Western Railroad Discussion > Bozeman Pass MRL Action

A westbound loaded grain train gets a shove up Bozeman Pass by MRL's Livingston Helpers, and meets an eastbound empty coal train. The meet took place on Wednesday, May 13.

Art House
Gettysburg, Pa.

---

---

---

Great shots.

Ronda Thomas

It's hard to believe the BNSF gave up this line--they need and use it so much now.  But it's a good thing, because MRL has kept most of the searchlight signals in operation!!

Get your searchlight photos while you can. The ones between Drummond and Bearmouth came down this spring and it is only a matter of time before the gang moves to the east.

Posted from Windows Phone OS 7

coach Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It's hard to believe the BNSF gave up this
> line--they need and use it so much now.

BNSF didn't give up the line, BN did.  And it was an entirely different railroad climate back then....Management-wise and economy.

MP555 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> coach Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > It's hard to believe the BNSF gave up this
> > line--they need and use it so much now.
>
> BNSF didn't give up the line, BN did.  And it was
> an entirely different railroad climate back
> then....Management-wise and economy.

yeah no foresight ... that was the climate back then with all the railroads ... "what can ya do for me now" ... sayeth the stockholders ... and today ... "oh sh%# ... what the hell did we do back then because we surely screwed ourselves now"

Posted from Android

Generally, MRL provides a higher level of service than BNSF would experience if they operated it on their own. I don't know if it is even less expensive but writing that check each month/quarter rankles them.

Posted from Windows Phone OS 7

I am not sticking up for the BN on this one as I too think it was a little silly that they gave this up. Other parallel routes as we know did not make it through the 80's. Like the ex-SP&S between Pasco and Spokane suffering the indignity of being abandoned entirely. The basic fact is that nobody knew the traffic levels and patterns would be what they are now. If you'd had been railroading in a downward spiral for the last 20 years why woul you think it's ever going to change. Sure they probably thought traffic levels would come up with deregulation but not to the extent to necessitate retaining duplicate lines. Anyway seems like we talk about this once a month here. Change the record. I wonder what unit the engineer was running from, not many facing the right way, nice Montana coverage.