Between Toston and Logan, MRL's mainline runs through Lombard Canyon. Didn't get a chance to see the canyon on this trip due to time and the haziness caused by forest fires. It takes a train around an hour to make its way through the canyon. This BNSF manifest just made it through and is now pulling east from Logan, headed toward Manhattan.
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The head end of this coal load has knocked down a clear signal at the east switch of Manhattan. The train is moving toward Logan and, beyond that, Lombard Canyon. Due to more than 40 forest fires burning in Montana, it is starting to get a touch hazy from drifting smoke!
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This being my first trip (ever) to Montana, I was a little surprised by the amount of farm land! But there was a lot of it. One such farm resides along MRL's 2nd Subdivision just east of Manhattan. And, on this Friday evening, it is watering time! A BNSF coal load passes quickly by, moving at about 45 MPH, on its journey west.
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For my first trip to visit Montana Rail Link, I invited my dad to come along with me. He is the reason that I love both trains and photography. I have many fond memories of train chasing with him both along the Moffat and the Joint Line. Memories include our car breaking down on a snowy night along I-25, and the battery in his motorcycle dying in Colorado Springs. Fortunately, we didn't have any troubles while making new memories here in Montana.
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This BNSF coal train is moving along at 45 MPH on the single track main east of Manhattan, MT. A bit smaller than the Manhattan in New York, this Manhattan has a population just over 1,500!
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Bozeman Tunnel may only be 3,015 feet long, which is short when compared to the 6.2-mile-long Moffat Tunnel, but that doesn't mean it doesn't get a lot of exhaust! When a coal train such as this one is working to make it over the summit, the tunnel quickly fills with a lot of exhaust. It is not a place you'd want to be caught when a train came charging through.
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Got exhaust? This westbound BNSF coal train has just about made it to the top of Bozeman Pass (note the sign trackside that says "summit"). Evidence of just how hard the engines are working is apparent as a plume of exhaust accompanies the units upon existing the west portal.
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A westbound BNSF coal train has nearly made it over the summit of Bozeman Pass. It is about to emerge from the 3,015-foot-long Bozeman Tunnel and begin its descent down the western slope.
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This BNSF grain train has reached the 5,702 ft high Bozeman Pass. Train pass through Bozeman Tunnel at the top, which is 3,015 feet long. The west portal of the tunnel exits in to a cut, which is seen here.
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Being a branch line, several of the grade crossings on the MRL's 5th Subdivision do not have crossing gates. One such example is this grade crossing at Old Yellowstone Trail, just on the eastern edge of Willow Creek, MT.
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With only three cars in tow, MRL's 844 local is approaching the Old Yellowstone Trail grade crossing. The local works on MRL's 5th Subdivision, which is a branch line originating at Logan, MT. Love seeing the "stick track" (jointed rail) through the telephoto lens.
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The 844 local is about to cross over the Madison River and then under I-90 as it enters the town of Three Forks. In the distance, one of more than 40 forest fires burns, generating a significant amount of smoke.
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Montana Rail Link's 844 local passes by some standing water, offering up a nice reflection as the train heads toward Three Forks. There, it will spend about an hour switching out the talc plant before continuing west.
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Montana Rail Link has a local (called the 844 local) that runs from Logan, MT down MRL's 5th Subdivision. It services industries in the towns of Three Forks, Willow Creek, Sappington, and Whitehall. Here, the local is paralleling I-90 on the way to Three Forks.
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