The Railroads of Minnesota's Iron Range

In May of 2023, I embarked on a trip that I have wanted to do for many years; to railfan The Iron Range of Minnesota. The rails of the former Duluth, Missabe, and Iron Range Railroad are legendary for their unique operations and rare motive power, and the region has become a Mecca for railfans wanting to travel back in time and find trains that are almost impossible to see anywhere else.

This area, about an hour north of Duluth, is home to some of the richest iron deposits in North America, and nearly all of the US domestic supply of iron comes from this area. The railroads supply the mines with limestone, which combined with the iron ore, become small pellets called taconite. This taconite is then moved by rail to the shore of Lake Superior and loaded on to ships which take the pellets to steel mills all along the Great Lakes.

The railroads of this region feature some of the most unique operations found anywhere on Class One rails. 50 year old locomotives hauling 70 year old cars are the norm here. Fallen flags, vintage motive power, and busy mainline operations are all hallmarks of this legendary region. However, these commonplace rarities will soon be gone, as new power will begin to take over the ore and limestone trains over the coming months and years.

This video overs operations of all three railroads which move ore on The Iron Range: Canadian National, BNSF, and Northshore Mining. The North Shore Scenic Railroad and Canadian Pacific Kansas City both make cameo appearances. Locomotives from the Bessemer & Lake Erie, Illinois Central, and Burlington Northern are all seen leading trains on the mainline. The videos captured were taken between May 10th and 14th, 2023.

This amazing trip would not have been possible without the help of numerous people who gave advise about the region, friends old and new that we met on The Range, and my copilot for this trip, Patrick Shey.

So sit back, relax, and enjoy what is by far the longest video I have ever made.