A high priority manifest destined for Pasco, Wash. traverses one of the many sags of BNSF's KO Subdivision, also known as the Surrey Cutoff. This sag carries the tracks over the Northern Continent... (more)

A golden field of wheat gently sways in the breeze while a "container grainer" bound for Tacoma, WA rumbles past both elevators in the small hamlet of Hamberg, ND on BNSF's KO Subdivisio... (more)

Under Construction...

Bakken crude destined for Reybold, Delaware coasts down the .6% grade into Des Lacs, ND under the careful control of Engineer Kerry Picek. Kerry is obeying inst... (more)

Under Construction...

Engineer Cook has his 13,200 leased ponies in the eighth notch with his heavy South Seattle, WA bound guaranteed service intermodal on the drawbars, while cross... (more)

Over thirty-four thousand horsepower fight gravity, curvature and trailing tonnage to lift 17,842 tons of Montana's finest black diamonds over the 2.2% grade of the Northern Pacific route over Mul... (more)

Can you hear it?

The faint rumble of EMD 710's echo off the evergreens of the Helena National Forest, slowly getting closer and closer. Then it appears, a quartet of freshly washed ... (more)

Bound for Wisconsin Power & Light's power plant in Columbia, Wisc., a SD70MAC/ACe duo slave through the southern portion of Theodore Roosevelt National Park and approach the small tourist communit... (more)

Two big EMD's and a SD40-2XR hustle a dozen ballast loads out of Manhattan on a hazy day, windy, and warm Summer afternoon.

Railroading is a game of numbers.

90 cylinders. 10,800 horsepower. 7,894 tons. 17,200 more horsepower. 2.2 percent.

Three MRL SD45's, with the help of four more EMD's cu... (more)

A vintage Northern Pacific era cantilever stands tall while two brand new SD70ACe's rumble by with MRL's Missoula-Laurel hauler in tow.

13,200 ponies from three big GE's claw West up the 2.2% grade of Mullan Pass; but not with the help of four manned Montana Rail Link SD70ACe's cut in two-thirds of the way back and a single BNSF A... (more)

Sprinting East along the Yellowstone River, three SD45's have a heavy Spokane, WA to Laurel, MT manifest in tow, catching some of the first rays of sun for the morning.

Picture yourself here; birds are singing below, fish are jumping in the Missouri, and the ever so faint sound of two EMD 645's rumbling Eastbound with the Helena to Logan local echo through the ca... (more)

Four SD70ACe's assist two GE's on the task of lifting their heavy "container grainer" stack train through the Austin Curves and up the 2.2% grade. The name container grainer comes from t... (more)

After completing a power mod, which consisted of setting out two trailing SD45's in Livingston, the SPOLAU departs town under the definition of "Big Sky Country".