Westbound MRL train with BNSF power exits Bozeman Pass tunnel on June 20, 2015 and passes the old bore that was bypassed in 1945. Jim Wrinn photo.
LIVINGSTON, Mont. – I have managed to wander across most of North America and to see a lot of great railroading in this land. But one railroad that escaped me, until now, has been Montana Rail Link. Everyone that I know who has been there comes back captivated by this 900-mile regional railroad that operates the former Northern Pacific main line across the southern and western portions of the state. I think the allure is a combination of heavy tonnage, steep grades, and, just to be honest, an outfit that is neither BNSF Railway nor Union Pacific. Plus, MRL runs on a route that one of the big railroads, Burlington Northern, decided it didn’t need. Everyone loves an underdog, right?
A pair of Boeing 737 fuselages head west on MRL at Bozeman Pass on June 20, 2015. Jim Wrinn photo.
I’ve seen and ridden the former Great Northern main line across the northern part of Montana. But MRL was always out of reach, just too far away. A family vacation last month allowed me to have a quick peek at a small but spectacular part of this railroad.
Trains Art Director Tom Danneman has been traveling to MRL land almost since its inception in 1987, and he gave me good advice about seeing the railroad on limited time. So, when I flew into Bozeman, I rented a car and headed east toward Livingston along I-90. Tom was right. The railroad and the interstate closely paralleled each other across Bozeman Pass, and near the summit, I got off and drove a side road that took me closer to the tracks.
Within an hour of getting off the plane, I was watching my first westbound MRL train climb the steep 1.8 percent, a BNSF train with BNSF power up front and two MRL SD70s pushing behind. I photographed the westbound at 5,702-foot Bozeman Pass, having popped out of the 3,015-foot summit tunnel and rolling by the western opening of the original 3,652-foot 1884-bore that it replaced in 1945. The train even included two Boeing 737 fuselages – signature traffic for MRL’s route with generous clearances – headed west from Kansas, where they were made, to Washington State, where they’ll be outfitted and made into jetliners.
With a mountain storm looming in the background beyond the mountains that border Livingston, Mont., a westbound grain train ascends Bozeman Pass on June 27, 2015. Jim Wrinn photo.
A few days later I was back to have lunch at the former NP beanery (a story for another day) in Livingston and, having waited most of the afternoon, I finally caught another westbound grain train as a thunderstorm blossomed over distant mountains. At the summit, the westbound train met an eastbound. Once the westbound cleared, the eastbound struggled to the summit and dove into the tunnel beneath me. With a volcanic exhaust and deep voice of power, the train muscled its way across the pass.
A sign near the tunnel says that part of the Lewis & Clark expedition explored the pass in 1806. I am glad I finally made it, too.
Next time: Depot and dining in Livingston, Mont.
Heading for the tunnel at the top of Bozeman Pass, an eastbound train revs up after leaving the passing siding and following a meet on June 27, 2015. Jim Wrinn photo.
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