This was a prelude to what ore trains in northern Minnesota look like current day. These rebuilt AC44C6Ms have replaced all the Dash 8s and are working on the variety of EMDs currently.

Heading back to Proctor yard with iron ore pellets from United Taconite.

Heading to Proctor with ore from United Taconite.

A CN empty iron ore train heads northbound past a clearing on a late summer evening.

A southbound empty limestone train races into a brewing storm

Compared to the trip up from Proctor in the fog, the skies have now cleared nicely for IC 6261 as it leads a southbound taconite train from U.S. Steel, Minntac along the straight stretch of the CN... (more)

A BNSF empty taconite train blasts northbound through the winter landscape on the way to Minnesota's Iron Range.

While SD9s are not that uncommon in Northern Minnesota, they are rarely sighted leading trains on the mainline. Here the 1728 leads a CWR train through the vast swamps near Meadowlands, Minnesota.