Iron Ridge
A BNSF oil train rounds the 10 degree curve and climbs the 2.2% grade at Iron ridge on Mullan Pass. The train is bound for Pacific Coast refineries and acts as a pipeline as there is little, to no, pipeline capacity from North Dakota to the Pacific Northwest. The coastal refineries were historically served by Alaska and International Crude oil. The new shale deposits have changed the transport of crude oil dramatically in many locations. The rainbow of minerals in the rock inside the cut is what built Montana. Gold and Copper from rock like this was mined and sent to local smelters. The ore then forged gold bullion and built the modern copper infrastructure we have today.
