Humming along passing through Iron Jct., MN, BLE 909 heads back to Proctor, MN with ore cars used to deliver limestone to the Minorca mine.

A few minutes into their trip and a few miles south of Minorca Jct., BLE 906 heads back to Proctor, MN on a typical fall afternoon.

A trio of pumpkins dodge clouds as they head back to Proctor.

After delivering limestone loads up to the Minorca mine near Virginia, MN, a trio of BLE leads the cars back down to Proctor, MN passing through Iron Jct. on the way.

A trio of BLE orange hustle 48 loads of limestone north along the CN Missabe sub heading for the Minorca mine near Virginia, MN.

Loading rock at the mine on a cold spring day.

BLE 906 and sister 909 make a nice-looking combo as they glide down from the mine to the plant working a mine shuttle job.

A nice spring snow falls on BLE 909 as they head off the Minntac sub shortly and will then run down the Missabe sub back to Proctor with these empty limestone cars.

U.S. Steel Minntac made taconite pellets head to Proctor, MN behind DMIR 409. Just imagine how good her maroon paint would look in this low winter afternoon light.

Staged and ready. BLE 906 waits patiently for the green light from the mine before shoving under the coarse crusher to load.

BLE 906 and DMIR 409 pause and wait for clearance from the mine operations before they shove under the coarse crusher loadout and begin the process of loading.

BLE 909 leads the way back to Proctor with limestone empties while spring snows fall.

After coming down from Ranier, MN L568 shoves into CN's Keenan yard to do some planned work. When the setouts and pickups are done, it's off to Proctor, MN.

After a quick crew change it was time to get the train back underway. The old girls were barking.

Heading through the landscape with some of last remaining snows still visible trackside. Plenty of it the shaded wooded areas but the open spaces susceptible to the warm sun are becoming snow fre... (more)