Montana Rail Link’s MMISLAU freight drops downgrade at Austin, Montana, on the afternoon of July 5, 2021. The train is led by MRL’s specially painted (wrapped, actually) “Thank you to all essential worker” EMD SD70ACe No. 4404. In the background, a westbound BNSF grain train works up the 2.2 percent grade into Austin with a quartet of manned MRL EMD SD70ACe helpers cut into the train. They will meet on this section of double track running from East Austin to Weed that replaced a shorter Austin siding several year ago.
