U789 has just departed Minntac with another load of freshly baked taconite pellets, headed to Two Harbors.

A blustery cold winter afternoon on the first day of the new year and the Minntac taconite plant is churning out hot pellets for the steel mills. The IC 6252 is in charge of this string of 142 ca... (more)

The snow from the morning storm is tapering off now as DM&IR 406 leads 135 loads down the hill from the U.S. Steel Minntac plant in Mountain Iron, MN for the docks in Two Harbors, MN.

With Two Harbors experiencing a severe power shortage, the 40 year old DMIR 405 and another unit were grabbed out of Keenan and now lead this dry ice, er taconite, train out of Minntac for Couple ... (more)

A matched set of Bessemer tunnel motors lead a steaming ore train bound for Two Harbors on a crisp +8F morning.

During the first significant snowfall of the season for northern Minnesota, DM&IR 402 leads 142 loads of taconite pellets down the hill from U.S. Steel's Minntac plant bound for Proctor, MN.

A million dollars of ore blasts down the hill for Two Harbors with a nice wave from the engineer.

BLE 904 strains to hold back 135 loads of taconite as she races the sun down the Minntac Sub heading for Two Harbors.

Coming down from U.S. Steel Minntac with 135 loads of steaming taconite pellets heading for Proctor, MN and ulimately the docks on the shores of Lake Superior.

Coming down the hill and out of the thick fog, CN 2160 leads 141 cars of steaming taconite pellets from U.S. Steel Minntac with a destination for today anyway of the yard at Proctor. From there th... (more)

An east side loader is fresh out of U.S. Steel Minntac with 137 loads of taconite pellets going past the IRRRB mineland reclaimation project at Mott Pit in Mountain Iron. Named for Fred R. Mott, ... (more)

Friday the 13th and everything looks like it should with blue skies and steaming taconite pellets coming off the hill from U.S. Steel Minntac rolling south for Two Harbors.

A 135 car train behind a trio of 6000 series CN engines (6017, 6024, and 6021) roll downhill from the west load out pocket at U.S. Steel Minntac. It was a great 60 degree day when I took this shot... (more)

A BNSF All-Rail train heads uphill into U.S. Steel Minntac for loading. This train is presumably going to the Edgar Thompson Works when it's trip is complete.

You can almost hear the Imperial March from Star Wars playing in your mind as the Death Stars make their descent down the hill from U.S. Steel Minntac with 135 loads headed to Two Harbors, MN.