Into the setting sun rolls a taconite train from the ArcelorMittal owned Minorca mine. The mine and aprrox 350 employees produce about 2.8 million tons of fluxed iron-bearing pellets, and mines ab... (more)

Loaded with rock from the United Taconite Thunderbird mine crusher, CN 2119 leads the way down the CN Missabe Sub with 115 cars to be delivered to the United Taconite Fairlane plant for processing... (more)

Under the pending darkness and with light snow falling, an anniversary pair of C40-8's slog 119 ore empties back to the mine from the plant.

The first significant snow event of the season is well underway here on Minnesota's Iron Range. One of the few reasons the mine shuts down is due to poor weather and there is indeed some weather ... (more)

On what will most likely be my last trip to 'da range before my move, it was one of the best days this area can offer, crisp fall air and bright sunshine.This might be one of the best chases I hav... (more)

CN SD40u 6021 leads an empty ore train northward on CN's Iron Range Sub.

Progress. When United Taconite comes back from it's current idle status, the T-Bird trains that serve the mine will have all new signals to look at. Soon to be gone will be the old searchlight st... (more)

A sucker hole bursts through the clouds for a split second to illuminate the nose of freshly repainted BLE 900 as it and 3 other EMD's pull 145 empties north on the CN Iron Range sub destined for ... (more)

Crew change at Shelton Junction.

DMIR 403 and crew wait for the light to depart Largo with 120 loads of taconite rock for the 10 mile trip to the Fairlane processing plant. Cliffs Natural Resources has idled this plant now affec... (more)

Taconite pellets from U.S. Steel's Minntac plant are sailing down the CN Iron Range Sub on a great summer morning led by CN 5337. The pellets will be brought to Fairbanks, MN for a crew change an... (more)

With favorable signals, DMIR 403 takes the light and proceeds to get it's train of crude ore rock from the coarse crusher down to the processing plant to keep United Taconite humming along and mak... (more)

When DMIR 403 leads a train the foam usually comes out of the woodwork to document the occasion. Here is DMIR 403, the last maroon Missabe tunnel motor on the vast CN roster, leading a T-Bird cru... (more)

T-Birds have always been relatively easy to catch with them making a 10 mile run about every two hours. Running back and forth mine to plant, plant to mine, day and night, night and day. Here are ... (more)

CN 5338 (SD40-2), CN 5318 (SD40-2W), CN 5349 (SD40-2W) and CN 5244 (SD40-2W) lead 145 empty cars north from Two Harbors for loading at the U.S. Steel Minntac plant at Mountain Iron, MN and will th... (more)