The Last of the Missabe

While attending the DMIR Convention this year I decided I wanted to see the last two DMIR painted engines in service on their home rails. Leave it to friends to make it happen.
DMIR SD38-2 215 was working Proctor Yard on our way north, one down one to go!

 

We came across DMIR SD40T-2 403 the next day a little further north and just like that, I was content.

But it got better, the 215 and repainted sister DMIR (not CN) SD38-2 211 were working the Proctor Yard again on our return trip. Long live the DMIR!

Two Harbors

Recently I attended the Missabe Convention in Virginia, MN. On the return trip, my traveling companions and myself took a little side trip to Two Harbors, MN to get some pics of the ore docks. My friend Brian commandeered a boat to get us onto the big pond to shoot photos of these massive structures for an upcoming modelling project. I took 250 pictures in 30 minutes. Here is a brief overview:

The South Dock us no longer used, but you can see the huge ore storage piles in the background.

 Dock 2 houses the large conveyor fed loaders to load the big boats as quickly as possible. To give perspective the tires at the base are over four feet in diameter each.

 Dock 1 is the best known by tourists, with a DMIR Yellowstone 2-8-8-4 and the Two Harbors Depot hiding in its shadow. This dock is for transferring ore directly from trains to boats, with 4 off-loading tracks on its deck.

213 on Deck

I usually wait until I finish a project to post all about it, but I do have an interesting one that I've begun. Most of my ILS units are based on prototype engine, even ILSX 201 and 203 were based on SLRG engines that ILS owned, even if they never put their reporting marks on them before selling them. But one of my upcoming engines will be a little more freelanced. ILSX 213 will be my first SD38-2. I am using a Mark4Design long hood and a Kato Early SD40-2 nose to get the look right on a Kato Mid-Production chassis. I have already attached the Miniatures by Eric bell to the long hood. I'm getting excited already!

The prototype for this engine is an ex-DMIR engine that has been residing at Larry's Truck and Electric in McDonald Ohio for the last few years. When done the engine will be painted in DMIR colors and wear mostly DMIR decalling, patched out for ILSX. The SD38-2 will fit right into the roster that is rapidly filling with SD40-2s. This ex-DMIR unit will be a great puller on the Skally line and will help with the all-rail ore trains we are negotiating to get.

30th Annual MRHS

What a blast this trip was. There were so many highlights I don't know where to begin. Thanks to Brian and Hans for bringing me along. I've finally had a chance to go to so many of the places I've seen only in pictures. The rail-fanning was a blast. I see that the DM&IR is an addictive railroad and now I've gotten a little taconite in my system.