Farewell MRL, Part 3, Winston Hill, Lombard Canyon & more

Since October 1987, Montana Rail Link has plied the rails of the Northern Pacific through central and western Montana. Trains roll over the 900 plus miles to the tune of two-stroke EMD locomotives dressed in the Washington Companies’ blue and black paint scheme.

With news the MRL would soon fade into BNSF, we set out to make a four-part series to document this beloved regional railroad in its final years.

In Part 3, we continue east across Montana Rail Link’s Second Subdivision over Winston Hill and through Lombard Canyon to Logan. See the Helena Local working to Montana City and Townsend. Catch the Jimbo Train in action setting out ties at Toston. The system-wide LM (Laurel to Missoula) and ML (Missoula to Laurel) trains make an appearance pulling long manifests.

In addition to mainline action, we will head up the former NP’s Butte Line through Three Forks, Sappington, and the Jefferson River Canyon to Whitehall. We will also see a rock train loading at the Pipestone Quarry and visit the remote Harrison Branch.