North Shore, Massachusetts
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Before NSM paused operations, I made several trips to try and shoot their SD70ACe's, with varying degrees of success. This day was clearly one of the best.
Before the SD70ACe's and even before the grey SD40-3's, this was standard fare on the NSM. The EMDX 40's blended in well with the NSM 40's at least.
With an awesome crew at the helm (a nice change from the not nice crew stereotypical for this job), South Shore Freight’s City Job crosses the drawbridge over Trail Creek, and passes a Conrail-era G-head signal with one of two of South Shore Line’s geeps leading.
1000 and 1001 are technically owned by South Shore Line, not South Shore Freight, so they mostly handle maintenance work. As such, it’s not an extremely common occurrence to get one on a revenue generating train.
I captured this image at the northern end of Eagle Lake in Lassen County, California, USA just as the Blue Hour was about to give way to the Golden Hour. With the amount of high cloudiness this morning the colors faded before the sun broke the horizon but when it was low enough to reflect off of all those clouds and, in turn, the lake, it was absolutely stunning.
This was the second stop on our short three shot chase of the morning Northshore Mining raw ore train from Babbitt to Silver Bay. The first loaded 156 car train of the day is at about MP 23.3 in this view looking off the Forest Highway 11 overpass as a bit of snow still lingers in the shadows. NSMX 672 and 674 are ex CSXT SD70ACEs built in 2004 and acquired by the Northshore in 2020.
The road this was taken off is a designated National Scenic Byway that is wildly remote and very much reminded me of Alaska when we drove it west later in the day toward Aurora. It was so Alaska like we even saw a moose! If you're a fan of lonely roads through the wilderness I highly recommend you take this ride: www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/superior/recarea/?recid=75004
Anyway back to railroading, after being shuttered for just about a year Cleveland-Cliffs just weeks ago reopened their mine at Babbitt and their taconite plant and dock at Silver Bay and their 47 mile private line haul railroad connecting the two. The non common carrier Northshore Mining Railroad as been operating since 1955 when built by the Reserve Mining Company to haul raw magnetite ore to plant which when opened was the first taconite pellet production facility in the nation.
To learn a bit more about the shut down and reopening check out these links.
railfan.com/northshore-mining-railroad-facing-shutdown/
startribune.com/northshore-mining-on-iron-range-open-agai...
Superior National Forest
Lake County, Minnesota
Friday May 12, 2023
NSM 651 leads the empty tailings train back to Silver Bay on September 28, 2019. This is the first trip back to SB of the day. These tailings trains have looked the same way for many years with a blue forty on each end. I appreciate them more now as been quite a long time since I’ve caught a NSM lettered engine leading a road train.
I don’t know why they’re running wrong main here. Can’t hear NSM’s radio transmissions since they went digital a couple of years ago.
Many shortlines are early risers and the NIttany & Bald Eagle is no exception. By 7:30 both the train to Tyrone and this train to Lock Haven were out of the yard and on the move. Here NBER3 is backing out to the switch at Milesburg following NBER4 that had headed out to Tyrone a few minutes earlier. I went there mostly to get the NIttany & Bald Eagle, Penn State inspired, blue and white geeps which I did the day before. I knew they were part of the North Shore Railroad System but was happily surprised to see these EL inspired GP38's running on the N&BE. The EL paint has always been a favorite since I spent my college years looking out my window at the EL main in Akron.
Taken during Lockdown just as exercise restriction were being lifted so I had no tripod with me.
A Tesco trolley in the sand
I visited this spot in May of 2023 for the first time but the clouds didn't cooperate then and I didn't make it back in October of that year. So when I returned to Duluth in September 2024 I figured I'd give it another try. My GF and I had a nice day of hiking and swimming and generally exploring the north shore planned but I made her get an extra early start to drive straight here first...and I'm glad I did because my wait upon arrival was only about 10 minutes before train time!
The first loaded 156 car train of the day is at about MP 5 on Cleveland-Cliffs Northshore Mining Railroad in this view looking from the famous 'railfan rock' along airport road outside of Silver Bay. NSMX 671 and 675 are ex CSXT SD70ACEs built in 2004 and acquired by the Northshore in 2020. The non common carrier 47 mile private line haul Northshore Mining Railroad has been operating since 1955 when built by the Reserve Mining Company to haul raw magnetite ore to their plant in Silver Bay which when opened was the first taconite pellet production facility in the nation.
To learn more check out this link:
www.clevelandcliffs.com/operations/steelmaking/iron-ore-f...
Near Silver Bay
Lake County, Minnesota
Monday September 16, 2024
After cleaning up the Missabe the previous day, we decided to focus our sights on the more obscure ore mining operation just to the north: the Northshore Mining line from Babbitt to Silver Bay. We lucked into the 0600 crew bringing ore loads east to the harbor with a classic EMD leader. Even better, the sun came out briefly in the morning - long enough to bathe the sweeping curve at Beaver Bay in full sun.
A late running Northshore Mining taconite empty rolls west behind three SD70ACe's and an SD40-3. With warm temperatures to arrive this week, chances for snow shots like this are dwindling, as are opportunities to shoot Northshore since it will soon be shutting down for at least several months.
The buildings behind is Northshore Cove.
*Note: More pics of Sky and Scenery in my Sky and Scenery Album.
NSM SD70ACe 672 leads a ore train South through Beaver Bay, MN past railfan rock. NSM will be idled soon until at least the fall, if not longer.
Rolling downhill to Silver Bay with the 0500 loads. Running a little late really helped the shadows clear at this location.
Sunrise sets autumn leaves ablaze as Northshore Mining tailings train grinds uphill outside of Silver Bay, MN. September 2000.
Northshore Cove from The Mussels’ POV.
*Note: More pics in my Exploring Northshore Beach, Punggol Album.
*Note: More pics of Sky and Scenery in my Sky and Scenery Album.
Steam from fresh pellets and the plant kilns envelopes the thousand footer Stewart J. Cort at Northshore Mining in Silver Bay. Shipping on Lake Superior will end around January 15 when the Soo Lock close for the winter (reopening March 25). The temperature when I grabbed this was mild, around 2 degrees.
One of the Liners and car 751 wait the next call to duty in Milwaukee on November 9, 1962. Photographer unknown.
NSM 672 & 673 ease down hill to Silver Bay with the 0500 loads. I finally got a taste of NSM's operations after their year long shutdown that finished up earlier this year.