Northern, and later BNSF, operated the branch lines much like any other – short locals powered by GP38-2s. In late 2004, when the Mission Mountain Railroad purchased the track from Stryker to Eureka and began leasing the
line from Columbia Falls to Kalispell, the company brought in a
rag-tag roster of power to serve the lines. For awhile even a Bangor & Aroostook GP38-2, still wearing its retro Iron Road Railways livery, called the line home. Over the next few years orphaned GP35s and GP30s from the Webb Asset Management (WAMX) ros- ter made short appearances in Big Sky
Country. By 2012, the roster had pretty much sorted itself out and now each line features a pair of locomotives to meet its needs.
On the southern end, two switchers
are used. WAMX SW1500 No. 1501 is the primary locomotive and started its career as Pittsburg and Lake Erie No. 1536, built in 1973. Today, the locomo- tive wears the standard Watco black and yellow paint scheme. Held in re- serve is WAMX SW1200 No. 1214, built for the Northern Pacific Railway in 1955. Up north, on the Eureka line, are a GP35 and GP38 which both have roots back to the same eastern road. GP35 No. 3517 was built for the Penn- sylvania Railroad, whereas GP38 No. 3807 was built a few years later for Penn Central. Of all of the locomotives on the property, only the No. 1501 and No. 3807 wear markings for the Mis- sion Mountain.
Today, that small roster of locomo-
OPPOSITE: In May 2012, the Mission Mountain crew have No. 1501's cab door wide open to take in the warmth of an early summer afternoon. ABOVE: The Mission Mountain makes a rare appearance in downtown Kalispell on March 6, 2012, passing the frame of the old Great North- ern depot. BELOW: Mountains frame the Flathead Valley as No. 1501 heads north to through LaSalle, on its way back to Columbia Falls on November 1, 2011.
tives serve more than a dozen indus- tries in the Flathead Valley and Lin- coln County. The largest customer is Plum Creek Timber Co., which has fa- cilities in Columbia Falls and Ever- green. The timber industry was hard hit in 2008 and 2009, when the housing market fell apart and one Plum Creek official called it “absolute turmoil,” ac- cording to the Flathead Beacon (the weekly newspaper serving
Kalispell
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