It's an intermodal world after all

Minnesota iron ore producers — running full out and gearing up to produce even more next year — will pump out more than 40 million tons of pellets this year to help meet the growing domestic and global demand for the basic raw material that feeds the steel industry's blast furnaces. (North Star Port, Winter 2004-2005.)

The world might be growing flat in terms of information technology, but moving ore from Minnesota's famed Iron Range to the plants where the hard rock of Minnesota is turned into steel still calls for a serious long haul. The Port of Duluth-Superior and other sites on Lake Superior play a vital role in sending that ore on its way.

But first, the iron has to be transported to the shores of the big lake. That's where railroads come in; it's an intermodal world after all.

Here's a glance at the mines and how they send their ore on its way (production figures are estimates for 2005):

Hibbing Taconite

Ore from this mine goes from pit to pellet plant by haul truck. The mine's 8 million-plus tons of pellets are transported by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad to the BNSF docks in Superior.

It's a long haul from Minnesota's iron mines to their customers. © Robin Bruelheide Photography

Ispat Inland

Ore from this mine in the city of Virginia also goes from pit to plant by truck. The mine's 2.8 million tons are transported by the Duluth Missabe & Iron Range Railway to DM&IR docks in Duluth and Two Harbors, up the Shore from Duluth. (The DM&IR is now owned by Canadian National and a name change for the railroad is underway.)

Northshore Mining Co.

This ore is mined in the town of Babbitt, several miles away from the pellet plant in Silver Bay, on the shore of Lake Superior. The ore is transported to Silver Bay by Northshore's own railroad. The mine will produce 4.9 million tons of pellets. Northshore has not only a mine, a pellet plant and a railroad; it also has an electric plant and its own ore docks. Bob Berglund, former general manager at Northshore, once said, "That's why it's so fun to run this place. You get all the toys."

Keewatin Taconite

Ore from this mine is trucked to the nearby plant. The 4.4 million tons of pellets are transported by the BNSF to Superior and to the U.S. Steel plant in Granite City, Illinois

Minntac

Ore from this mine is trucked to its nearby plant in Mountain Iron. The 14.6 million tons of pellets are transported by the DM&IR to docks in Duluth and Two Harbors.

United Taconite

This operation's ore comes from the Thunderbird Mine in Eveleth and makes a relatively short DM&IR haul to the plant in Forbes. From there, pellets are hauled by the DM&IR to Duluth.

And then there's Taconite Harbor. This is where, far up the Shore from both Duluth and Silver Bay, the ore docks and electric plant of the former LTV Steel Mining were situated. The electric plant, now owned by Minnesota Power, is back in operation. The docks, linked by rail to the former LTV site in Hoyt Lakes, could come into play again someday, too, as the destination for iron ore pellets or a transshipment site for coal, which is being used as an alternative fuel by some of the pellet plants.