Montana is all about scale. Big Sky Country is all about the bigness of nature in the state. So too the forests and mountains. MRL's quartet of not-so-small SD70ACes appear to be N scale models in... (more)

The Missoula to Laurel mainline freight grinds up the west side of Bozeman Pass shortly after sunrise on a beautiful late Spring day in Big Sky Country.

The ML eases down to East Livingston for a meet with a westbound manifest.

Montana Rail Link’s 840 (Helena local) heads westbound along the Missouri River in Lombard Canyon east of Toston, Montana, on June 24, 2015. Two big EMD SD70ACes power the short train.

An MRL mid-train all-EMD helper set grinds up the final quarter-mile of the 2.2% ascending grade of Mullan Pass, emerging from the recently-shortened Mullan Tunnel and bringing a choking cloud of ... (more)

MRL 4310 shoves against a westbound intermodal train with a threatening western sky...

A nice MRL manifest leaves Helena westbound toward Mullan Pass at sunset.

The ML commences switching duties in the yard at Garrison.

MRL`s 4310 and 4309 on the ML move past a bridge maintenance crew as they enter the yard at Garrison.Note the old Milwaukee Road tunnel portal above the train.

MRL ML heads east with a SD45 cousin. All the other MLs seen this week were running with a pair of ACes, so these other flared radiators were a welcome sight.

MRL ML heads east under the road at Rock Creek. I would assume that the body of water in the foreground is the infamous rock creek.

MRL 4310-4304 stepped along briskly with the Laurel to Missoula, MT, train. Fires and dry conditions prompted MRL to blade fire break along their right of way.