A nice afternoon as CN 2020 heads north to load iron ore.

IC 6252 leads the way up to the Minntac mine with some of CN's new ore cars in tow.

Snow is falling as U713 departs Minntac property heading south for Proctor yard with iron ore pellets.

A clean leader leads a trio of dash 8s and 145 cars of iron ore pellets off the Minntac property as the roll towards Two Harbors, MN to complete the trip.

Creating a little shadow of their own as they go between the long shadows of a late evening.

Headed back to Proctor with iron ore loads from the U.S. Steel Minntac plant.

CN 2025 departing Minntac with iron ore pellets for Two Harbors in the midst of peak fall color.

Descending from Minntac with 145 iron ore loads in tow while snow falls across the landscape.

A few minutes and a few miles into the trip back to Two Harbors with iron ore from the U.S. Steel Minntac plant.

An early morning with wildfire smoke already visible in the air finds CN 2039 heading up the Minntac sub near m.p. 5 with empties that they'll start loading in about a half hour.

Just beating out the long shadows towards the end of the afternoon, an all EMD power set leads an empty limestone train down from the Minntac taconite plant and heads for Proctor.

A cold early morning departure has some steam coming off the new pellets as they descend down the hill from the Minntac taconite plant.

With work at Minntac completed, a pair of former IC GP's lead Canadian National local R901 as they cruise through the swamp outside of Mountain Iron, Minnesota and head back to Keenan Yard.

CN 2041 leads a trio of GE's on an empty ore train arriving at Minntac from Two Harbors (ore dock). This loco was built as CNW 8542 in August 1990 and became UP 9064. C&NW ordered these GE's with ... (more)

Blue skies, colorful leaves and steaming taconite pellets.