ACe's and MAC's, Oh My

Bright and early Wednesday morning I pointed the Escape east, destination Duluth. The weather looked promising, and an early start allowed time for photo stops if the opportunity presented, which it soon did.

Matched MAC's were muscling a coal load out of Staples onto the Brainerd Sub. First stop, just east of Staples:


The Hinckley dispatcher was busy with at least a couple of eastbound loads along with track inspectors, and the roll-ups helped me track the progress of the train as made its way through the fall foliage. I decided to use up my spare time waiting for a shot near Aitkin, where the clouds decided to thicken as the train approached. Drat.


After a meeting in Superior, and one more in Duluth, it was back on the road to Wadena. I had a random encounter with yet another load at Woodbury, where the leaders were backlit:


But the DPU looked a good bit prettier to my eye:


After that, things quieted down until I neared Pilager, where yet another loaded train was making its way east. Once again, a backlit shot of the leader.


That's all I have from my journey along the final leg of the "Coal Trail". Next time, a visit to Fairfax, where my Grandpa may have worked more than 75 years ago.

Jim