After delivering the 1100 loads of taconite rock to Silver Bay from Babbitt, the trailing units on the way down get to lead on the way back up. Oh goodie! Instead of the nice blue/white paint sc... (more)

Located on the shores of Lake Superior, Northshore Mining operates a taconite processing facility. After delivering a string of taconite rock loads for the crusher, NSM 655, 656 and 657 prepare ... (more)

A delivering 17,000 tons of taconite rock for processing, the crew picked up what empties the plant had ready for them and took off back towards the mine to reload. They are about at the halfway p... (more)

Empties heading back to Kirby

IC power gets a 30mph pull on a unit train of empty hoppers rolling up out of the Mississippi valley at Rockdale in Dubuque. I've always loved shooting at this location dating back to the CC&P da... (more)

When railfans come from far away to shoot the NSM railroad this is the shot they all want to leave with. Taken from the appropriately named "Railfan Rock" high above the NSM mainline. Three SD40... (more)

The crew of the NSM RR gives a friendly little gesture and smokes it up a little as they roll by on their return trip to Babbitt with the empties. It was a great spring day in northern Minnesota ... (more)

After delivering the loads of taconite to Silver Bay the crew grabs a cut of empties and turns and burns back to Babbitt to reload. The white plume of exhaust from the plant can be seen on the hor... (more)

The crew pulls the empties past the half way point between the plant at Silver Bay and the mine at Babbitt. The trio of SD40-3's sounded nice pulling hard coming up hill on an otherwise calm and ... (more)

A trio of road units hustle 156 ore empties back to the mine at Babbitt after a decent snowfall.

On a westward afternoon job to return empty A-frames to Mill 5, the Simpson switcher "lumbers" around a corner just before crossing bridge 2. The 10 mile trip to Dayton will take around 40 - 45 m... (more)

After delivering loads, this trio of NSM SD40-3's tie onto a string of empties and will head back to the mine in Babbitt, MN for more loads of taconite rock.

Cowen Sub empties

Doing what ALCO's do best! (Actually I cheated... full independent, and 10mph) -44C with wind chill!