Matt Coffin
Competitive Pillow Fighting
Over the years, the Brainerd Sub has been treated as the red-headed stepchild of railfanning. The reasons are understandable: Low and unpredictable train counts, generic power, and basic Northwoods scenery that is easily replicated by other, busier mainlines across the state. However, with Minnesota Power stating its intentions to stop burning coal at the Cohasset plant, and with coal shipments by boat to Michigan in imminent danger, it is likely that, in the not too distant future, road traffic on the Brainerd Sub will be a thing of the past. With other railfan attractions across Minnesota going away, my next objective has become shooting the Brainerd Sub while it still sees daily road traffic. Here is a Cohasset coal train, which is likely to be the last road customer for the Brainerd Sub in a year or two.
As I see plenty of former rail lines across the state having been turned into bike trails, it makes me wonder what the western half of the Brainerd Sub will look like in 15-20 years. Hopefully it's not that.
Aitkin, MN; BNSF Brainerd Sub; 9/27/2025
Competitive Pillow Fighting
Over the years, the Brainerd Sub has been treated as the red-headed stepchild of railfanning. The reasons are understandable: Low and unpredictable train counts, generic power, and basic Northwoods scenery that is easily replicated by other, busier mainlines across the state. However, with Minnesota Power stating its intentions to stop burning coal at the Cohasset plant, and with coal shipments by boat to Michigan in imminent danger, it is likely that, in the not too distant future, road traffic on the Brainerd Sub will be a thing of the past. With other railfan attractions across Minnesota going away, my next objective has become shooting the Brainerd Sub while it still sees daily road traffic. Here is a Cohasset coal train, which is likely to be the last road customer for the Brainerd Sub in a year or two.
As I see plenty of former rail lines across the state having been turned into bike trails, it makes me wonder what the western half of the Brainerd Sub will look like in 15-20 years. Hopefully it's not that.
Aitkin, MN; BNSF Brainerd Sub; 9/27/2025