A westbound grain train rounds the 10 degree curves at Austin, MT. A vast amount of the grain exported in the United States moves over this Rocky Mountain Pass every year. These heavy trains re... (more)

COKE A early morning Petroleum Coke train climbs the grade, and battles the curves of Mullan Pass. The train was loaded at the Coke load-out at the large refinery in Billings, Montana. The... (more)

Devils Toenails Two ratty looking SD70Macs lead a small Cowley Local along the banks of the Big Horn River at the edge of the Devil's Toenails (above Left). The geology in this area of Wyom... (more)

I could not find anything about this tiny switcher sitting in a small industry south of Johnstown, Colorado. The locomotive is lettered J&E Railroad #2771. The tiny engine is dwarfed by the ex. B... (more)

Carbon county coal climbs the steep 2.4% grade at Nolan. The steep grade with 9 degree curves has always challenged the heavy tonnage that has moved west. Helper and Martin were synonymous with ... (more)

Utah 5006 leads a rare train of mixed traffic into Martin. Using a car of military equipment as a buffer for empty oil cars and empty coal hoppers behind that, the Utah still seemed to be well in... (more)

First Light on Mullan Pass. Lifting grain up the 2.2% grade of Mullan Pass is no easy challenge. It takes 7 big motors to move this train over the Continental Divide.

The railroad still moves trains thru the urban sprawl that has slowly engulfed Evaro Hill. More homes are being built there now as I type. While it is certainly not the the pristine area it once... (more)

MRL701 heads a work train at Logan, MT. Built in 1965 for the Norfolk and Western Railway The old SD35 has never been a stranger to mountain grades. Originally used by the N&W and MRL in helper... (more)

The Union Pacific Wedge Plow 900000 sits along a spur track at Ririe, Idaho along a former Union Pacific Branch, now part of Watco. The plow seems to have not seen service in quite sometime.... ... (more)

Weed, Montana.... The small mining, agricultural and mining hamlet of weed sits in a secluded corner of Mullan Pass near Iron Ridge. These buildings have seen the passage of Steam to Diese... (more)

Like a sliver of the 1990s ... BNSF ex ATSF SD40-2 sits next to the Garden City Depot with a colorful Santa Fe Caboose. Hard to believe scenes such as this are still possible in 2020.

MRL4400 leads a long heavy Laurel-Missoula manifest into the large cut at Iron Ridge. The heavy westbound manifest has a manned 4 unit set of MRL SD70ACEs shoving mid train to move the tonnage up... (more)

Is it Dead forever? US Steel laid rails to Atlantic City Iron Mine in 1962. The railroad hauled ore out of the mine to a connection with the Union Pacific until 1983. The railroad crossed t... (more)

A 3 unit set of power is hostled by the BNSF "Herders" into the Denver Diesel shops. The line up of power in the background is heavy in SD40-2s for locals and yard jobs.