Passing two horses and a resting longhorn on its way to switching customers on the Fifth Subdivision, Montana Rail Link’s 844 local clatters through Three Forks, Montana, on October 11, 2023. Lo... (more)

Montana Rail Link’s LM departed Livingston, Montana, on the afternoon of September 23, 2002, but soon came to a halt at the end of double track just west of town. The train is ready to attack Bo... (more)

Rolling through the picturesque Jefferson River Canyon, one of what's likely to be the final MRL ballast trains is dwarfed by a massive cavern, part of the Lewis and Clark Cavern State Park. Truly... (more)

Montana Daylight
For several years, Montana Rail Link operated a passenger train on portions of its scenic routes called the “Montana Rockies Daylight,” commonly called “Montana D... (more)

A westbound Montana Rail Link “Jimbo” work train, powered by MRL EMD SD40-2XR No. 259, crosses an icy Clark Fork River at Clark Fork, Idaho.

Storming past milepost 215
Montana’s Winston Hill between Townsend and Helena seems to be a magnate for afternoon thunderstorms in summer. Being east of the Continental Divide and wed... (more)

Montana Rail Link’s gas local heads eastbound out of Dixon, Montana, on the railroad’s Tenth Subdivision main line on the morning of October 16, 2018.

With the bridge collapse in Reed Point weeks prior, MRL introduced new wayfreights to preform similar acts to LM & ML. One of these additions, was HELBOZ. Thus, here deep in Lombard Canyon, moment... (more)

Evening light blankets western Montana, as the famed Gas Local cruises west out of Plains with the dynamic duo up front.

Westbound helpers out of Livingston are done shoving this Laurel to Pasco freight train up the 1.8% grade over Bozeman Pass. The helpers will now ride to Bozeman before cutting off after meeting 1... (more)

This Spokane to Alliance, TX, Q-train needed some help to get up the 1.9% Bozeman Pass grade eastbound. A 3 unit helper set is shoving on the rear end with just 1 unit online. Here the freight/sta... (more)

The Livingston Helpers are heading back to Livingston after shoving a coal train to Bozeman. Hard to believe this SDP40-2 is still working tonnage for the MRL in 2022. The unit is paired with a pa... (more)

Trying not to be embarrassed while doing the MRL in Montana, we referenced the Danneman's Montana stuff this week. This shot angle caught our eye and we wanted it in our portfolio too. A westbound... (more)

A 4 unit set of MRL Helpers dig in for the 17 miles climb from Helena to Blossburg and over Mullan Pass. Here the job gets to the 2.2% grade and the fight begins. The helpers cut in at Helena Jct ... (more)

The couple days we spent west of Helena, the weather was about everything you could imagine. Sun, snow, wind, rain, clear skies, cloud skies, cold, and warm weather was coming and going about ever... (more)