The Beast of the Iron Range - Lake County, Minnesota - 11-09-13
This locomotive was built during the war year of 1943. In the thirties the locomotive companies had been adding decorative aluminum cowlings for a stream lined effect. Since there was a war on, these sorts of extras were done away with. On this rail line, the train hauled one thing IRON ORE! The runs were 60 to 120 miles from the mines inland, down to the Lake Superior, were the ore was loaded on ore boats for shipment to the lower great lakes, and places like Cleveland OH, Gary IN and Pittsburgh PA.
The reason it was not smelted in Minnesota, is because Minnesota sits in the middle of a tectonic plate and has no coal or petroleum deposits. It was cheaper to move the ore to the coal, then it is to move the coal to the ore. But to get from the mines to the lake, the railroad had descend into the Lake Superior basin a difference of about 800 feet (250 meters). Either was a big engine was needed to hold back fully loaded cars down hill, or a long train of empties back up the hill. Iron ore hopper cars are stubby. They are about 2/3 the length of a regular hopper car, due to the fact the freight is so much heavier.
The Beast of the Iron Range - Lake County, Minnesota - 11-09-13
This locomotive was built during the war year of 1943. In the thirties the locomotive companies had been adding decorative aluminum cowlings for a stream lined effect. Since there was a war on, these sorts of extras were done away with. On this rail line, the train hauled one thing IRON ORE! The runs were 60 to 120 miles from the mines inland, down to the Lake Superior, were the ore was loaded on ore boats for shipment to the lower great lakes, and places like Cleveland OH, Gary IN and Pittsburgh PA.
The reason it was not smelted in Minnesota, is because Minnesota sits in the middle of a tectonic plate and has no coal or petroleum deposits. It was cheaper to move the ore to the coal, then it is to move the coal to the ore. But to get from the mines to the lake, the railroad had descend into the Lake Superior basin a difference of about 800 feet (250 meters). Either was a big engine was needed to hold back fully loaded cars down hill, or a long train of empties back up the hill. Iron ore hopper cars are stubby. They are about 2/3 the length of a regular hopper car, due to the fact the freight is so much heavier.