Probably one of the cooler shots on the MRL is the shot of trains leaving Helena on the 3rd Sub. After cutting in the MRL manned helpers at Helena Jct (MP 3), the train goes right to a fight to cl... (more)

This RBG coal train loaded at Signal Peak Mine, MT, rolls along the Yellowstone River on the MRL 2nd Sub just west of Columbus. The train is the 140th train loaded in 2022 bound for export at Rob... (more)

This RBG coal train loaded at Signal Peak Mine, MT, rolls along the Yellowstone River on the MRL 2nd Sub just west of Columbus. The train is the 140th train loaded in 2022 bound for export at Rob... (more)

A beautiful morning has this empty coal train from the Robert Bank roaring down the MRL 2nd Sub bound for Roundup, MT, and Signal Peak Energy Mine. These boys were on duty at Helena at 06:45. By ... (more)

Another winter day in Montana comes to a close with the Clark Fork River Valley turning cold and blue from the dimming sky and snow. A setting sun flirts momentarily with the clouds to the west wi... (more)

As a BNSF unit oil train plods past at Trout Creek, Montana, on February 5, 2023, it’s time to get back to the trackside fire and relax again as the DPU rolls west.

Low clouds hang in the Clark Fork River Valley at Trout Creek, Montana, as a BNSF unit oil train cruises westbound on Montana Rail Link’s Fourth Subdivision on February 5, 2023.

On the evening of June 29, 2022 CSXMRBG239F pulled up to the CSXMRBG224F after it had stalled out on Winston Hill outside of Townsend, Montana. The 7283 is the lead engine of the train on the left... (more)

A Bluebird leads a train along the Missouri River.

I haven't been to the MRL since 2000. I was surprised how much work they did to add double track thru the Austin area. Now trains can meet/pass on a 21,000 foot siding/double track section. The ol... (more)

It was crazy to see how much the MRL has put back into the railroad to make it run alot smoother. One example is here near Avon. Avon was once a smaller siding located on the MRL 3rd Sub. The sidi... (more)

The MRL crosses over Austin Creek on this steel trestle near Skyline on Mullan Pass. The trestle is 494 feet long, 94 feet high, and built in 1896 by the Northern Pacific. Here we have a loaded co... (more)

It is pretty crazy to see how much westbound trains gain in elevation in a short distance climbing Mullan Pass. Here a coal train crawls along with 4 MRL manned helpers pushing mid-train. If you l... (more)

An eastbound BNSF coal empty hurries across Bridge 62 at Tuscor, Montana, on September 17, 2011.

Amtrak's Empire Builder makes a "smoking stop" at the crew change point of Havre, MT. That allowed time to jump off the train and inspect Great Northern Northern no. 2584 which has been ... (more)