Tom’s Montana Protest, Week 10: The wait is on

A BNSF eastbound manifest rolls into Logan, Montana.

I'll be sharing at least one photo of my trip every week until I head out to Montana once again. I guess I look at it like my way of holding a protest, or going on strike, until I get my way and I depart for Big Sky Country. Along the way, I will try to give everyone some information and other tidbits about each photograph. So come along and join me in my protest!
 
After shooting time exposures of the eastbound, it was time to get some sleep. My fuzzy memory recalls that a few more trains went through that night, but I wanted to get some rest so I could be at least somewhat cognizant for what we had planned for the next day. During our planning for this trip, we decided that one of our goals would be to try to catch the local that runs down Montana Rail Link's 6th Subdivision branch line to Harrison. This wouldn't be the first time we've tried to catch a train on the branch, but we've never been able to time it quite right. If we were successful this time, it would mean that I'd have one less item on my MRL "bucket list." I've seen a few pictures, and I've heard about how cool the branch is, but I wanted to make sure to photograph the line for myself as soon as possible. As hard as the economy has been to Montana, you never know how long these branches will be active.
 
The 9th Subdivision branch to Darby and the 11th Subdivision branch to Polson are perfect examples of why we should not wait. Unfortunately, both of those branches are currently out of service. A lone grain elevator sits near the end of the 9.84-mile long Harrison branch, and it's the only active customer on the line. With the limited traffic, MRL calls the train to run the branch on an as-needed basis, usually on Saturdays. With that, we needed to plan on being there on a Saturday. We were taking a chance that it would run, but we figured that we could find something else to do if it didn't. Luck appeared to be on our side, as a friend told us that MRL had some loaded grain hoppers at the elevator ready to go. So you're saying we have a chance?
 
As the light of dawn started to envelop Lombard Canyon, I decided to get ready for the day. It was another beautiful cloudless morning, so everything was falling into place. I figured that we should be ready to go fairly early that morning. I didn't want to miss our chance at the Harrison job. As we got our things together, we heard the faint sound of a horn in the distance to the west. I noticed that the sun was illuminating the distant hills, but I was worried that it wouldn't reach into Lombard before the train came. Well, I was right. We set up to shoot the train anyway, and MRL's Missoula-Laurel (ML) manifest freight with an SD70ACe/SD40-2XR combo rolled into view. It was a little early, but I still think it turned out OK. It has a nice early-morning feel to it.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tdanneman/6379517643

After the ML passed, it was time to hit the road. We decided to head to Logan, where the power for the Harrison job would be waiting ... hopefully. It wouldn't be right to start off a morning in this area without stopping at Wheat Montana near Three Forks. They have delicious pastries as well as a great deli. One of Wheat Montana's claims to fame is that it's included in the Guiness Book of World Records for cutting, milling, mixing, and baking a loaf of bread in 8 minutes and 13 seconds. After that quick stop, we were off to Logan.
 
As we came in to town, we had our fingers crossed that the two locomotives for the Harrison Job would be there. If they weren't, it would indicate that the local would not be running, and we would have to go to plan B. Thankfully, we spied two GP35s parked in the small yard. It looked as though we would be headed to Harrison that day. As we checked out the yard and various industries in Logan, we noticed that no railroad workers were milling about, so the local wouldn't be leaving anytime soon. We decided to head to a grade crossing just east of Logan so we could be in sight of the yard, ensuring that we didn't miss the local leaving town. That also gave us a chance to photograph anything that might be coming down the main line.
 
Sure enough, two eastbounds came through while we waited. The one shown here is a manifest freight with a newish ES44C4 leading. We saw another grain train at the same location as well. In that view, a drift boat can be seen on the Gallatin River in the background.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tdanneman/6419827453

These two shots are taken within a stone's throw of the Missouri Headwaters State Park where the Gallatin, Jefferson, and Madison Rivers combine to form the mighty Missouri. From there, the river flows 2,341 miles to where it dumps into the Mississippi River near St. Louis.
 
Join me next time to see the beginning of the Harrison Local's trip to its namesake town.

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