During the first significant snowfall of the season for northern Minnesota, DM&IR 402 leads 142 loads of taconite pellets down the hill from U.S. Steel's Minntac plant bound for Proctor, MN.

A million dollars of ore blasts down the hill for Two Harbors with a nice wave from the engineer.

BLE 904 strains to hold back 135 loads of taconite as she races the sun down the Minntac Sub heading for Two Harbors.

Coming down from U.S. Steel Minntac with 135 loads of steaming taconite pellets heading for Proctor, MN and ulimately the docks on the shores of Lake Superior.

Coming down the hill and out of the thick fog, CN 2160 leads 141 cars of steaming taconite pellets from U.S. Steel Minntac with a destination for today anyway of the yard at Proctor. From there th... (more)

An east side loader is fresh out of U.S. Steel Minntac with 137 loads of taconite pellets going past the IRRRB mineland reclaimation project at Mott Pit in Mountain Iron. Named for Fred R. Mott, ... (more)

Friday the 13th and everything looks like it should with blue skies and steaming taconite pellets coming off the hill from U.S. Steel Minntac rolling south for Two Harbors.

A 135 car train behind a trio of 6000 series CN engines (6017, 6024, and 6021) roll downhill from the west load out pocket at U.S. Steel Minntac. It was a great 60 degree day when I took this shot... (more)

A BNSF All-Rail train heads uphill into U.S. Steel Minntac for loading. This train is presumably going to the Edgar Thompson Works when it's trip is complete.

You can almost hear the Imperial March from Star Wars playing in your mind as the Death Stars make their descent down the hill from U.S. Steel Minntac with 135 loads headed to Two Harbors, MN.

A trio of EMD SD40-3's keep the ore cars in check as they roll down grade from the U.S. Steel Minntac plant southward for Two Harbors.

The trio of SD40-3's pull 135 cars of steaming pellets down from the U.S. Steel Minntac plant, which can be seen through the trees, and past the small yard at Mountain Iron on the way towards Two ... (more)

Been a while now that we have seen two maroon Missabe units running the Keenan Switch on the Range, but back in the day this was all you would see.

The stick seanson (otherwise known as late fall) has given way to early winter and snow is falling on northern Minnesota's Iron Range. After completing a delivery to Minntac, the Keenan Switch mak... (more)

CN 6255 and company come down from U.S. Steel Minntac's east side loading pocket passing a contractor in charge of removing some of the extra trackage in the Mtn. Iron yard.