T-Bird shuttle to United Taconite at Forbes (Fairlane), Minnesota

One hundred forty five classic DMIR ore jennies loaded with taconite pellets made at U.S. Steel Minntac currently southbound on the CN Missabe Sub behind two big GE's heading for Proctor, MN.

With United Taconite temporally in idle mode these C40-8s normally used on raw ore trains to that plant have been seen on other assignments, including limestone trains and moving pellets from U.S.... (more)

Anniversary C40-8 leaving UTAC.

With United Taconite temporally shut down the C40-8s normally used on raw ore trains to that plant have been seen on other assignments, including here in Duluth at the ore dock.

Pairs of ex-CN&W Dash 8's are keeping the T-bird service moving around Keenan. Here both sets are at Largo, as one finishes loading, and the 2nd one wait for it's turn. T-bird trains move raw iron... (more)

Both T-bird trains are on the Largo side of the railroad. Here one leaves the mine bound for Fairlane process plant, as the empty gets into to position to load at Largo in the background. CN is up... (more)

The journey continues (in French and English). The anniversary of privatization logo applied to a handful of locomotives in 2010 is still in decent shape on 2107 as it toils away on ore trains in ... (more)

The crew on board will probably need that broom for the switches when they arrive at the U.S. Steel Minntac taconite plant's commercial yard with 16 hoppers of bentonite clay and begin swapping lo... (more)

The MRF rolls into Keenan with an anniversary Dash 8 leading the charge South.

The conductor looks out the window only to see three RP. Net contributing photgraphers standing on the bank of a small river just south of Allen Jct. MN waiting for them.

Having some engine issues with the original leader, the crew stopped here at Wales to wye the power and now are underway again and will continue on back to the Iron Range with ore cars in tow.

The golden rays of the morning sun greet the crew aboard CN 2107 as they enter United Taconite's Fairlane processing plant with rock from the mine.

What looks like rock to just about everyone driving by, will soon become pellets to build the frame they are driving on. Here a Largo - Fairlane crude taconite train takes the curve towards the Cl... (more)

CN C40-8 2107 leads a crude ore train off of the Missabe Sub and into the processing plant at Fairlane.