Working rail roads and their tracks.

[bcp]

Seldom seen detail. Dual couplers for switching standard and narrow gauge cars on 3-rail track in Colorado.

Full photo here:

RGS narrow gauge caboose number 0404

Call Number: RR-778 | Creator: Richardson, Robert W. | Date: 1953 | Read the full record details for Photograph: RGS narrow gauge caboose number 0404

digital.denverlibrary.org

Bruce

 

[ArlyA]

1968 built ore car hauling limestone in the MN Mesabi Range. These cars are being retired now.

 

[BravoXray]

1968 built ore car hauling limestone in the MN Mesabi Range. These cars are being retired now. View attachment 861135

Don't see too many older cars with roller bearing conversion on journal type trucks,

 

[ArlyA]

This is where those ore cars move pellets down from. We lived in the Gogebic range for 7 years but all those mines were hematite which is no longer mined. Under Montreal WI is the largest known formation of hematite in the world and those shafts descended to around a mile.

 

[dodge man]

So Arly I’m going to show my ignorance and let you tell me if this is correct. They mine an ore, I assume it looks like rocks. The process this material and end up with iron ore pellets. Does this sound correct? Strip mines or underground mines?

 

[ArlyA]

So Arly I’m going to show my ignorance and let you tell me if this is correct. They mine an ore, I assume it looks like rocks. The process this material and end up with iron ore pellets. Does this sound correct? Strip mines or underground mines?

Hematite was mined and they did that underground, crushed it, graded it, and sent it to the steel mills. Yes that is a red hard rock. But the mines got deeper and deeper and more costly so companies and the state of MN figured out how to process lower grade taconite which was near the surface and was 20 to 30% iron and made that into pellets. Taking out the impurities was really a BIG deal. That is over simplified. These mines are many square miles and run 200 or 300 ton trucks.

 

[jjeff]

didn't steel mills have to be retrofitted to process taconite pellets into steel vs a purer ore
like hematite or magnetite?

 

[ArlyA]

didn't steel mills have to be retrofitted to process taconite pellets into steel vs a purer ore
like hematite or magnetite?

I can't recall exactly how but seems they did. Crushed hematite % would seem to be an inexact process while pellets can be made exactly what you want.

 

[ArlyA]

A few photos of engines and cars taken at Quincy mine yesterday.

 

[jjeff]

Rode on Klondike Katie recently at Dollywood. It's a 2-8-2 narrow gauge coal burner I believe used in Alaska during WW2. Apologize no pics. Was pretty neat when engineer laid on the horn in a valley the echoing was cool.