Montana Rail Link's Missoula-Laurel, East Greycliff, Montana

Heading home from school on Christmas Eve, I caught up with the Missoula-Laurel as it passed through Big Timber, MT. The temperature outside was anywhere from -15 below to 25 above zero. At the east switch of Greycliff, the temp was 20 degrees but as it usually does, the wind was blowing. The train was run down the siding for a meet with a westbound BNSF manifest and the crew was authorized to proceed past the stop signal and line the switch manually, probably due to the blowing snow. I rolled down the window, set the camera on the tripod, and hit record. Then I rolled the window back up to keep warm while the conductor had to get out in the cold and throw the switch.
Power: MRL SD70ACe 4301, MRL SD45-2 326, MRL SD45-2 331.
Christmas Eve, 12/24/08, 9:15 A.M.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• MRL
• Greycliff
• Montana
• Missoula
• Laurel
• SD70ACe
• SD45-2
• Freight
• Train

[tmonator]

my gram used to live in greycliff, I was just wondering why you stopped in that little town. Thanks for the video, that train passed by her, she was only a few hundred yards from it

[collegeboy1083]

I was driving east down I-90 at Big Timber when I spotted the train. The next place to catch it was at Greycliff.

[LongHoodKW]

@TRAVAM91 They are SD45s, SD45-2s don't have the flare on the long hood, and there a bit bigger, about the frame size as an SD40-2.

[GP49PHS]

Compared to the horrible whether, I would LOVE it there ;( I wanna move

[TRAVAM91]

@jgehbinv

the lead engines an SD70ACE and i believe the second and third are either SD45-2`s or SD45`s, hard to tell without being up close...

[jgehbinv]

The lead locomotive is an SD70ACE? What is engine 2 and engine 3?

[kmillard]

Long live the NP!!

[jimtrain18]

great video Scott what a long train. someone waiting at the grade crossing might freeze.lol

[est86leo]

Another video in my favs. Great catch with 4301; 4301 was the 2nd of the ACes ordered. One day soon those 40s adn 45s are going to be phased out or be restricted to yard switching.

[gaycowboy31]

very nice I have only seen a few of the new MRL SD70ACEs that is one railroad I want to go back and railfan again I have rode the line a few times but never spent enough time there to really photograph it yet