American Century - Why Lake Boats Always Beat Trains (See Description)

Here is the American Century making her arrival in Two Harbors, Minnesota on May 15, 2023 following the departure of the Edwin H. Gott which had just finished loading. The American Century had previously visited Duluth in the early morning hours of the same day to load up on fuel before then making the trip to Two Harbors to load taconite. Her departure from Duluth was covered in a previous video on this channel which can be seen here: https://youtu.be/zB3AbCROnR0

As the American Century made her way into port, we can see the Canadian National train on the hillside behind her which works to bring the taconite from the mine to the dock. It takes approximately 700 train cars carrying 100 tons each to fill up one 1000-foot lake freighter. Looking at it another way, it would take 2800 trucks hauling 25 tons each to fill one lake boat. This illustrates why it is so much more efficient to haul iron ore via boat than it is via railways or roadways!

Trains are still important, however, as they play a vital role in the transportation of cargo to the dock. In Two Harbors, the trains are unloaded at a station where the ore is then stockpiled until it is ready for loading. (Portions of the ore stockpile can be seen in the closing shot of this video.) Long conveyors then bring the ore to the loading dock. In the past, the train cars used to be rolled out directly onto the top of the dock, where they would release their load into pockets that would then load (by gravity) into the boats. This method is still used at the Canadian National dock in Duluth... though ore is often stockpiled when not directly loaded onto the boats.

We got a nice salute from the American Century on her way into port. Salutes are always a little more special at Two Harbors and Superior, since you know it is a greeting meant especially for the boat watchers instead of the lift bridge (as is the case in Duluth). On this arrival, the American Century's bow thruster is clearly in action at 3:08 in the footage, producing some churning of water underneath the circular symbol that shows where the thruster is located. One of the most common questions I get in the comments section is "What does the circular symbol mean?" Now you know!

The 1000-foot American Century was launched under the name Columbia Star in November 1980, making her the twelfth of thirteen 1000-footers built for Great Lakes trade. She originally sailed for Oglebay Norton. In June 2006, she was sold to American Steamship Company and obtained her current name at that time. She is powered with four V-20 cylinder 3,560 horsepower G.M. diesel engines and has a cargo capacity of 78,850 tons at her maximum mid-summer draft of 34 feet. Cargo is stored in seven holds that are accessed by 34 hatches on deck. Her 260-foot self-unloading boom can discharge up to 10,000 tons per hour.

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