Day one of the new year and it's the same as day three hundred sixty-five of last year. Cold. The trains are still running back and forth but it's cold out there.

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.

IC 6253 and sister IC 6254 are paired up to move rock from the mine to the plant to keep Cliffs United Taconite operations humming along. Here they are departing Largo with loads while the snow fa... (more)

Pulling off the CN Missabe sub and heading into the United taconite property with rock from the mine with a good-looking pair of DMIR locomotives and 114 DMIR ore cars.

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)

A nice-looking pair of BLE motors and a long string of 114 ore cars leave the yard track at the United Taconite plant behind and head back to the mine bathed in that warm afternoon light.

Always nice seeing DMIR locomotives and DMIR ore cars on the Missabe sub.

A pleasant afternoon finds two BLE locomotives and train of ore cars rounding the bend south of Iron Jct. about to duck under the Highway 37 overpass heading along the Missabe sub.

BLE sisters have their train loaded out and taking the light at Largo heading to the Fairlane loop track about ten miles away with taconite bearing rock.

Coming off the double track portion of the CN Missabe sub and onto the connecting track for the turn into United Taconite with carloads of rock with DMIR 404 and sister DMIR 406 in charge on this ... (more)

Departing the United Taconite plant, crossing Highway 7 and taking the right turn onto the Missabe sub to head north back to the mine to reload.

Taking the left turn off the Missabe sub and into the United Fairlane property delivering rock from the mine.

How cool is this in 2022. BLE 906 and sister BLE 909 bring taconite rock loads south and meet up with DMIR 404 and sister DMIR 406 bringing the empties north along the CN Missabe sub.