Here was a real treat! A pair of former Santa Fe warbonnets lift a rather light Laurel to Spokane manifest up the grade of Mullan Pass on a pleasant summer evening. This was one of two trains we s... (more)

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)

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 passing thru the deep cut at Iron Ridge the head-end and helper crews can get a quick glimpse at one another as the power passes by in opposite directions. MRL4309 seems to have a bit of a p... (more)

Wheel Slip Control can be heard screaming as this westbound coal load thunders towards Iron Ridge in Run 8. This is the toughest section of climb on the entire MRL mainline. The sight and sound... (more)

A hair over 7100 tons was too much for three SD45's, so the crew added an unmanned helper set to the headend for dynamic brake effort down the 2.2% Mullan Pass, seen here with its' train strung ou... (more)

A 4 unit set of helpers returns to Helena as it drops down off Mullan Pass at Austin.

BNSF 662 is on the point of this westbound stack train at Austin waiting on eastbound light helpers before its run over Mullan Pass.

Gritty glint
On Montana Rail Link’s Mullan Pass, fourteen locomotives head back to Helena, Montana, as a light engine movement on the afternoon of February 6, 1997. Two 4-unit helper ... (more)

MRL 4303 leading the "M-L" around the curve at Austin, MT on the east side of Mullan Pass.

An eastbound freight drops downgrade through an “s” curve between the two loops above Austin, Montana, over Montana Rail Link’s Mullan Pass the afternoon of September, 24, 2006. Powering the... (more)

As an eastbound freight drops downgrade in the background, a westbound BNSF grain train claws up Mullan Pass at Austin, Montana, on September, 24, 2006. Both trains just met at Austin siding, wher... (more)

With a pair of MRL SD70ACe Helpers on the point, led by MRL 4305, a westbound BNSF freight starts the torturous climb up the East Slope of Mullan Pass.

Overcoming gravity is a Montana Rail Link specialty! Here we see the LM(Laurel to Missoula) climbing the east slope of Mullan Pass with 3 units on the point and a four unit manned helper cut in a... (more)

This is the helper consist for photo: 1158933 http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=439010&nseq=45 The head-end of the train is wrapped around the upper horseshoe at Austin...Mullan ... (more)