Steam & Excursion > Memory of Montana

All these were taken in October 2002, somewhere in Montana.  Any help on the location is apreciated.
!.  SPS700 is coming downhill.
2. SPS700
3. I think the train just left a city.

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4. SPS700 at full speed.

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Wow ... really nice images!  Sorry I can't help with the locations, but truly appreciate your post ... just beautiful!

Thank you
Odyssey
Evergreen, CO

Some of your finest work Haruo!

Martin



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/23/16 04:58 by LoggerHogger.

oooh, and ahhh ! Outstanding !

Great shots! Another engine that spends way too much time cold.
 

Chris Bost
Leesport, PA

I believe #1 is eastbound coming down Bozeman Pass, fairly close to the West Long Lead, therefore close to Livingston. And I would say #3 is eastbound just east of Bozeman taken from the frontage road before scaling Bozeman Pass. This would be the 700's original visit into Montana. So I believe the 2 images are out of chronological sequence...

Lance/199

Beautiful photos Haruo.   I'm still pissed I didn't go up there and chase this trip.

Thanks for your great photos, Haruo.  No. 4 is a super pan shot.  Mitch Goldman would be proud.

I'd second the comments on Bozeman Pass. I drive the pass fairly routinely, and it looks like a match!

Posted from iPhone

Maxwell Hamberger
Bozeman, MT
Media & Theater Arts

I'll agree that picture 3 is likely Eastbound, taken October 14, 2002 from the Frontage Road just east of the East Bozeman Interchange - I 90 Exit 309. 

However, I'm pretty sure that picture 1 is Westbound, taken October 19, 2002 near the south end of the Jens Road arch bridge over the tracks east of Drummond, MT - just south of I-90 Exit 162.  Trees along the tracks and on the hillside beyond I-90 match this location.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/23/16 22:02 by WoodwardEJ.

WoodwardEJ Wrote: > ... I'm pretty sure that picture 1 is ... near the south end of the Jens Road arch bridge...
I will have to agree, now that I've noticed the signal (Jens W switch!!?) in the background. I was so intent on I-90 being south of the RR I couldn't get away from the idea it was eastbound on the east side of Bozeman Pass. But now westbound W of Jens works perfectly for me. I worked over the MRL main between Missoula & Helena my first 4 years with MRL, but hadn't been over that stretch since before September of 1991...

Lance/199

Thank you for your kind words, and santafe199 for the help on locations.  #1 being westbound is also what my failing memory suggests.

Yep the first one is indeed the bridge by the 2nd most famous barn in Montana at Jens.

Is t his #1 barn or #2?  Haruo

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That is the barn at Jens, MT.  Some people claim it is the second-most photographed barn in Montana.  Supposedly, the barn near the BNSF (former GN) Two Medicine Bridge east of East Glacier, MT holds the title of most photographed barn in Montana.  Thanks for posting your photo of SP&S #700 Eastbound at Jens on October 13, 2002.

santafe199 Wrote:
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> And I would say #3 is eastbound just east of Bozeman
> taken from the frontage road before scaling Bozeman Pass.

You're correct, Lance.  I was running out of Bozeman and I recall seeing quite a few people along that frontage road.  A few miles later heading up the pass a greaser suddenly took the wind out of my sails and I had to quickly throttle up the MRL 392 while getting the 700's feet back under it which took a couple attempts for success.  That is recorded in the Skyfire video.
 
> This would be the 700's original visit into Montana....

This could be taken to imply that the 700 made more than one trip to Montana from Portland.  While it's true that the MRL was so pleased with the operation of the trip that they invited the 700 to return to Montana in a couple years or so it unfortunately never happened.  Some years later (after the demise of the Montana Rockies Daylight if I recall correctly) an Operation Lifesaver-themed trip to eastern Montana (later planning scaled it back to Helena) was worked on for many months but just didn't pan out.

WoodwardEJ Wrote:
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> However, I'm pretty sure that picture 1 is Westbound, taken October 19, 2002
> near the south end of the Jens Road arch bridge over the tracks east of
> Drummond, MT - just south of I-90 Exit 162.  Trees along the tracks and on
> the hillside beyond I-90 match this location.

My memory of that portion of the line is a bit dim after nearly 14 years but I think you're correct and I see that Lance agrees.  On that day I ran from Bozeman to the photo runby at Clarkston, guest BNSF engineer Al Krug ran from Clarkston to Townsend, MRL pilot engineer Bob Bateman ran from Townsend to Helena and I ran from there over the pass to Missoula.