Me gustaron muchas cosa. Tomas del vídeo. El ruido de los hierros, la fuerza de las locomotoras, los paisajes las vistas la cuestión de la climatología, y el trabajo tan bien hecho. Gracias muchas gracias.
This is one of the best rr videos I’ve ever seen. First rate production. I’ve stayed at the Izaak Walton in Essex a couple of times and this really makes me want to go back again. The clouds hanging around Essex and the Divide are awesome and made more so by your stepping farther away from the tracks. Really, really, really nice video.
Thanks so much; great you enjoyed it. Essex is an awesome spot for watching trains and staying overnight in the Inn is the obvious choice in this area if one is a train buff. I sure would like to return, too, someday.
@@mbmars01 I knew that the hotel and cabins, including the F45 “Luxury Lodge,” was put up for sale a year or so ago but I only just found out that it was bought by a hotel chain for $13.5 million. All of the Great Northern and train related decorations and artifacts were stripped from the property and sold by an auction house. The new owners seem to have not had a cohesive plan on what they wanted to do with the place. It’s apparently not the railfan destination it once was. I’m glad I got in a couple of trips when it was in its prime.
@@douglasskaalrud6865 Gosh, this is sad news. I didn't know that it has changed so much. What a unique place it was! I thoroughly enjoyed my stay there.
Very very nice! Wonderful scenery to go along with the great train footage. One of the best. Somewhere about the 23:55 - 26:01 (video time), there should be one of those virtual 24hr. cams. I bet that would be another great video shot to watch, with snow all around in the winter.
Thanks. Ah, I didn't know there's a web cam in this area (I know there's one in Skykomish, WA in the Cascades). Oh yea, it would be great filming in snow. Mobility might be a problem, though.
MBMARS. Thank you for this video. I enjoyed the venues stunning beauty fun to watch. I loved the sound of the big GE’S. I was watching this video hoping for MRL sure enough in the next video. I surprised to se old Santa Fe colors I thought they would be long gone. I deeply appreciate your video’s thanks again
The shot you got with the Ferrromex unit on the curve, is by far the best I've ever seen, I had to show that one to the wife,and shes not even into trains......lol. Thank you for what you do!
Lol, that's great. It's certainly one of my favorite shots of this year, too. Unfortunately, the bad weather prevented more such shots at other great sites along this line in the Rockies.
In about 2004 I rode AMTRAK'S Empire Builder from Portland OR to Essex MT for a ski/snowshoe activity. It was a special trip! Was really interesting to learn about the Issak Walton Lodge and why it was built. A couple years later a friend and I took the train again to Havre MT thru Essex.... 19 hours +/- each way, had a 2 hour layover in Havre, walked around the block and had a terrific buffalo burger and returned home. I love trains, host RR activities for my (Portland) activity group.
It sounds like you are still young :) I actually did play Trainz myself many years ago, but when I started working again on a model railroad layout, I stopped it. Marias Pass is amazing and definitely a highlight of American railroading.
A train with only three consists and all grain cars can be pretty much be predicted to an 'empty grain train' if headed east from Whitefish, Montana. They are returning the empty grain cars from the shipping ports on the west coast to Mid America grain storage facilities to be reloaded. If there are helpers engines on the rear of the empty grain trains it is because the helpers have to be refueled at Whitefish and are returning to Essex for helper duties.
It's more than just grain trains, but there are definitely a lot of these :) The scenery is beautiful, but the weather could really have been better...
Thanks! The line still seems to breathe the GN spirit, but BNSF freight traffic is awesome, too. The only passenger service is the Amtrak Empire Builder, which does not live up to its famous predecessors I guess.
Always enjoyed staying at the Izaak Walton Inn. The only bad thing was that most of the rail action took place at night. The eastbound fleet was launched from Spokane around 5:00 PM.
Well, the time of action certainly depends on the season. One cannot blame BNSF for doing the maintenance work when it can be done: during summer days only. I actually found the line busy during the entire time I spent there (one night and two half days).
This route is in the Trainsim 201x series. Top marks to the dev that did it as it's remarkably close to this with the spots easily recognisable, except in real life you can't run three English Electric Deltics hauling grain or intermodal freight (they're quite capable of this at 3,300HP and continuously variable power - no notches) or have modern steam Duke of Gloucester at 3300hp plus run the Empire Builder at 70 mph plus. Great vid.
mbmars01 The equally as brilliant Trainz had Robe River Iron (Australia) in their earliest CD version you could replace the Alcos with Deltics in their scenarios and haul some of the largest consists on the planet. Nothing like that in the UK though the size of the consists in the US is just mindnumbingly big. Some entrepuneur over there should bring the Gresley A4 Dwight D Eisenhower back to mainline service these beasts could do 79 without breaking into a sweat, in TS you can do the Surfliner as fast as the Amtrak diesels in one of these babies. Yes, i'm a fan of open ended (what if) gaming this is when you get missile lock on a Jap Zero from an F15 or go through a downtown Maryland town in a Hunslet tank engine with a rake of crabs in boxcarts :-) Thanx for replying Brit stuff must look tame to Americans but some of our designs were awesome :-)
I see, I haven't played train simulators in many years. At some point I decided that I want to do real-world modeling and operating again :) I actually do like the British trains and you have great scenery, too!
@@mbmars01 HP-Trainz has the route for purchase for Trainz :) I have it, but here's some modifications that is not present in real life. Like Cut Bank Refinery does not have tracks in real, and Essex has a station, which it in real doesn't either (as you recorded there). But it is a great route none the less :)
Man I’m enjoying these videos. Beautiful country up there and makes me want to go visit someday. Keep up the great work. If you get the chance, come up to North Carolina sometime
Many thanks. These places are worth a visit. I consider returning one day. My travel was a single hurry - "exploration mode" :) Next time I would stay longer in one area. I've been to NC, but didn't do much railfanning (I caught the Great Smoky Mountains RR in Bryson City, though). I know, it's nice up there, but it's more than just a day trip from Georgia, if one really wants to see some action.
mbmars01 Your very welcome. I understand but I loved what you caught while you was up there. Very beautiful country and of course some awesome trains. Granted I haven’t had a chance to explore the state for good rail fanning myself but there’s a city in Rowan county Salisbury I love to go and usually stays very busy when I go. I thought I’d throw it out there if your interested. Keep up the fine work sir and I’m looking forward to more of your upcoming videos
amazing , thanks for uploading marias pass videos, i am a big fan of this location, i play trains on PC games like railworks & MSTS on Marias pas route
Lots of grain headed to port! While you were in Essex did you get the chance to check out the Izaak Walton Inn? They've converted several wide cupola cabooses and an FP45 into cabins for visitors. Pretty neat.
Coming from the west, it was the obvious choice as I wanted to be at Marias Pass in the morning and there aren't many options for accommodation in this area. But the Inn is really nice, particularly the location right at the tracks.
I've been trying to rationalize a trip up that way for some time now. I should have gone last summer after the eclipse since I was already in Boise. What's another day's drive, right? As it was we drove back to California through heavy forest fire smoke in central Oregon. Big mistake choosing that time to visit Crater Lake. And I hardly caught any rail action in and south of Klamath Falls. grr
Well, I know. Not everything works out the way one wants. I visited Mount St. Helens on this trip, but it was all cloud-covered and I barely got a glimpse of the crater. It just happens and one should try it again :) I'm just glad that my visit to Yellowstone Park worked out well, although the weather forecast looked terrible. In this case, I made the right decision to just go there and see and it all of a sudden cleared up...
Love the old silver and red warbonnet locos. I see them every once in a while out here in Washington state. I have several on my layout on the Santa Fe logo scheme. I have yet to add any of them relettered for the BNSF though...
I have been watching your railroad videos for some time but I just subscribed. I enjoyed the videos very much except for the telephoto shots. I know I am only one boat but that’s it. Thanks
Thanks! Well, like so many things, the handling of some details is certainly a matter of taste. I simply like these long shots. That's why I decided to go for camcorders with exceptional zoom capabilities. When editing the raw video material I often discover details that I didn't see while filming. This is really cool and makes this rather tough production work fun.
I was at the Isaak Walton Inn during the 4th of July weekend... of 2016? Hot, choked with forest fires, made Going to the Sun Road in Glacier Nat'l Park a challenge.
@@mbmars01 it was terrible, and occasionally alarming. I've got property on the Sacramento River in Dunsmuir, California, just a stone's throw from Uncle Pete. Fortunately, no fires in that river canyon, but I went down there this summer and oh, the choking smoke in southern Oregon, and entering Cali it was a wasteland.
It's so sad, but it just tells us how sensitive nature is. We must be more careful in dealing with it and take more efforts to protect it. It's worth it.
You think you could film the KCS/NS Meridian Speedway and shots from there to New Orleans? I was told from a NS official that once the new UP classification yard is in full operation there will be more traffic moving in those areas.
Well, I'll never understand why they call them fakebonnets as the warbonnet scheme itself is actually original. When I remember correctly, this was an unfinished order by Santa Fe from before the merger and upon delivery after the merger BNSF was stenciled on them instead of Santa Fe. I guess we just live in a time in which everything that's changed is considered "fake" lol.
IF I remember what I read correctly, the purists consider it a 'Fauxbonnet' if the BNSF is painted as the swoosh logo on a red nose rather than in a 'cigar band' in the Santa Fe font. No doubt others disagree. As far as I'm concerned, if it's not an Alco PA, I don't much care what you call it. I am partial to the name 'Thunder Pumpkin' for the regular livery.
Well, "left/right" directions depend obviously on which side of the tracks you're standing. All my Essex trackside footage was recorded from the same side where the Amtrak station and the Izaak Walton Inn (main building) are located: There, westbounds go from left to right (actually south to north in this section), and eastbounds from right to left (north to south). So, the video descriptions should be correct.
As a matter of interest how much do the ??Coal wagons carry when full. I notice that the trains are usually made up of four diesels and 100 cars, would this be normal. Cheers
The net capacity of modern coal cars is between 100 and 120 tons. The gross weight of coal cars is about 140 tons when loaded. So, including the engines, a loaded coal train with 100 cars weighs about 15,000 tons. Coal trains are beasts...
@@mbmars01 Hi mate the reason I asked, was over here our coal trains are hauled by electric engines, normally one in front and one I the middle. The trains are usually made up of 150 to 200 wagons, I’m not sure of the tonnage carried. The electric trains are powerful as hell, it is really something watching one start to move, no sign of strain just smooth acceleration. I think that because our tracks are more narrow than yours our tonnage may be less, not sure on this point though, I just love big trains. I wish I had a photo of the rail head during a busy time. Five trains waiting to go on the down line, awesome. I really am enjoying the train videos. Cheers
I really enjoy your videos; they're not just endless run-bys like most of train videos. You actually realize that surroundings are important too. I have a question: Do you keep a log of the locomotive numbers that appear in your videos? I would like to be able to find a particular C44-9W, BNSF 1117, which my son, when he was about 8 or 9, got to go aboard at the BNSF yard in Stockton. He was able to blow the whistle and help with the air test.
Many thanks! Unfortunately, I do not log the road numbers of engines that I see. It's very cool your son had the chance to visit the cab of this engine. He will remember it for a long time!
That's a good question. Depending on traffic volume, they run trains on this line and on the more southern line that is operated by Montana Rail Link. BNSF has several options west from here to change operations depending on demand.
Great captures and you took a big chance, and again, stepped out of your comfort zone into Bear, and Cougar (Mt. Lion) country. How did you become settled in, knowing this?
Thanks! There was no encounter with wild life in this part of Montana. This came a couple days later in Yellowstone National Park with a huge buffalo crossing the lonesome road in front of me at dusk and a grizzly bear being curious about my doing while railfanning MRL near Mullan Pass. The latter incident pushed me slightly out of my comfort zone, but he apparently felt more scared than I did. Unfortunately, I was unprepared to take pictures in both cases. Yet, I love those adventures! It's all part of the travel experience.
I think it's 161.250 MHz. This is the eastern part of the Hi Line Subdivision. Don't expect too much radio comm, though. There are usually no signal calls on BNSF. However, there should be good train traffic, so a scanner is not really needed. Have fun in Essex! I love this place.
Beautiful balance of trains and scenery - notice these recent BNSF clips feature less use of horns on approach to crossings than one is used to from your CSX content - is that due to local environmental concerns or company policy?
No, trains must blow the horn at any crossing unless it's a quiet crossing. In the beginning of the video, you may have seen the "No Train Horn" sign on the road crossing. Unfortunate for us railfans, the number of those quiet zones increases throughout the country. We have them in Georgia, too.
If they have the proper components we could MU (Multiple Unit) several diesels locomotives at one time. Even the mid train helpers and the rear end pushers.
For you Amtrak fans, the station is simply a platform. However, the concrete is heated during the winter months and the Inn will give you ride back to the Inn.
They also pick you up if they know you're coming. It's probably one of the craziest Amtrak stops anywhere in the country - a Chicago-West Coast train stopping in the middle of nowhere.
Thanks. The BNSF line runs along the southern end of Glacier National Park in the Rocky Mountains. If you mean the area around the Inn, that's more like a ski resort in winter time and for mountain hiking in summer.
I believe it, but still one would think there's more Canadian power than anything southern on trains thru Wenatchee. Interesting you mention the all-CP lashup. I shouldn't pretend I understand the northwest, but I saw all-CP trains on UP's Ayer Sub near Spokane. Hence I'm tempted to speculate that the train you saw was actually a UP train rerouted to BNSF for some reason (track work, accident, etc.).
mbmars01 yep could have bin Re Routed in the scenic sub I'm wandering why they would have not run it over stampede pass I herd that up has run there trains before.
Twice, at least, I've been to Marias Pass, and both times cheated. I don't think trains run here. No more than Stampede Pass, lol. Should I mention Martin Burwash's "curse of Stampede Pass"? It's real. I lost a bumper on a truck and lost a brand new tire on a Jeep there, and no trains. Oh, I saw trains on Marias, but only whilst driving from one place to another. Do they hide behind the trees?
Lol, I perfectly understand what you mean. You drive on this beautiful highway and see the trains, but there's no way to stop and then you get to places like Marias Pass and nothing shows up. I was a bit luckier, but I wish I could have filmed at some locations that were simply breathtaking. An intermodal sneaking along a rock face is simply an awesome sight...
The tracks are very isolated from the road during the descent from Summit to Java. I recommend wis465's channel as he's got some nice videos of how beautiful the valley can be as you're ascending that hill.
Funny you mention it. I was also somewhat surprised to see this much D9 power on this line, but it seemed to me most of the loaded unit trains had actually primarily AC units.
![[66][4k] Mountain Railroad in Action, Montana Rail Link, MT, 06/19+20/2018 ©mbmars01](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/mGaZRw77Now/mqdefault.jpg)
![Marias Pass [BNSF in Montana's Magnificent Rockies]](/img/n.gif)
Beautiful! Very professionally done. Essex is one of my favorite places on the planet. Thanks for posting !
Many thanks!
Me gustaron muchas cosa. Tomas del vídeo. El ruido de los hierros, la fuerza de las locomotoras, los paisajes las vistas la cuestión de la climatología, y el trabajo tan bien hecho. Gracias muchas gracias.
Muchas gracias! I'm glad you like the videos and video style here on this channel!
This is one of the best rr videos I’ve ever seen. First rate production. I’ve stayed at the Izaak Walton in Essex a couple of times and this really makes me want to go back again. The clouds hanging around Essex and the Divide are awesome and made more so by your stepping farther away from the tracks. Really, really, really nice video.
Thanks so much; great you enjoyed it. Essex is an awesome spot for watching trains and staying overnight in the Inn is the obvious choice in this area if one is a train buff. I sure would like to return, too, someday.
@@mbmars01 I knew that the hotel and cabins, including the F45 “Luxury Lodge,” was put up for sale a year or so ago but I only just found out that it was bought by a hotel chain for $13.5 million. All of the Great Northern and train related decorations and artifacts were stripped from the property and sold by an auction house. The new owners seem to have not had a cohesive plan on what they wanted to do with the place. It’s apparently not the railfan destination it once was. I’m glad I got in a couple of trips when it was in its prime.
@@douglasskaalrud6865 Gosh, this is sad news. I didn't know that it has changed so much. What a unique place it was! I thoroughly enjoyed my stay there.
Very very nice! Wonderful scenery to go along with the great train footage. One of the best. Somewhere about the 23:55 - 26:01 (video time), there should be one of those virtual 24hr. cams. I bet that would be another great video shot to watch, with snow all around in the winter.
Thanks. Ah, I didn't know there's a web cam in this area (I know there's one in Skykomish, WA in the Cascades). Oh yea, it would be great filming in snow. Mobility might be a problem, though.
Yet another amazing premium Train show. You pick great places to film. Thanks mbars
Many thanks for the nice feedback. Glad you like it.
Now we have two excellent, lengthy, recent Marias Pass videos. Thanks.
I'm glad you like it!
MBMARS. Thank you for this video. I enjoyed the venues stunning beauty fun to watch. I loved the sound of the big GE’S. I was watching this video hoping for MRL sure enough in the next video. I surprised to se old Santa Fe colors I thought they would be long gone. I deeply appreciate your video’s thanks again
Thanks for the nice feedback. Good you like the video and yes, MRL will make a prominent appearance in one of the next videos.
The shot you got with the Ferrromex unit on the curve, is by far the best I've ever seen, I had to show that one to the wife,and shes not even into trains......lol. Thank you for what you do!
Lol, that's great. It's certainly one of my favorite shots of this year, too. Unfortunately, the bad weather prevented more such shots at other great sites along this line in the Rockies.
In about 2004 I rode AMTRAK'S Empire Builder from Portland OR to Essex MT for a ski/snowshoe activity. It was a special trip! Was really interesting to learn about the Issak Walton Lodge and why it was built. A couple years later a friend and I took the train again to Havre MT thru Essex.... 19 hours +/- each way, had a 2 hour layover in Havre, walked around the block and had a terrific buffalo burger and returned home. I love trains, host RR activities for my (Portland) activity group.
Very cool! It's so beautiful out there. I hope I can return some day!
Great trains and beautiful scenery!
It's amazing. There are many great spots along the line. Unfortunately, parking is an issue.
Great video lots of trains and amtrak
Nice you enjoyed the video!
This is the route a run most on train sim 2018! Great videos from csxt to bnsf!
Very cool! It's certainly also nice in the electronic version :) Thanks!
mbmars01 its alot of grain action on the route too!
I can imagine!
Great Show , Love this part of the world !
Many thanks. It's very nice out there.
Amazing! Back when I was young I would play trainz and this was the feature route. My dream is to get out here after I get out of high school.
It sounds like you are still young :) I actually did play Trainz myself many years ago, but when I started working again on a model railroad layout, I stopped it. Marias Pass is amazing and definitely a highlight of American railroading.
Amazing shots and scenery, thanks for sharing
Thanks, you're welcome!
A train with only three consists and all grain cars can be pretty much be predicted to an 'empty grain train' if headed east from Whitefish, Montana. They are returning the empty grain cars from the shipping ports on the west coast to Mid America grain storage facilities to be reloaded. If there are helpers engines on the rear of the empty grain trains it is because the helpers have to be refueled at Whitefish and are returning to Essex for helper duties.
Exactly.
Thanks for the outstanding video...
Thanks so much!
This was a very excellent video! Very in in enjoyfull.
Happy you like it!
Well I can cross that trip off my bucket list. You found your calling. 👍👍👍👍
Haha, that's funny. You should visit it by yourself. It's really great out there!
As always....great work !
Cool, thanks!
Great footage in a beautiful area. As usual, top work!
Thank you very much!
Fantastic scenery, nice mix of road names.Looks like the place to be if you like grain trains!
It's more than just grain trains, but there are definitely a lot of these :) The scenery is beautiful, but the weather could really have been better...
Dude...you're all over the place...nice...i love the background with the big pine trees .....trees and trains go good together....so cool...👍
You express precisely what I think and what make me go there. I like the combination of BNSF's orange and the mountains and trees.
Man what a catch! Great Northern was outstanding and had super crack pax trains!
Thanks! The line still seems to breathe the GN spirit, but BNSF freight traffic is awesome, too. The only passenger service is the Amtrak Empire Builder, which does not live up to its famous predecessors I guess.
Local espetacular local and excelent capture of the images! The GE's predominate on the BNSF. Beautiful Takes!
Many thanks! I'm happy you like it :)
Always enjoyed staying at the Izaak Walton Inn. The only bad thing was that most of the rail action took place at night. The eastbound fleet was launched from Spokane around 5:00 PM.
Well, the time of action certainly depends on the season. One cannot blame BNSF for doing the maintenance work when it can be done: during summer days only. I actually found the line busy during the entire time I spent there (one night and two half days).
Great shots. Excellent video. Looking forward to your next installment.
Many thanks! Oh yes, there will be great stuff from South Montana soon.
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Santa Fe still clinging on, just about, 20 years on on 629 at the end there! Shows when she must have last visited shops!
Yep and I was so happy to see it :) I have an HO model of #629, which, of course, looks much prettier.
Great video!
Powerful BNSF locomotives & beautiful scenery!
Greetings from Gdańsk (Danzig), Poland :)
Thank you and greetings back to Gdansk and the Baltic Coast!
Lj 7
This route is in the Trainsim 201x series. Top marks to the dev that did it as it's remarkably close to this with the spots easily recognisable, except in real life you can't run three English Electric Deltics hauling grain or intermodal freight (they're quite capable of this at 3,300HP and continuously variable power - no notches) or have modern steam Duke of Gloucester at 3300hp plus run the Empire Builder at 70 mph plus. Great vid.
Lol, it's a funny idea to use English power on Marias Pass ;-) I think Trainz has also a Marias Pass scenario if I remember correctly.
mbmars01 The equally as brilliant Trainz had Robe River Iron (Australia) in their earliest CD version you could replace the Alcos with Deltics in their scenarios and haul some of the largest consists on the planet. Nothing like that in the UK though the size of the consists in the US is just mindnumbingly big. Some entrepuneur over there should bring the Gresley A4 Dwight D Eisenhower back to mainline service these beasts could do 79 without breaking into a sweat, in TS you can do the Surfliner as fast as the Amtrak diesels in one of these babies. Yes, i'm a fan of open ended (what if) gaming this is when you get missile lock on a Jap Zero from an F15 or go through a downtown Maryland town in a Hunslet tank engine with a rake of crabs in boxcarts :-) Thanx for replying
Brit stuff must look tame to Americans but some of our designs were awesome :-)
I see, I haven't played train simulators in many years. At some point I decided that I want to do real-world modeling and operating again :) I actually do like the British trains and you have great scenery, too!
@@mbmars01 HP-Trainz has the route for purchase for Trainz :) I have it, but here's some modifications that is not present in real life. Like Cut Bank Refinery does not have tracks in real, and Essex has a station, which it in real doesn't either (as you recorded there). But it is a great route none the less :)
Many grain trains! Thumb up!
I can tell you... :) Thanks!
Man I’m enjoying these videos. Beautiful country up there and makes me want to go visit someday. Keep up the great work. If you get the chance, come up to North Carolina sometime
Many thanks. These places are worth a visit. I consider returning one day. My travel was a single hurry - "exploration mode" :) Next time I would stay longer in one area. I've been to NC, but didn't do much railfanning (I caught the Great Smoky Mountains RR in Bryson City, though). I know, it's nice up there, but it's more than just a day trip from Georgia, if one really wants to see some action.
mbmars01 Your very welcome. I understand but I loved what you caught while you was up there. Very beautiful country and of course some awesome trains. Granted I haven’t had a chance to explore the state for good rail fanning myself but there’s a city in Rowan county Salisbury I love to go and usually stays very busy when I go. I thought I’d throw it out there if your interested. Keep up the fine work sir and I’m looking forward to more of your upcoming videos
Definitely! Thanks for the suggestion. I'd love to come back to NC for railfanning one day.
Your very welcome. Anything to try and help another train enthusiast.
Awesome US trains !. Great video 😃
Thank you!
I rode the Empire Builder in 1968. Thanks for the memory! Minneapolis-St. Paul / East Glacier
Awesome, wow this was 50 years ago. Maybe it's a good time to refresh memories by riding it again :)
Excellent video. Looking forward to the next video
Many thanks!
amazing , thanks for uploading marias pass videos, i am a big fan of this location, i play trains on PC games like railworks & MSTS on Marias pas route
Thanks for watching! I know that this route is very popular on train simulators. It was cool to see it in real.
mbmars01 it is indeed
A powerfull video 👍
It's gorgeous up there in the Rockies. I thoroughly enjoyed this trip.
Lots of grain headed to port! While you were in Essex did you get the chance to check out the Izaak Walton Inn? They've converted several wide cupola cabooses and an FP45 into cabins for visitors. Pretty neat.
Yes, I stayed in the Inn for one night. There are several shots of the area near the Inn in this video ;)
Cool. That's why I asked. :)
Coming from the west, it was the obvious choice as I wanted to be at Marias Pass in the morning and there aren't many options for accommodation in this area. But the Inn is really nice, particularly the location right at the tracks.
I've been trying to rationalize a trip up that way for some time now. I should have gone last summer after the eclipse since I was already in Boise. What's another day's drive, right? As it was we drove back to California through heavy forest fire smoke in central Oregon. Big mistake choosing that time to visit Crater Lake. And I hardly caught any rail action in and south of Klamath Falls. grr
Well, I know. Not everything works out the way one wants. I visited Mount St. Helens on this trip, but it was all cloud-covered and I barely got a glimpse of the crater. It just happens and one should try it again :) I'm just glad that my visit to Yellowstone Park worked out well, although the weather forecast looked terrible. In this case, I made the right decision to just go there and see and it all of a sudden cleared up...
Love the old silver and red warbonnet locos. I see them every once in a while out here in Washington state. I have several on my layout on the Santa Fe logo scheme. I have yet to add any of them relettered for the BNSF though...
I also got a bit into Santa Fe. Love the scheme, too.
This was so great!!
Oh many thanks!
Spent a few days at the Inn last fall. A great place to be a rail fan.
I can confirm it. Unfortunately, I could only stay for one night and the weather was really bad.
Great Video!
Thank you!
I have been watching your railroad videos for some time but I just subscribed. I enjoyed the videos very much except for the telephoto shots. I know I am only one boat but that’s it. Thanks
Thanks! Well, like so many things, the handling of some details is certainly a matter of taste. I simply like these long shots. That's why I decided to go for camcorders with exceptional zoom capabilities. When editing the raw video material I often discover details that I didn't see while filming. This is really cool and makes this rather tough production work fun.
Great video, nice catches.
Cool, thank you!
Thanks for watching the trains in the northern USA
Living in the southeast, this is not a small excursion to the northwest, but it was great fun. I wish I can return some day.
I really want this route on train simulator and this is the best video
It looks like it exists for Train Simulator. Cool, glad you like the real-world video also!
THANK YOU FOR DETAIL VIDEO ON TRAIN OF DAY RUNNING
Thank you!
Awesome video! Keep up the good work!
Thanks so much!
mbmars01 your welcome!
Sorry, now that I look at it, their track is really nice, I was looking at the rails when he zoomed in.
Great videos. Close to my stomping grounds, The Funnel.
Thanks. I know, that's why I came to visit :) Love all the action there.
I was at the Isaak Walton Inn during the 4th of July weekend... of 2016? Hot, choked with forest fires, made Going to the Sun Road in Glacier Nat'l Park a challenge.
Sorry you had these fire issues. When I was there, everything was still calm and it was rather cold and wet.
@@mbmars01 it was terrible, and occasionally alarming. I've got property on the Sacramento River in Dunsmuir, California, just a stone's throw from Uncle Pete. Fortunately, no fires in that river canyon, but I went down there this summer and oh, the choking smoke in southern Oregon, and entering Cali it was a wasteland.
It's so sad, but it just tells us how sensitive nature is. We must be more careful in dealing with it and take more efforts to protect it. It's worth it.
You think you could film the KCS/NS Meridian Speedway and shots from there to New Orleans? I was told from a NS official that once the new UP classification yard is in full operation there will be more traffic moving in those areas.
Yea, I know, this is a great area. I'm really tempted to make an excursion in that direction at some time soon.
Great job!!!!!! Amazing train videos on TH-cam 🚂 👍👍
Many thanks! Great you like them.
Absolutely a favorite!!!!!😀
Very cool :)
great video at 23:52 weres that station at? it looks like a good spot to rail fann
It think you mean the tiny Amtrak station in Essex, MT. Absolutely, it's a very nice spot.
Nice catch of the Warbonnet at the end there. That might be one of the last warbonnets on the BNSF.
I think there were three warbonnets in this video (two admittedly with BNSF markings).
The last one is a true warbonnet. The other ones are fakebonnets.
Well, I'll never understand why they call them fakebonnets as the warbonnet scheme itself is actually original. When I remember correctly, this was an unfinished order by Santa Fe from before the merger and upon delivery after the merger BNSF was stenciled on them instead of Santa Fe. I guess we just live in a time in which everything that's changed is considered "fake" lol.
IF I remember what I read correctly, the purists consider it a 'Fauxbonnet' if the BNSF is painted as the swoosh logo on a red nose rather than in a 'cigar band' in the Santa Fe font. No doubt others disagree. As far as I'm concerned, if it's not an Alco PA, I don't much care what you call it. I am partial to the name 'Thunder Pumpkin' for the regular livery.
the description of the trains at Essex are incorrect. those going from right to left are westbound and left to right are eastbound
Well, "left/right" directions depend obviously on which side of the tracks you're standing. All my Essex trackside footage was recorded from the same side where the Amtrak station and the Izaak Walton Inn (main building) are located: There, westbounds go from left to right (actually south to north in this section), and eastbounds from right to left (north to south). So, the video descriptions should be correct.
great video of marias pass I have this route on my Train Simulator game.
Thanks! Yeah, I can imagine it looks nice in this game, too.
@@mbmars01 The original Train Simulator lacks a number of the trestles along the route, instead depicting them as ordinary bridges.
Awesome video! keep it up!
Many thanks!
Wow ! @ 17:28 three different BNSF paint schemes in one take !
Good catch !
BTW anyone seen a war bonnet lately ?
Thanks! The DPU at the rear end of the last train in this video is a true Santa Fe Warbonnet.
Sadly the Green/White SD70's was not on te train though :(
Got to stay at the hotel at East Glacier Park. Let's just say it was during the days of Cascade Green BN SD40-2's and .... an F45!!
Oh well... the good ol' times I guess :)
As a matter of interest how much do the ??Coal wagons carry when full. I notice that the trains are usually made up of four diesels and 100 cars, would this be normal. Cheers
The net capacity of modern coal cars is between 100 and 120 tons. The gross weight of coal cars is about 140 tons when loaded. So, including the engines, a loaded coal train with 100 cars weighs about 15,000 tons. Coal trains are beasts...
@@mbmars01 Hi mate the reason I asked, was over here our coal trains are hauled by electric engines, normally one in front and one I the middle. The trains are usually made up of 150 to 200 wagons, I’m not sure of the tonnage carried. The electric trains are powerful as hell, it is really something watching one start to move, no sign of strain just smooth acceleration. I think that because our tracks are more narrow than yours our tonnage may be less, not sure on this point though, I just love big trains. I wish I had a photo of the rail head during a busy time. Five trains waiting to go on the down line, awesome. I really am enjoying the train videos. Cheers
I really enjoy your videos; they're not just endless run-bys like most of train videos. You actually realize that surroundings are important too. I have a question: Do you keep a log of the locomotive numbers that appear in your videos? I would like to be able to find a particular C44-9W, BNSF 1117, which my son, when he was about 8 or 9, got to go aboard at the BNSF yard in Stockton. He was able to blow the whistle and help with the air test.
Many thanks! Unfortunately, I do not log the road numbers of engines that I see. It's very cool your son had the chance to visit the cab of this engine. He will remember it for a long time!
Great video nice catches
Thanks!
The Amtrak I took from Chicago stopped in east Glacier Park and I got off there
Cool!
The fake tree / antenna tower at 3:15 is hilarious.
Lol
Nice vid! A lot of grain train. Which way is
preferred the loaded, and the empty?
That's a good question. Depending on traffic volume, they run trains on this line and on the more southern line that is operated by Montana Rail Link. BNSF has several options west from here to change operations depending on demand.
Thanks!
Great captures and you took a big chance, and again, stepped out of your comfort zone into Bear, and Cougar (Mt. Lion) country. How did you become settled in, knowing this?
Thanks! There was no encounter with wild life in this part of Montana. This came a couple days later in Yellowstone National Park with a huge buffalo crossing the lonesome road in front of me at dusk and a grizzly bear being curious about my doing while railfanning MRL near Mullan Pass. The latter incident pushed me slightly out of my comfort zone, but he apparently felt more scared than I did. Unfortunately, I was unprepared to take pictures in both cases. Yet, I love those adventures! It's all part of the travel experience.
Do you know the railroad radio frequency for here
I think it's 161.250 MHz. This is the eastern part of the Hi Line Subdivision. Don't expect too much radio comm, though. There are usually no signal calls on BNSF. However, there should be good train traffic, so a scanner is not really needed. Have fun in Essex! I love this place.
@@mbmars01 ok thanks it is a trip for the future me and my parents are going there when I graduate high school
Beautiful balance of trains and scenery - notice these recent BNSF clips feature less use of horns on approach to crossings than one is used to from your CSX content - is that due to local environmental concerns or company policy?
No, trains must blow the horn at any crossing unless it's a quiet crossing. In the beginning of the video, you may have seen the "No Train Horn" sign on the road crossing. Unfortunate for us railfans, the number of those quiet zones increases throughout the country. We have them in Georgia, too.
mbmars01 ah thank you, I missed that - good excuse to watch again ;-)
I like train videos on TH-cam 👍
*Marias pass est ma ligne de chemin de fer préférée.*
nice catches
Thanks!
Can you operate 4 engines from the cab of one train?
If they have the proper components we could MU (Multiple Unit) several diesels locomotives at one time. Even the mid train helpers and the rear end pushers.
Do bnsf own citrail or do they just need to lease loads of power from them?
They just lease Citirail power.
For you Amtrak fans, the station is simply a platform. However, the concrete is heated during the winter months and the Inn will give you ride back to the Inn.
They also pick you up if they know you're coming. It's probably one of the craziest Amtrak stops anywhere in the country - a Chicago-West Coast train stopping in the middle of nowhere.
What does dpu stand for
Distributed power unit.
Another great video. Was that a park that you were at? looking forward to the next video.
Thanks. The BNSF line runs along the southern end of Glacier National Park in the Rocky Mountains. If you mean the area around the Inn, that's more like a ski resort in winter time and for mountain hiking in summer.
Ok Thanks Mbmars01
is this a no horn zone?
The crossing in Whitefish was a quiet zone.
There aren't many grade crossings along this stretch.
Great vid like to.see more please am a fan of trains
Thanks!
Very cool
Thanks!
Beautiful shot at 23:30
Thanks!
Excellent view at 23:20-23:40
Thank you!
That’s on Train Simulator 😁😁
I guess you’re right lol
Yep! Marias Pass Whitefish to Shelby Montana
Awesome
Thanks!
Nice video!
Thank ya!
17:44 H1 2 and 3 schemes in one :D
Nice!! Looks like they need to fix the track it gets a little wobbly
Yep, it surprised me to see this on BNSF.
It seemed to me that the only wobble was as the concist passed over the turnouts
Look closely
Awsome video for a route i know to well from msts(microsoft train sim).
Thanks!
Middle unit incredible on first grain
My favorite was the Ferromex, though. This was the color I least expected to see this far north.
mbmars01 I live in wenatchee wa and the ferromex come here quite a bit along with kcs I seen some wild consists up here in central Washington.
One that I saw a 2 years ago had 3 cp rails up front and 2 more on the rear Never seen a train with full cp power go thru wenatchee.
I believe it, but still one would think there's more Canadian power than anything southern on trains thru Wenatchee. Interesting you mention the all-CP lashup. I shouldn't pretend I understand the northwest, but I saw all-CP trains on UP's Ayer Sub near Spokane. Hence I'm tempted to speculate that the train you saw was actually a UP train rerouted to BNSF for some reason (track work, accident, etc.).
mbmars01 yep could have bin Re Routed in the scenic sub I'm wandering why they would have not run it over stampede pass I herd that up has run there trains before.
Wow
Does anyone ever ride in the rear engine pusher ..
Soy persona amante de los trenes
Have u railfan Montana rail link
Sure thing.
Seems to me that where ever you go, you always happen to see a Ferromex. Ha
Lol, I missed one in Arizona last year, though. I'd rather expected to see one there and not this far to the north!
Superb catches. BNSF=boring power except in the mid west.
Thanks.
Twice, at least, I've been to Marias Pass, and both times cheated. I don't think trains run here. No more than Stampede Pass, lol. Should I mention Martin Burwash's "curse of Stampede Pass"? It's real. I lost a bumper on a truck and lost a brand new tire on a Jeep there, and no trains. Oh, I saw trains on Marias, but only whilst driving from one place to another. Do they hide behind the trees?
Lol, I perfectly understand what you mean. You drive on this beautiful highway and see the trains, but there's no way to stop and then you get to places like Marias Pass and nothing shows up. I was a bit luckier, but I wish I could have filmed at some locations that were simply breathtaking. An intermodal sneaking along a rock face is simply an awesome sight...
The tracks are very isolated from the road during the descent from Summit to Java. I recommend wis465's channel as he's got some nice videos of how beautiful the valley can be as you're ascending that hill.
It's a beautiful ride up the hill:
th-cam.com/video/uPHSxl7VaAg/w-d-xo.html
Time For A Riddle, My Body Is All Blue, My Name Starts With A C And Ends With Rail, What Am I, YOU SHOULD KNOW THIS MB
Too easy :) Just two letters missing.
Hello 2 citirail
Just think of what they could accomplish if all those C44-9s where AC4400 yess, lol
Funny you mention it. I was also somewhat surprised to see this much D9 power on this line, but it seemed to me most of the loaded unit trains had actually primarily AC units.
Dang lot of grain!