Spring Time In Montana

Photo By Justin Franz

Finally after what seems like forever, winter has released its icy grip on western Montana. The weather is wonderful and the greens of Spring aren't far behind. While this is the first post since Febuary, I haven't stopped railfanning. Seven days in late March were spent criss-crossing Montana Rail Link in western Montana over my Spring Break and the results of that effort can be seen on Railpictures.net (Check the link at the bottom of the right column). And not to worry, it wasn't all burned into pixels, plenty of Kodachrome 64 was burned during the week.

Hellgate Canyon, April 2008

With school finishing up, finding time to railfan is tough but with the awsome weather it tough not to. That was the case on Saturday, April 12 after waking up around noon and heading out to Hellgate Canyon, on the eastside of the University of Montana campus this westbound BNSF coal train was lensed coming into town. The path at the bottom of the image is the former Milwaukee Road right of way. The grass ain't green and the mountains are still snow capped, but spring is coming to western Montana.

Mullan Pass and Patience

Story and Photography By Justin Franz

In October 2005 when I made my first trip to Montana, railroading here was in a storm of change between past, present and future. While the main purpose of the trip was to visit family and look at the University of Montana, an underlying goal was to shoot Montana Rail Link’s SD45s on Mullan Pass. Unfortunately the invaders had already arrived in the form of SD70ACe’s and on our one day there, they were the motive power of choice for helpers. I soon accepted the fact that classic images of 45s in helper service would be a subject absent from my slide collection.

Fast forward to President’s Day Weekend, 2008. With friend and fellow UM freshman Cameron Chapman offering a seat to Helena with him and his father Ed to shoot MRL, I really couldn’t refuse. So with a few rolls of film and an empty memory card I headed east on Friday, February 15, under mostly cloudy skies. While the weather wasn’t great, trains were moving and hopes of a successful weekend were high. But upon arriving at Elliston, where helpers on westbound trains usually cut off, just after sunset, everything changed. Sitting on the mainline, having just pushed a westbound freight, was three SD45-2s and an SD40. All the sudden six rolls of film didn’t look like enough.

Below are a few digital images of my weekend on Mullan Pass, one spent waiting and hoping for the combination of sun and SD45s. When you’ve waited three years, what’s another three days?

While there were SD45s, the SD70ACes remained the perfered helpers over the weekend. Here set of Ace's roll down hill at East Austin, Montana.

Close, but no cigar: On Saturday afternoon the 45s finally took to the hill, but under mostly cloudy skies. Those "Classic Images" would have to come another day.

On Sunday morning it looked as if it would finally happen, so we thought. Standing at Tobin we found blue skies to the west on Mullan Pass, and SD45s leading a train to the east! Between them however was this soal crushing scene, a derailed tank car.

By early afternoon the tank car was rerailed and dispatchers in Missoula opened the line up to let eastbounds that had been sitting on the hill to enter Helena. A eastbound BNSF grain train is just east of town, at Tobin.

Strike Two: With the line cleared MRL sent that long awaited westbound to the hill; with an SD70ACe on the point. It was sunny, but it wasn't what we were hoping for.

A westbound grain train storms by the station sign at Blossburg. The next day dawned clear, but again the first two trains of the day on the hill would find the SD70ACe's on the job. It appeared that I would again fail in my quest for 45s on Mullan Pass, until......

Victory: After three years, and three days, I finally shot a set of MRL SD45s in helper service, under screaming blue skies on President's Day. An hour or so before sunset the four classic EMDs grind their way up hill in this digi grab shot, just before droping the Canon XTi to burn the classic image on Kodachrome.

Special Thanks to Ed and Cameron Chapman, Eric Vernado and Montana Rail Link.

Unsettled Weather

Photos By Justin Franz

As a student in the journalism program here at the University of Montana, I find I get some nice perks. One of those is being able to scan slides. Here are two of the first batch I scanned. I’m still trying to figure the thing out and these were touched up in photo shop to meet the quality of the original slide, but none the less hopefully you enjoy.

With Glacier National Park in the background, an eastbound BNSF train heads across the plains near Grizzly, Montana in October, 2007.

While the day started out sunny, it didn't end that way for the crew of Montana Rail Link's Polson Local, seen here in blizzard conditions near Evero, Montana in October, 2007.

Back Under Big Sky

Photo By Justin Franz

After five awesome weeks back east, that included many a memorable day trackside, I’ve finally returned to my temporary home here in Montana. Unfortunately, with school work, a life to lead and other photography duties in photojournalism classes, time spent trackside hasn’t been as plentiful. Not to mention the less then perfect weather that has planted itself right over western Montana for the past few weeks. But that’s ok, there will be plenty of time to shoot later on in the semester, especially when the grunge of winter is replaced with the greens of spring. For now, I shoot what I can. Saturday evening was one of those times as my roommate, Dylan Peck (check out his photo-blog at http://chouinardphoto.blogspot.com/), and I went out for a impromptu night photo session around Missoula. One of the targets was the former Northern Pacific depot in downtown, now owned by Montana Rail Link parent company, Washington Corp. With its classic design and NP ‘Monad’ adorning the sides it’s a reminder of Missoula and western Montana’s rich railroading past, present and future. One I hope to capture on film, and pixels, in the next three and a half years.

Railfanning in La Belle Province 2000 - 2002

Photography by Justin Franz

La Belle Province, the nickname of Quebec, was and is one hell of a place to railfan. With killer scenery, a unique culture and some of the most diverse rail action anywhere (What other place has commuter and intercity passenger trains, heavy haul ore roads, mainlines, shortlines, electrics, EMDs, Alcos, GEs..... you get the idea) Quebec is a great place to spend sometime. And back in the early part of this decade, specifically from 2000 to 2002, you couldn't afford not too with an exchange rate that favored the American dollar. Not to mention attractions like the Cartier Railway, then an all-Alco operation, and the Chaleur Bay Railway with their copper train running along the coast of the Gaspe Peninsula.

Six years later, although it's allot more expensive with a lousy exchange rate, a trip north of the border is still well worth it. So grab a map of Quebec and plan your own trip north as you look a few images from 'La Belle Province.'

Dawn at New Richmond: With a pair of New Brunswick East Coast RS18s, of CP Rail heritage,a Chaleur Bay Railway crew switch the paper mill at New Richmond, Quebec in September, 2000. The mill closed in 2005, one of the last regular shippers on the line.

Rocky coast, rocky future: The as-needed Gaspe copper train crosses the bridge at St. Therese-de-Gaspe along the coast of Quebec. Today the only train to polish these rails is VIA Rail's Chaleur.

Stainless Steel Sunset: Today the only train on the Gaspe line is VIA Rails Chaleur which has changed little since this September, 2000 view. With VIAs Ocean now made up with new European equipment, VIAs 16 and 17 are the last traditional passenger trains in the east.

Fall In Quebec: If there is anytime to go to Quebec, its October, when the Fall foliage is at its best. One of the best places to get foliage and rail action is Canadian National's Pellitier Sub. An eastbound stack train crosses the Boucanee Trestle near Estcourt, Quebec.

The Big Show: If there was one place to be in the early 2000s it would have been the Cartier. An ore road on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River the Cartier was an all Alco road until 2002. Here we see the southbound Log Train at Milepost 49, in the remote north woods of Quebec. June 2002.

Days Away: After two great trips in June and October 2001, I didn't think I'd make it back to the Cartier before the new GE AC4400s arrived the following year. I was wrong. With the new units just days away from arriving on the road, we made one more trek north. This image of a northbound ore train, seen at milepost 31, would be one of my last of the Cartier as an all Alco railroad. June 2002.

As time goes on I hope to scan more images from my trips to Gaspe and Cartier, in other words, To Be Countinued.......

Updates

With friends and family to spend time with, and exotic SD's on Guilford to track down, I forgot about this blog for a week or so (which ain't bad, give me a few months and this thing will really collect dust).
Tonight I updated a few things and added another photo story. The biggest change is the image behind the title of the blog (Which for the record is a Montreal, Maine and Atlantic plow extra in Quebec a few winters ago). I also added some links to some great photography blogs and sites that are well worth a look. Just below that list is another group of links to some helpful railfanning sites such as the National Weather Service and some Yahoo groups that are always great for digging up information before your next trip. So check em out.

'Human Interest'

Photo By Justin Franz

For the most part, my railroad photography is based around scenic action shots and there isn't a damn thing wrong with that. Who doesn't enjoy a nice clean set of power, coming around a nice big sweeping curve, passing a barn, with screaming fall foliage and blue skies to match. I think that's the shot most of us want when we head out in the morning. But as sweet as those shots can be (and they do rock) that doesn't tell the whole story of railroading. While locomotives, rolling stock and tracks is what bring us out, without people to run and maintain them we would have nothing to shoot. So to mix it up and tell the 'whole' story of railroading I try and grab 'Human Interest' shots whenever they pop up.

Here is one of my first attempts at such a shot, taken in July 2004. On our way to northern New Jersey to visit family and do some railfanning, my father and I stopped in Danbury, Connecticut on a hot summer afternoon with hopes of shooting Metro-North's fading fleet of FL9s. Unfortunately upon our arrival we found a MNRR 'P-boat' on the point (It was the first in many failed attempts to get the FL9s on their home turf for me. In the end I still haven't, but that's a story or rant for another day). Making the best of it, we walked on to the platform to shoot the train as it left and just prior to the departure talked with the engineer/conductor in the control cab. As he yelled to a late commuter to "get going," I put the camera to my eye and pressed the shutter. It was the first of many 'Human Interest' shots.