An empty coal train cruises over the Mississippi River bridge in Brainerd. Many thanks to BNSF for recently cleaning up the graffiti on the side of the bridge!

The Brainerd Local makes a routine run up First Avenue Northeast about to deliver 5 boxcars to the Wausau Paper Corporation's Brainerd facility.

Westbound coal empties start down the curve in the tracks that leads to the Mississippi River bridge. Downtown Brainerd's historic water tower is evident on the left.

The rear end of BNSF's Employee Special is on the last leg of its round-trip journey between Brainerd and Staples as it crosses over the former Northern Pacific bridge over the Mississippi River i... (more)

An empty coal train taking the seldom used route from Cohasset, MN to the mines blows up a little bit of freshly fallen snow as it comes across the Mississippi River bridge in Brainerd. With about... (more)

A Westbound Coal empties passes the old NP shops at Brainerd, MN

The Brainerd Local has some non-cascade green power for a change and proceeds west over the bridge that the Northern Pacific built to cross the Mississippi River.

An ex-BN "triclops" leads a coal train east over the Mississippi River bridge at MP 119.1

A coal train bound for Superior, WI makes its way around the curve in Brainerd

The Brainerd Local takes a run down First Avenue NE on its way to the city's paper mill

In a scene straight out of 1992 or 1993...a dual-window SD60M leads an empty coal train west through Brainerd. The stucture in the background is the city's historical water tower, otherwise known ... (more)

An empty coal train passes the historic (but no longer operational) water tower in downtown Brainerd

After running out of time, the crew on the Brainerd local was forced to park their train in Brainerd overnight, allowing for a picture that would otherwise not be possible. A clocktower at the for... (more)

A westbound empty coal train moves on past the yard in Brainerd

BNSF 1535 (former NP 234) and BN 1517 (former GN 908) were the two geeps used today for the Brainerd Local, which travels from Superior, WI to Brainerd, MN