Another favorite railroad has passed into the history books. As 2023 draws to a close so does the lease of the old Northern Pacific mainline through the Rockies by Montana Rail Link. One of the ne... (more)

Montana Rail Link’s office car special is cleaned by a contractor at the platforms by Missoula’s former Northern Pacific station before another trip on October 7, 2005. Dennis Washington, the ... (more)

Inside the Montana Rail Link’s headquarters building in Missoula, Montana, are the dispatchers that are keeping the railroad’s trains moving on October 7, 2005.

Montana Rail Link EMD SD45 No. 328 powers a westbound MRL work train through a cut between Eddy and Thompson Falls, Montana, on September 21, 2012.

Rainy weather has moved east at the end of the day on October 8, 2005, and the sun makes a brief appearance before dropping behind the mountains west of Helena, Montana, while Montana Rail Link EM... (more)

MRL 109 is headed back to Helena with the 840 local in tow.

In the last few weeks, Montana Rail Link has been doing some housecleaning before the BNSF takeover at the end of the year. Several locomotives were scrapped at Livingston, including EMD SD45 Nos.... (more)

On May 7, 2012, several veteran Montana Rail Link locomotives were stored inside one of the older shop buildings at the railroad’s main locomotive facility at Livingston, Montana, including MRL ... (more)

A quartet of Montana Rail Link SD70ACe helpers return from Elliston, MT to Helena after moving a westbound unit grain train over Mullan Pass (cut-in mid-train). Herds of cattle are not an uncommon... (more)

The late afternoon sun makes a brief appearance on an otherwise rainy day at Helena, Montana, on October 8, 2005. Two Montana Rail Link machinists at the “roundhouse” talk briefly while mainta... (more)

Montana Rail Link EMD SD40-2XR Nos. 252 and 252 power the railroad’s Helena local eastbound out of Trident, Montana, on September 14, 2010.

Montana Rail link’s gas local rolls through the curves approaching milepost 50 just east of Perma, Montana, on September 27, 2007. MRL EMD SD70ACe No. 4308 and SD45 No. 355 power the eastbound t... (more)

Montana Rail Link’s ML crosses Austin Creek Trestle at Skyline, Montana, on September 12, 2002. A trio of MRL SD45s and F45 No. 391 (off line) power the freight operating from Missoula to Laurel... (more)

Montana Rail Link’s 844 local out of Logan, Montana, arrives at Sappington and will soon diverge onto the branch to Harrison with four covered hoppers for the Harrison Elevator. Co.

Montana Rail Link’s 840 local from Helena arrives at Logan, Montana, on September 26, 2007. Still standing on this day in the background is a relic from another age and mode of locomotion—an o... (more)