Montana Rail Link's SDP40 290 with it Montana Centennial paint job. Leads a seven unit string of MRL blue's. (Tom Ellis photo)

"Helper #2"... a quartet of MRL SD70ACes brings up the rear of the ML at Eliiston.

MRL SD70ACes 4404 and 4310 lead a very decent sized 126 car "ML" eastward on the 3rd Sub approaching Blossburg.

MRL's "ML" departs the siding at Elliston after getting a 4-pack of Helpers added on the rear.

Morning in Elliston, MT, on the west side of Mullan Pass, finds the 686 East taking siding. Behind the Dash 9 are a Santa FE GP60, MRL 348 (an ex NW SD45) and an SD40-2 in Heritage I colors. Speak... (more)

An all-Cascade green Burlington Northern grain train arrives at Elliston, Montana, at the end of the day on August 26, 1993. It has finished the climb over Mullan Pass and one trip through Mullan ... (more)

Before the ACes… An assortment of MRL helpers of various origins rest at Elliston awaiting their next assignment. Shortly after they would head back towards Austin with the first four assisting ... (more)

Montana Rail Link EMD SD40-2XR No. 257 scoots a “Jimbo” work train out of Elliston, Montana, on the way east over Mullan Pass on October 7, 2020.

A westbound rock train taking another load from the west Blossburg tunnel portal to the new siding under construction at Bradley.

Under a Montana sky, MRL 265 East is working upgrade toward Mullan Pass on a gorgeous September afternoon. AT&SF had its GP60 B units and BN its B30-7 B's - both in rather sizeable numbers; and bo... (more)

A helper crew has cut a quartet of SD70ACe helpers out of a coal train and has entered the siding at Elliston, MT to get out of the way so the road crew can back onto the rear portion of the train... (more)

Two shiny MRL SD70ACes, on the point of an eastbound Missoula-Laurel manifest freight, wait for a new crew in the siding at Elliston on a sunny October afternoon.

The helpers back in to the pocket as the snow stops and the sun returns. The front of the coal train will back up to reattach the rear portion, then sit while two eastbound trains roll by. I'm not... (more)

The helpers have moved past the west switch of the pocket track and the crew member is about to throw the switch for the siding. The front part of the train is just beyond the helpers. A little sn... (more)

Now this is what an MRL coal train should look like. The crew member will uncouple the helper set from the rear of the train. The snow stopped, at least for now.