Western Railroad Discussion > A busy afternoon on Bozeman Pass

Thanks to an arrangement that my wife and I have with the National Park Service to volunteer at Yellowstone for a month each winter, we're able to spend a few weekends out of every year in the Bozeman-Livingston area. This year, the first two weekends that we were in Montana didn't provide good train-watching weather. Finally, on February 10 the sun came out and I was off to East Bozeman, a frequent meeting point between westbound trains coming off the hill, and eastbound trains ready to begin the climb toward Bozeman Pass tunnel.

1. First up after I arrived at East Bozeman was a westbound crude oil train, at 1:17 PM.

2. Helpers were cut in mid-train.

3. The helper set consisted of MRL SD70ACe units 4405 and 4407, spliced by SDP40 MRL 290, originally delivered by EMD in May 1966 as Great Northern 321.

Tom Murray



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/17/18 14:17 by tmrail.

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4. On the rear of the train was DP unit BNSF 7873. The train pulled up to clear the East Bozeman interlocking and stopped to allow the helper set to be cut out.

5. A few minutes after the oil train stopped at Bozeman, this eastbound train passed en route to Livingston. It consisted of another Livingston helper set plus two units from Logan (MRL 402-403) plus BNSF 7380 hauling four CAIX covered hoppers (loads of cement, I think, from the plant at Trident, near Logan). I understand that the BNSF unit had been set out at Logan because of air trouble, and was on its way to Livingston for repairs. This shot is at Kelly Canyon Road, about a half mile east of East Bozeman, at 1:33 PM.

6. Here's the same train at Trail Creek Road at 1:45 PM.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/17/18 14:18 by tmrail.

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7. MRL 403 was a Rio Grande unit; 402's first owner was Detroit, Toledo & Ironton. Both were delivered to their original owners in 1964.

8. BNSF 7380 en route to Livingston for repairs.

9. At West End siding, just west of the Bozeman Pass tunnel, the eastbound train met this Boeing special train, en route to the 737 assembly plant at Renton, Washington. Here it is at East Bozeman at 2:08 P.M., meeting the helper set off the oil train.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/17/18 09:15 by tmrail.

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10. I wonder what airline this 737 will eventually fly for.

11. An eastbound empty grain train passes East Bozeman, at 2:19 PM. It's been just over an hour since I arrived here and this is the fourth train to make an appearance.

12. The DP unit on the empty grainer passes East Bozeman at 2:22 PM.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/17/18 14:20 by tmrail.

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13. Behind the first empty grain train was another, this one having all private equipment. This is at Trail Creek Road at 2:44 PM.

14. DP unit on the second eastbound grainer, Trail Creek Road.

15. Exiting the Bozeman Pass Tunnel at Muir, 2:55 PM.

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I got a chill just looking at these!! Nice bunch of images!! Well worth braving the weather!

Bob

16. The empty grainer stopped at the east end of Muir to meet this relatively short westbound train consisting mainly of domestic double-stack equipment, with some mixed freight equipment on the rear. It passed Flynn Creek Road at 3:15 PM, making good speed without a helper.

17. After waiting at East Muir for the westbound to pass, the second eastbound grainer is passing Flynn Creek Road at 3:24 PM. Apparently it's calving season at the Lazy AM Ranch.

18. Last shot of the afternoon, at East Bozeman at 3:43 P.M. Over the past two-and-one-half hours, we've had three westbounds (oil train, Boeing special, and this stack-plus-manifest train) and two eastbound grain trains, plus the two helper sets, the first of which was actually hauling freight. Plus, sunshine and blue skies. All in all, an interesting afternoon on Bozeman Pass.

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A great set of photos Tom, thanks.
TC

Nice pics!! I like the one with the cattle.

Thanks for the kind feedback, RustyRayls, tgcostello and ns1000. Bozeman Pass is absolutely my favorite stretch of railroad for photography, thanks to low train speeds, easy road access, and nice scenery -- not to mention a good volume of traffic, at least on a day like this. With fresh white snow and low sun making for good exposures, plus interesting cold-weather cloud formations, this was a day made for photography. And one other thing: both MRL and BNSF manage to keep their power pretty clean, in contrast with another western railroad that I can think of.

Tom

Most excellent!!

Really NICE series!!

Larry

Great shots!

Thanks, SD45X, Ritzville, and
bobk.

Posted from iPhone

Really great series of photos.

Ronda Thomas