Mission Mountain
Railroad
Also that same day at Stryker, WAMX GP38 #3807. Some old Conrail blue is peeking through:
Waiting next call on a hazy November, 2012 afternoon, WAMX GP35 #3517 at Stryker, Montana:
It's a beautiful mid-August, 2012 day. WAMX SW1200 #1214 rests, track work done for today.
The crew now has SW1500 #1501 and are busily switching customers on their line to Kalispell:
September of 2011 is well along, #1214 is snoozing in late afternoon sun.
The Western Building Company spur (Columbia Falls), Montana:
*****
Late in the Summer of 2011, we managed to catch Eureka Subdivision action,
as they headed east to interchange loads with BNSF Railway.
Just a couple of years ago, there was virtually no remaining business on this Subdivision.
It was just sidings jammed full of contract stored (primarily tank and bulkhead) cars.
Zero customers. Now most idle cars are gone.
The Gwynn Lumber Reload in Eureka is once more quite lively, sending out bulkheads from Tembec
(via their British Columbia operations) and a customer in Fortine may be shipping chips again.
Just for information, this is a one man, all ("RCO") Remote Controlled Operation.
Mission Mountain Railroad (WAMX) GP38 #3807 is acting as "master" unit, with
WAMX GP35 #3517, (ex-Palouse River & Coulee City #2357), as the "slave" engine.
Made obvious as each time they passed, it was the horn of 3807 we would hear blowing.
Train assembled, air test made, moving ahead at Dewey Avenue in Eureka:
The old Great Northern Railway depot:
Past the old depot, on through the yard and out of town:
Greenbriar Leasing (GBRX) #34594 (ex-BN RR) on the loadout track in Fortine:
Our train would pull past, then stop. Perhaps spotting empties for the loader:
Our next stop, at Trego, we see a well worn rail. This old timer has been turned due to wear,
which extends useful life. Markings are Great Northern Railway, 110 pound, 1937.
Until 1970, this was a transcontinental main line:
Any activity at Trego is long ago gone, so he passes quickly through "town":
Entering Stryker, we see a some of those few remaining stored tank cars.
He stops and lines over into the siding:
This ride must truly be no fun at all in snow and sub-zero weather:
After crossing this road, he is now on BNSF rails.
He'll continue on down to the wye to drop his loads. Then make any pick-up(s) and head home:
*****
It's the early Spring of 2010, and GP30 remote unit WAMX #301 is tied up on the spur
behind Western Building Company (Columbia Falls), Montana:
The Fall of 2009 finds WAMX SW1500 #1501 resting behind the MMRR yard office.
Their little facility is tucked within Plum Creek Timber (Columbia Falls), Montana:
*****
Also that same day at Stryker, WAMX GP38 #3807. Some old Conrail blue is peeking through:
Waiting next call on a hazy November, 2012 afternoon, WAMX GP35 #3517 at Stryker, Montana:
It's a beautiful mid-August, 2012 day. WAMX SW1200 #1214 rests, track work done for today.
The crew now has SW1500 #1501 and are busily switching customers on their line to Kalispell:
September of 2011 is well along, #1214 is snoozing in late afternoon sun.
The Western Building Company spur (Columbia Falls), Montana:
*****
Late in the Summer of 2011, we managed to catch Eureka Subdivision action,
as they headed east to interchange loads with BNSF Railway.
Just a couple of years ago, there was virtually no remaining business on this Subdivision.
It was just sidings jammed full of contract stored (primarily tank and bulkhead) cars.
Zero customers. Now most idle cars are gone.
The Gwynn Lumber Reload in Eureka is once more quite lively, sending out bulkheads from Tembec
(via their British Columbia operations) and a customer in Fortine may be shipping chips again.
Just for information, this is a one man, all ("RCO") Remote Controlled Operation.
Mission Mountain Railroad (WAMX) GP38 #3807 is acting as "master" unit, with
WAMX GP35 #3517, (ex-Palouse River & Coulee City #2357), as the "slave" engine.
Made obvious as each time they passed, it was the horn of 3807 we would hear blowing.
Train assembled, air test made, moving ahead at Dewey Avenue in Eureka:
The old Great Northern Railway depot:
Past the old depot, on through the yard and out of town:
Greenbriar Leasing (GBRX) #34594 (ex-BN RR) on the loadout track in Fortine:
Our train would pull past, then stop. Perhaps spotting empties for the loader:
Our next stop, at Trego, we see a well worn rail. This old timer has been turned due to wear,
which extends useful life. Markings are Great Northern Railway, 110 pound, 1937.
Until 1970, this was a transcontinental main line:
Any activity at Trego is long ago gone, so he passes quickly through "town":
Entering Stryker, we see a some of those few remaining stored tank cars.
He stops and lines over into the siding:
This ride must truly be no fun at all in snow and sub-zero weather:
After crossing this road, he is now on BNSF rails.
He'll continue on down to the wye to drop his loads. Then make any pick-up(s) and head home:
*****
It's the early Spring of 2010, and GP30 remote unit WAMX #301 is tied up on the spur
behind Western Building Company (Columbia Falls), Montana:
The Fall of 2009 finds WAMX SW1500 #1501 resting behind the MMRR yard office.
Their little facility is tucked within Plum Creek Timber (Columbia Falls), Montana:
*****