After leaving Sandpoint, ID Friday July 10, 2009 (as noted in the previous Blog update) I was on my way east following the MRL towards Missoula. There were no eastbounds behind me and I had no idea what was coming west. Just west of Hope, ID some MOW commented on the scanner they had track and time for only an hour at Hope and the nearest westbound just left Paradise. I am guessing they figured they should have had more time. Just past the MT state line I drove into Heron and took some photos of the NP cantilever signal bridge at the west switch and then continued east. I got off MT 200 at Noxon and drove back to Bridge 73 hearing the Trout Creek detector go off shortly after arriving. This was the first time I had photographed the bridge from the west end so I did a bit of scouting before the westbound train M-LAUSPO with BNSF 7324/7323 showed up at 2:36 PM.
I thought it was a pretty nice location. Back on MT 200 I heard the Woodlin detector go off just after I was by Belknap. I tried to get to Thompson Falls to see what was coming and I was shocked to see a couple of KCS SD70′s leading a Military train west! A quick U-turn and I was headed west again. Knowing I still had a long drive ahead of me I pulled off at Belknap which was the first trackside access for one shot. There was a MOW crew here also waiting for the train to pass so they could get back to work. The train showed up quick and I barely managed to get this photo of the KCS 3973/3969 at 3:47 PM.
While I really wanted more photos of this train I knew there may be others coming. Finally past Thompson Falls I was nearing Eddy when I noticed a westbound coming down the long straightaway. It was a westbound coal train with SD70MAC’s leading. Another U-turn and back to the overpass west of Woodlin. Most of my photos in the past here have been pretty nose on so I went for a wider angle this time. BNSF 8805/8890 are leading the Centralia, WA bound coal train into the curve west of Woodlin at 4:44 PM.
Bringing up the rear are a pair of SD70ACe’s 9261/9338
I got all the way to Plains and photographed a few NP “items” and noticed the signals were on and green for another westbound. I waited a bit and once the MP 3 detector went off set up just west of the depot photographing an M-LAUPAS with BNSF 7250/4114/719 at 5:50 PM.
I did a bit of exploring behind the Town Pump at Plains looking for some old tracks in the weeds monaddave had told me about sometime back. I found them and took a few photos before leaving Plains. I did stop at Paradise and took some pics of MRL GP9′s 113 and 127 outside the depot before heading on to Missoula for the night.
Interesting that all I have seen on the MRL so far has been westbounds. Still it has been a very productive trip and following this update will be another “Where the NP Survives” showing some original NP items that can still be found between Sandpoint and Paradise.
