It doesn't get much better than a pair of SD40's passing the fall colors of a grove of Cottonwood trees along the Yellowstone River. It had been over 20 years since I'd done anything with MRL, bu... (more)

The conductor minds the first of two cattle gates that the Harrison local negotiates as it approaches it's namesake destination. A wintry mix approaches from the mountains.

The MRL Logan Local barrels towards Three Forks passing an old NP crossbuck.

The eastbound local from Livingston is seen holding outside the yard at Laurel.

At the end of the day on July 1, 2020, a westbound Montana Rail Link ballast extra climbs upgrade on Mullan Pass west of Helena, Montana. The train is passing through striking Iron Ridge cut betwe... (more)

With the Canyon Ferry Reservoir in the distance, the land stretches out for miles and miles. Below, former NP 210 and CNW 873 head the local to Townsend.

Rolling over Prickly Pear Creek, this is one of, if not the only, spots on the MRL where former NP 210 (MRL 109) is not on home rails. This is the 4.8 mile former Great Northern line from Helena t... (more)

MRL 265 leads a SD70ACE on a ballast train for loading at their Pipestone location on the MRL 5th Sub. The 5th Sub is a gorgeous line that cuts through the canyons & mountains of the area. This tr... (more)

MRL 265 leading a train down the MRL 5th Sub through the canyons. This train is bound for loading down at Pipestone, MT. Such a beautiful line!

Montana Rail Link’s Helena switch has almost reached the top of Winston Hill at Winston, Montana, as its returns back to Helena on June 30, 2017. Led by freshly-repainted EMD SD40-2XR (rebuilt S... (more)

Heading into the sunset, the deep blue sure looks great when its clean.

The imposing mountains in the background definitely make this a wedge on steroids! 6800 ft of train trail behind the ex C&NW and N&W motors as they still have a long climb ahead of them.

With the imposing Livingston Peak rising in the background, 6800 feet of traffic begins its slow climb over Bozeman Pass with two freshly washed EMD's in charge. The town of Livingston can be seen... (more)

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 westbound MRL ballast train descends Winston Hill just west of Louisville, MT on a fine fall afternoon. SD40-2XR 265 is in the lead with SD45 355 trailing, one of only two remaining SD45s curren... (more)