Montana has long been known as "Big Sky Country" and this photo is all the proof anyone needs! Beautiful photo and thanks for sharing it with us. Question: on the other side of the river, is that a railroad, abandoned ROW, or a highway?
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Jonathan, Yes, I should have mentioned that on the other side of the Missouri River is the abandoned right-of-way of the once-electrified Milwaukee Road Pacific Extension. Also, as this train was going by, a black bear was taking a swim in the Missouri directly across from us after snooping around and foraging along the old Milwaukee grade on the other side of the river. Lombard Canyon is full of rattlesnakes, and apparently some bears too! Thanks.
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According to a Milwaukee Road timetable dated April 24, 1960 you would have seen the eastbound Olympian Hiawatha 16 passing through here shortly after 11:00 am. If you were able to hang around, you would have caught westbound Olympian Hiawatha 15 somewhere around 1:30 pm. Of course, this would be assuming the trains were running on time. Not to wish old age upon you Mike, but I know if you had been around back then, I'm sure we'd have some fantastic, one-of-kind photos of long-gone western passenger train classics.
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Gorgeous shot, Mike! What a playground the old Milwaukee ROW would make for visiting excursions (steam led, all the better) assuming the tracks were there, of course!
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