A Mission Mountain Railroad: local works its way north on the afternoon of June 22, 2012. After living in the Flathead Valley for more than a year, I've chased the Mission Mountain a good n... (more)

A Mission Mountain Railroad local storms through Evergreen, Montana on the afternoon of May 15, 2012. Traffic appears to have been growing on this former Great Northern branchline between C... (more)

A Mission Mountain Railroad local switches Kalispell, Montana's industrial district on the afternoon of March 6, 2012. Images such as this could become a thing of the past if the city remov... (more)

A Mission Mountain Railroad local makes its way through downtown Kalispell, Mont. on Tuesday, March 6, 2012. The city of Kalispell is looking for ways to move the railroad and its line side... (more)

Clocking Out: It's almost quitting time for the crew of the Mission Mountain local as it rolls through La Salle, Mont., just south of Columbia Falls, on the afternoon of Nov. 1, 2011. Thank... (more)

The sun isn't yet over the mountains, but the Mission Mountain Railway is already hard at work as their SW1500 brings a few cars along the jointed rail between Columbia Falls and Kalispell.

Mission Mountain SW1500 1501 switches the Plum Creek lumber mill in Columbia Falls, Montana on the afternoon of June 22, 2011.

The Mission Mountain local heads north at Columbia Falls, Montana late on a Friday afternoon in June, 2011.

The Mission Mountain with it's one man crew pulls out of the Plum Creek plywood mill after spotting a boxcar.

The Mission Mountain on it's way back from Kalispell to Columbia Falls crossing over a small trestle with one car in tow.