way thru some small ... (more)

An empty ethanol train for Homeland Energy at Lawler, IA, is around 4 miles from the plant as they works over the hills on the Mason City Sub. Here the train begins to drop downgrade into Lawler a... (more)

The Huron, SD, to BRC Clearing Yard in Chicago, IL, freight train has these ponies in notch 8 as they work up the 1% grade leaving Lawler. There is not much for snow from the latest snow storm, bu... (more)

A westbound freight train out Marquette, IA, bound for Mason City, IA, has 12 SD40-2's in consist. Eastbound trains out of Mason City require extra power to get over the grades on the roller coast... (more)

A Hartley, IA, ethanol train has its 4 SD40's pounding up the 1% grade out of Lawler. On a railroad that seen SD40's mainly for power since the 80's, railroading in 2012 is slowly changing the fac... (more)

Many probably think Iowa is flat, well the engineers working over the Mason City Sub in northern Iowa, may disagree. As seen here looking down highway 24 between Lawler and Jackson Jct., the 632 h... (more)

In idle now, the engineer on this empty Hartley ethanol train prepares the units for dynamics as they drop down hill into Lawer at 40mph. The DM&E and CP have done alot of work on this part of the... (more)

Passing MP 58, this Savanna, IL to Mason City, IA manifest train is doing alot of plowing a few miles east of Lawler. This train didnt have hardly any snow on the front of the engine at MP 48 but ... (more)

Uphill slow and downhill fast, that is how the trip has gone so far for these 100 loads of coal on this Chicago, ILL to Mason City, IA extra. The engineer is throttling off here to coast down hill... (more)