Montana Rail Link’s No. 840 Helena local heads east through Lombard Canyon between Toston and Lombard, Montana, on the afternoon of June 26, 2016. EMD SD70Ace No. 4315 leads the local that is he... (more)

Montana Rail Link’s Helena local heads east through Lombard Canyon between Toston and Lombard, Montana, on the afternoon of June 26, 2016. EMD SD70Ace No. 4315 leads SD45 No. 382 on the local he... (more)

On June 30, the Helena Local got a real late start, not arriving at Townsend until sunset. My friend Dave Gayer and I were returning from Lombard thinking we might get lucky and see the train our ... (more)

After switching at Townsend, the Helena local met several freight trains en route to Trident, MT where it would switch cars at the cement plant. Here the train glides along the banks of the Missou... (more)

This every day local switching talc cars at Lime near Townsend, MT was nothing abnormal except for trailing unit, MRL 382, the last operating SD45 on Montana Rail Link. The Helena Local, a turn fr... (more)

From a vantage point on the rocks high above Plateau Tunnel, one of MRL's sporadically-ran unit talc trains races down the Clark Fork River through some spectacular canyon scenery on its journey w... (more)

MRL 4315, "manned helpers" assist the KCKSPO on the head end as they climb Mullan Pass.

Helper #2 sits quietly at the eastend of Austin siding waiting on a slow westbound climbing up Mullan Pass.

Helper #2 drifts through the siding at Austin, heading down to the eastend to meet another westbound.

After meeting a loaded grain train (seen in the background) at the east end of the siding at Austin, Helena Helper #2 returns down Mullan Pass to Helena.

Helena Helper #2 drifts down Mullan Pass through the siding at Austin to meet another "Heavy" heading uphill.

A rare sight: MRL SD70ACe's in Idaho! Despite Montana Rail Link's mainline extending nearly 40 miles into Idaho and then crews running another 50+ miles over BNSF trackage to Washington, it... (more)

Four SD70ACe's assist two GE's on the task of lifting their heavy "container grainer" stack train through the Austin Curves and up the 2.2% grade. The name container grainer comes from t... (more)

A MRL helper set accelerates from Bozeman as it shoves a loaded grain train westward over the pass. The NP is still alive and well along the MRL, with searchlight signals, old depots, and railroa... (more)

MRL 4315 and two blue friends shove a BNSF loaded grain train as they start over Bozeman Pass.