Late afternoon in Montana’s Lombard Canyon, a westbound BNSF grain train passes the west switch of Lombard siding on July 3, 2018.

The calm waters of the Missouri River keep company with an eastbound BNSF freight curving through Lombard Canyon in Montana on June 27, 2016.

Rumbling along the banks of the Missouri River, a westbound BNSF freight journeys through Lombard Canyon just west of the siding at near sunset on June 29, 2016.

A westbound BNSF coal train curves over the girder bridge crossing Sixteen Mile Creek and past the townsite of Lombard, Montana, on July 3, 2018.

A westbound BNSF stack train, with three Boeing fuselages up front, curves into Lombard, Montana, on July 5, 2018.

A BNSF grain train cruises along the calm waters of the Missouri River in Lombard Canyon. Within an hour this train will be slowed to a crawl as it climbs Winston Hill enroute to Helena.

Thunderstorms are moving in on July 1, 2017, as an eastbound BNSF grain empty meets a westbound BNSF coal train tucked in the siding at Lombard, Montana, as the train negotiates curves running par... (more)

MRL 4311, MRL 4404 on the "M-L" snaking around the west bends of Lombard Canyon. Just a few miles down stream from the Missouri River headwaters.

Montana Rail Link’s Laurel to Missoula manifest freight passes by the abandoned right-of-way and bridge over the Missouri River of Milwaukee Road’s Pacific Extension main line at the townsite of L... (more)

Cruising far below along the banks of the Missouri River, this BNSF coal train is headed west to Helena for a stop before summiting Mullan Pass.

An eastbound coal train at Lombard running along the Missouri River.

A westbound coal train reflects off the calm waters of the Missouri River behind the Toston dam.

An eastbound grain train running along the Missouri River in Lombard Canyon. This is the second of two trains which came within a few minutes of each other. After this one, the line was closed f... (more)

This eastbound coal train was stopped at a red signal at Toston before dawn. I made it to this hill at Lombard to watch the sun come up and the train appeared with nice early morning light.