Grinding up the 2.2% grade of Mullan Pass, Roberts Bank-bound coal loads pass the foreshortened Skyline siding and curl across Austin Trestle on a glorious summer afternoon. Visible just before the distant curve is a snarling quartet of MRL SD70ACes, lending the extra horsepower needed to shove this 17,500-ton train over the summit. In about a mile -- another five to six minutes of running time -- the head end will tip over the summit at Blossburg, from which point it will be an easy downgrade run all the way to Missoula. This view from just below the Continental Divide encompasses 40 miles out to the Big Belt Mountains east of Helena, and I am once again indebted to Jason Cary for showing me this spot.
