Summertime Extra

While staying in Bozeman, MT for a night prior to partaking in a lengthy RV trip down to Yellowstone National Park, I awoke on the morning of Friday, July 22nd to a report about an extra train movement on the Montana Rail Link 2nd Subdivision. With the Residence Inn Bozeman motel virtually right next to the MRL’s mainline through town, a short walk over onto the N 19th Ave bridge was all that was needed to set up for the extra’s arrival at Bozeman.

 

At 08:35, a visible headlight and the distinct roar of twin 16-710-G3C-T2 prime movers indicated the presence of the extra, the MRL M GARLAU1 21. Having originated the night before at Garrison, MT, the 110 car manifest was an extra move out of the BNSF interchange yard in Garrison that connects with the BNSF Copper City Subdivision to Butte, MT. Supposedly this train was run in order to clear out traffic in said yard to keep traffic moving. The two SD70ACe’s up front, #MRL4406 and #MRL4405, were purchased and built new by EMD in 2014 for the railroad. With the MRL giving up it’s lease of the former Northern Pacific mainline to BNSF, scenes like this of MRL operations will very soon be a thing of the past.

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Bozeman, MT

MRL 2nd Subdivision

 

Date: 07/22/2022 | 08:35

 

ID: M GARLAU1 21

Type: Manifest

Direction: Eastbound

Car Count: 110

 

1. MRL SD70ACe #4406

2. MRL SD70ACe #4405

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© Vicente Alonso 2022

Done