ABOVE: On June 22, 2012, the MMT local returns north after switching industries in Evergreen and Kalispell. The long days of summer are the best to photograph this tiny wood trestle over South Hilltop Road, just south of Columbia Falls. LEFT: In 2011, the MMT crew spends an afternoon switching the Plum Creek lumber mill in Columbia Falls, the largest customer on the railroad.
Up north, on the line from Eureka to Stryker, chasing the train is much harder, with few access points along the primary chase road, U.S. Highway 93. Operations are much less frequent too, but the local will usually run on Tuesday or Thursday with a crew from Columbia Falls and the train originat- ing at either end of the line.
DeLorme’s Montana Atlas & Gazetteer is one of the best.
Just like any short line, operations can be sporadic and just because you are trackside doesn’t mean you’ll see a train. One of the best bets to see the Mission
Mountain Railroad going
about its normal day is at Columbia Falls and the Plum Creek facility. Much of the train’s day is spent switch- ing the mill and a handful of city streets can provide a legal way to watch the action. It’s important to remember
though that the mill itself is private property and it is patrolled by security. But the big catch on the railroad is shooting
its run to Evergreen or
Kalispell. On most days, usually Mon- day through Friday, the train makes its way down the line, leaving Columbia Falls sometime around late morning or early afternoon. On occasion, if traffic warrants, it will get all the way to Kalispell. To listen in to the action, tune your radio scanner to 160.785 (AAR Channel 45).
The challenges photographing the railroad are not that different from the ones it has overcome in the last few years. But traffic is growing and it ap- pears that the darkest days may be in the past for this oft-forgotten Montana short line. The Mission Mountain Rail- road is well worth a visit when passing through the area.
Justin Franz is a writer and photogra- pher based in Whitefish, Montana. He currently works for the Flathead Bea- con. Special thanks to the employees of the Mission Mountain Railroad and the archives of the Flathead Beacon.
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