Missabe Coal Cars Ascending Proctor Hill in 1953
While the Missabe railroad made most of its money from the transportation of iron ore, there was another commodity that was equally important—coal. As one railroader put it, “Coal is what kept the whole place moving. We made money from the ore. But without the coal nothing would have happened here. Coal powered the railroad and the economy.” Coal from Ohio and Pennsylvania moved across the Great Lakes inside the holds of lake freighters destined for the ports of Duluth and Superior. After being unloaded the coal was trans-loaded into railroad cars for delivery to every point along each railroad operating here. The coal provided fuel to heat homes and businesses, it powered industrial machinery, and it provided the fuel that moved each and every train down the line. This 1953 view shows a coal train ascending Proctor Hill with a pusher locomotive on the back end while en route from Duluth to Proctor. This coal will be used to fill the Proctor coal dock and many other railroad and private coal docks that were dotted across the Mesabi Range.
Missabe Coal Cars Ascending Proctor Hill in 1953
While the Missabe railroad made most of its money from the transportation of iron ore, there was another commodity that was equally important—coal. As one railroader put it, “Coal is what kept the whole place moving. We made money from the ore. But without the coal nothing would have happened here. Coal powered the railroad and the economy.” Coal from Ohio and Pennsylvania moved across the Great Lakes inside the holds of lake freighters destined for the ports of Duluth and Superior. After being unloaded the coal was trans-loaded into railroad cars for delivery to every point along each railroad operating here. The coal provided fuel to heat homes and businesses, it powered industrial machinery, and it provided the fuel that moved each and every train down the line. This 1953 view shows a coal train ascending Proctor Hill with a pusher locomotive on the back end while en route from Duluth to Proctor. This coal will be used to fill the Proctor coal dock and many other railroad and private coal docks that were dotted across the Mesabi Range.