Greenhorn warbonnets
Climbing Mullan Pass, a westbound BNSF manifest freight works up the 2.2% grade at Greenhorn Trestle between Weed and Skyline, Montana, on June 29, 2016. Two warbon... (more)

Montana Rail Link’s Helena local is preparing to pick up a BNSF SD70ACe off the house track at Lombard, Montana, in some of the very last sunlight of June 28, 2016. Two days before, BNSF No. 9105 ... (more)

Fresh from the factory UP8031 digs into the 10 degree curves of the Austin Loops on the 2.2% battle for Mullan Pass. The rail was still wet from a passing storm, and sounds of slipping wheels, R... (more)

A new Union Pacific GEVO leads a westbound Boardman coal train up Mullan Pass at Skyline. The Union Pacific power is somewhat uncommon for this train, even though the train will interchange with... (more)

A BNSF freight crosses 576-foot Fish Creek Bridge at Rivulet, Montana, on June 30, 2019, heading westbound on Montana Rail Link’s Fourth Subdivision.

Pounding up the 2.2% grade of Mullan Pass west of Helena and crossing Austin Creek Trestle is a westbound BNSF coal train led by GE ET44C4 No. 3890 at Skyline, Montana, on June 30, 2019.

Snaking through the curves after topping Winston Hill, a BNSF grain train heads east past milepost 216 at Winston, Montana, on June 25, 2019.

A classic MRL SD40 leads the Laurel-Missoula manifest. The train was quite usual this day as it had a huge cut of Abrams tanks that can be seen rounding the curve above the cut.

The MRL laurel-Missoula manifest train is heavy with refurbished M1 Abrams tanks. This is quite a un-common site for this train, but made for a very heavy train. The head-end consisted of a SD40 l... (more)

Dropping downgrade off Winston Hill is an eastbound Montana Rail Link ballast train nearing Townsend, Montana, on June 26, 2019. Powering the empty train that will head west on the Butte line (MRL... (more)

A westbound BNSF grain train passes over a curved fill casting its own reflection in the backwaters of the Clark Fork between Noxon and Heron, Montana, on a perfect June 28, 2019, afternoon.

After a few days in Sturgis it was time to get back to railroading. I camped beneath a cottonwood tree beside the tracks and watched the passing of trains through the night - some with five unit s... (more)

A westbound BNSF grain train rumbles through Quebec, Montana, at sunset on June 24, 2019.

Montana Rail Link’s 844 local hauls two covered hoppers to the elevator at Harrison, Montana, on July 2, 2019. The train is climbing the 2.2% grade of the branch and has just crossed Montana Highw... (more)

On June 26, 2019, a Montana Rail Link ballast train approaches Logan, Montana, led by MRL EMD SD40-2XR (rebuilt SD40) and SD45 No. 346. At Logan, the power will run around the train and head west ... (more)