Uploaded November 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Since its founding in October 1987, the Montana Rail Link has plied the rails laid down by the Northern Pacific in the Big Sky country of Montana. It has served as a bridge line for the Burlington Northern and later BNSF between Jones Junction, Montana and Sandpoint, Idaho. In addition to handling main line freight, MRL has provided rail service to many local customers along its 900 plus miles of track utilizing several branch lines.
In January 2022, news of the MRL reaching an agreement with BNSF to end its lease brought many railfans out to Montana to see their beloved regional railroad one last time, not knowing exactly when the end would come. We made several trips in 2022 and early 2023 to capture some of the hot spots at various times of the year and are proud to present this four-part series showcasing Montana Rail Link in quite likely its last years of operation.
Part 1 begins in Missoula and follows MRL’s Gas Local over the 4th and 10th Subdivisions to Pipeline. Then we turn east over the former Northern Pacific’s racetrack to Garrison. Highlights include MRL’s system-wide manifest trains the LM (Laurel-Missoula) and ML, the Bonner Local, both Day and Night Gas trains and a few of the BNSF run-through trains including coal, grain, and crude oil.
This series was created to preserve the memory of this amazing regional railroad. Farewell MRL!
This program is available on DVD and Blu-ray at 7ideaproductions.com. 7ideaproductions.com/products/farewell-mrl-part-1?_pos=1&_sid=851aa28a4&_ss=r
0:00 Intro
6:28 Map
8:11 Missoula
15:39 De Smet
19:55 Lothrop
22:04 Philemon Tunnel 5.5
23:37 Cyr
26:34 Superior
28:18 St Regis
29:22 Paradise
30:02 Plains
32:04 Eddy
35:26 Pipeline
44:33 Thompson Falls
51:57 Paradise
56:00 The 10th Sub
1:09:34 Dixon
1:13:30 Evaro Hill
1:20:13 Marent Trestle
1:22:50 Fire on Evaro Hill!
1:26:41 De Smet
1:28:43 Missoula
1:39:13 Bonner
1:47:01 McQuarrie
1:47:54 Bonita Tunnel 5
1:50:18 Nimrod
1:51:19 Drummond
1:54:04 Jens
1:55:58 Garrison
Since its founding in October 1987, the Montana Rail Link has plied the rails laid down by the Northern Pacific in the Big Sky country of Montana. It has served as a bridge line for the Burlington Northern and later BNSF between Jones Junction, Montana and Sandpoint, Idaho. In addition to handling main line freight, MRL has provided rail service to many local customers along its 900 plus miles of track utilizing several branch lines.
In January 2022, news of the MRL reaching an agreement with BNSF to end its lease brought many railfans out to Montana to see their beloved regional railroad one last time, not knowing exactly when the end would come. We made several trips in 2022 and early 2023 to capture some of the hot spots at various times of the year and are proud to present this four-part series showcasing Montana Rail Link in quite likely its last years of operation.
Part 1 begins in Missoula and follows MRL’s Gas Local over the 4th and 10th Subdivisions to Pipeline. Then we turn east over the former Northern Pacific’s racetrack to Garrison. Highlights include MRL’s system-wide manifest trains the LM (Laurel-Missoula) and ML, the Bonner Local, both Day and Night Gas trains and a few of the BNSF run-through trains including coal, grain, and crude oil.
This series was created to preserve the memory of this amazing regional railroad. Farewell MRL!
This program is available on DVD and Blu-ray at 7ideaproductions.com. 7ideaproductions.com/products/farewell-mrl-part-1?_pos=1&_sid=851aa28a4&_ss=r
0:00 Intro
6:28 Map
8:11 Missoula
15:39 De Smet
19:55 Lothrop
22:04 Philemon Tunnel 5.5
23:37 Cyr
26:34 Superior
28:18 St Regis
29:22 Paradise
30:02 Plains
32:04 Eddy
35:26 Pipeline
44:33 Thompson Falls
51:57 Paradise
56:00 The 10th Sub
1:09:34 Dixon
1:13:30 Evaro Hill
1:20:13 Marent Trestle
1:22:50 Fire on Evaro Hill!
1:26:41 De Smet
1:28:43 Missoula
1:39:13 Bonner
1:47:01 McQuarrie
1:47:54 Bonita Tunnel 5
1:50:18 Nimrod
1:51:19 Drummond
1:54:04 Jens
1:55:58 Garrison
![Return of the Big Boy [Full Length Program]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/RE9w6TPH0lA/mqdefault.jpg "Return of the Big Boy [Full Length Program]
Originally released in 2019
In May of 2019, Union Pacific made history. Big Boy 4014, the largest steam locomotive on earth took to the main line under its own power for the first time in nearly 60 years!
The restoration was just in time for the 150th anniversary of the driving of the Golden Spike at Promontory, Utah, commemorating the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in 1869.
Paired with UP 844, the only steam locomotive to never be taken out of active service on a major railroad, the 4014 made its first excursion run between Cheyenne, Wyoming and Ogden, Utah in what was billed as “The Great Race to Ogden.”
7idea Productions takes you trackside for this historic event from Cheyenne to Ogden and return. Catch the 4014 climbing Sherman Hill, gliding across the Wyoming plains, and tackling the Wasatch grade.
In Ogden, Utah, Union Pacific’s Spike 150 Celebration had the feeling of a rock concert as thousands of people came out to see the Big Boy for the first time.
We’ll take you to Promontory for a reenactment of the driving of the golden spike that united a nation east to west. With the festivities over, Big Boy number 4014 and the 844 return home to Cheyenne.
This is your front row seat to the greatest railroading event in 60 years! This is Return of the Big Boy!
Available on DVD and Blu-ray at 7ideaproductions.com. https://www.7ideaproductions.com/products/return-of-the-big-boy?_pos=1&_sid=93da19378&_ss=r
0:00 Intro
3:06 Map
5:01 Getting Ready
10:13 Cheyenne
11:59 Perkins
12:59 West of Laramie
14:08 Fort Steele
14:58 Latham
16:52 Red Desert
18:01 Table Rock
19:05 Near Point of Rocks
21:53 Thayer
23:03 Green River
28:09 Granger
31:48 Carter
33:56 Leroy
34:38 Evanston, WY
42:18 Wahsatch, UT
43:17 Echo Canyon
45:10 Ogden
47:02 Promontory Golden Spike Reenactment
49:35 Morning at Ogden
50:05 Dry Hollow
51:12 Castle Rock
53:16 Evanston, WY
1:01:55 Elkhurst
1:03:24 Peru Hill
1:06:19 Kanda
1:07:45 Rock Springs
1:09:42 Salt Wells
1:10:49 Bitter Creek
1:11:47 Creston
1:12:33 Rawlins
1:13:34 How to Re-Rail a Big Boy
1:17:05 Sinclair
1:18:09 Rock River
1:19:39 Laramie
1:20:19 Tie Siding
1:22:07 Hermosa Tunnels
1:23:58 Back to Cheyenne")
![Marias Pass [BNSF in Montanas Magnificent Rockies]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Rzli7pm-s24/mqdefault.jpg "Marias Pass [BNSF in Montanas Magnificent Rockies]
Originally released on DVD in 2009, take a tour of BNSFs very scenic Hi-Line Subdivision through the Rocky Mountains of Northwestern Montana. The railroad skirts the southern boundary of Glacier National Park, twisting along the Flathead River and climbing through tunnels and snow sheds. Shot in mid-October, the season transforms from fall to winter.
This program is also available on DVD and Blu-ray by visiting 7ideaproductions.com
https://www.7ideaproductions.com/products/marias-pass?_pos=2&_sid=dc310c17d&_ss=r
0:00 Intro
3:06 Map
4:05 Whitefish
11:11 Columbia Falls
14:11 Bad Rock Canyon
16:00 Coram
18:10 Johnstons Curve
20:42 Belton
22:02 Tunnel 4
26:42 Tunnel 3.8
28:27 Nyack
32:35 Red Eagle
35:17 Stanton Creek
37:57 Paola
38:18 Essex
45:15 Sheep Creek Trestle
47:24 Java East
52:46 Show Shed 10.5
59:26 The Burned Shed
1:05:10 Marias
1:13:08 Continental Divide
1:15:03 Summit East
1:16:56 False Summit
1:17:29 Bison West
1:24:15 East Glacier
1:25:58 Two Medicine Bridge
1:26:37 Grizzly
1:31:52 Spotted Robe
1:34:08 Browning
1:37:00 Blackfoot
1:38:22 SP Daylight 4449 in Montana and Idaho")
![Rails Through the Freezer 2 [Where Trains Battle Winter]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/SrLro8os_YE/mqdefault.jpg "Rails Through the Freezer 2 [Where Trains Battle Winter]
This is a compilation of some of my favorite winter scenes from the past fifteen years of shooting train videos in the western US and Canada.
Featured videos include:
Canadas Yellowhead Pass
https://youtu.be/cqgcJJ-UQNQ?si=eQrn-ZNaDrsCek2-
The Wasatch Grade
https://youtu.be/HXYJrIGjcE4?si=iFjTHLMoSQbQRWTm
The Blue Mountains
https://youtu.be/4qsOmeIevhU?si=a8t_nY2H0qYgk4sY
BNSFs Arizona Main Line Part 2
https://youtu.be/Jd6cO1eIKXk?si=BM9WrmibfrrArM6G
Steam and Snow: Rotary OY over Cumbres Pass
https://youtu.be/Uotv4QMNmgs?si=Ahu-vG_eDrckSo72
Winter on Marias Pass
https://youtu.be/T6qCJAOCi3g?si=VXfuuYYCAZJFVn03
Winter on Donner
https://youtu.be/eLmBIZaFpSU?si=xBEVOqtcKPoBDlsr
0:00 Intro
2:27 Winter in Western Alberta, CA
8:49 SD40-2s Climb through Castle Rock, UT
11:30 Winter in the Blue Mountains, OR
21:20 BNSF Battles an Arizona Snow Storm
31:35 Rotary OY on Cumbres Pass, CO
40:45 Winter on Marias Pass, MT
55:33 Snow Trains on Donner Pass, CA")
![Winter on Marias Pass Part 2 [The Frigid Climb to the Continental Divide]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/T6qCJAOCi3g/mqdefault.jpg "Winter on Marias Pass Part 2 [The Frigid Climb to the Continental Divide]
Winter comes to the Rocky Mountains of northwestern Montana.
BNSF trains follow the frozen route of the Great Northern over Marias Pass.
Part two of this two-part series covers the mountain grade over high trestles and through numerous snow sheds to the wind-swept summit at the Continental Divide.
The entire program is available on DVD and Blu-ray at 7ideaproductions.com. https://www.7ideaproductions.com/products/winter-on-marias-pass?_pos=1&_sid=9faa3245d&_ss=r
00:00 Intro/Essex
08:03 Shed 12
10:22 Sheep Creek Trestle
12:07 Java East
25:30 Snow Sheds
41:51 Marias
43:18 Continental Divide
50:21 Summit
53:12 False Summit
54:32 East Glacier
58:00 Two Medicine Bridge
59:19 Grizzley")
