Blasts from the past.

 Views taken around the Twin Ports area before the 1980's

  The DW&P, DM&IR and the BN supplied motive power and cars to run a train over each other railroad in Minnesota to celebrate America's 200th birthday. RS11 3605 leads the train at Rainer MN on the US/Canadian boarder. Photo by Gordon Mott.

  Classic F-units lead a Lake Superior Museum of Transportation trip through Grand Rapids MN in 1977. Photo by Gordon Mott.

  A United States Steel vessel enters the Duluth ship canal on her way to take on another load of iron ore. After the recession of the 1980's these classic lakers were scrapped, no longer feasible to run due to their high operating cost and small tonnage ratings. Basgen Photo.

  An overhead view of the Superior Entry looking northwest to Duluth. The GN ore docks are in the foreground and the NP single ore dock above that. Basgen Photo.

  An overhead view of the Duluth harbor looking southwest to Superior. Basgen Photo.

  The ill-fated steamer Edmund Fitzgerald during calmer times at the DM&IR # 6 ore dock in Duluth. Basgen Photo.

  I can't recall the story on what happened but this GN Geep ran away and went into the Duluth/Superior harbor through an open span of the Minnesota and Wisconsin Draw. The locomotive was returned to service. Basgen Photo.

  Where the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center now sits was once a scrapyard and many of the areas steam locomotives met their fate with a torch here. In the foreground is the C&NW (Omaha) coach yard. Their passenger depot is off to the right out of the photo. Basgen Photo.

  BN F-unit 794 leads a train at the former NP Rices Point yard in Duluth. Photo by Gordon Mott.

  A train departs Superior and passes the Central Ave. tower that once protected the GN and NP mainlines there. You can still see where the GN logo was placed on the side of the tower. Today the tower is gone along with the NP diamonds it protected. The track in the foreground is now the track frequently used by inbound coal trains and is known as the coal main and also the coal runner.  Photo by Gordon Mott.

  A DW&P northbound freight train get ready to depart Virginia MN in 1976. Virginia was at one time a crew change point on the DW&P and also once boasted a yard and roundhouse. With the track upgrades that occurred on the line in the 1980's, trains now just roll through town on their way north or south. Photo by Gordon Mott.

The BN's Kelly Lake local heads back to Gunn MN in 1976. It is shown passing over a massive steel bridge near Nashwauk. Note the TOFC car three cars back. This wasn't exactly a high speed mainline. Photo by Gordon Mott.

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