Montana's first railroad began with the entry of the narrow-gauge Utah & Northern in 1880. Union Pacific now uses this route from Idaho to Silver Bow, outside of Butte. Amtrak's Chicago-Seattle/Portland Ore., "Empire Builder" makes 11 stops along BNSF's Hi Line. The busiest stop is near Glacier Park at Whitefish. BNSF has locomotive shops in Harve and Glendive. The Montana Rail Line has a shop in Livingston. Montana has 3280 route-miles and the oldest running steam locomotive in the state is run by the Alder Gulch Shot Line. MRL has two major grades: Bozeman Pass west of Livingston and Mullan Pass wast of Helena. Both locations require manned helpers locomotives, making for a show that you will not soon forget. For dinner and an Old West train robbery, the Charlie Russell Chew Choo Dinner Train offers both.
Beginning in 2006, the Copper King Express scenic excursion train ride brought passenger service back to the Butte, Anaconda & Pacific line for the first time in over 50 years. This excursion train ride offers a 3 hour -52-mile round trip through the scenic Durant Canyon from June through September, where you will mostly see abandoned homesteads and pioneer cemeteries. Vintage 1951 coaches have been refurbushed to include video monitors to help provide narritives as well as videos images of historial interest.Directions.
The Izaak Walton Inn is decorated throughout with railroad memorabilia. View old photos, art and lots of Great Northern Railway posters, schedules and calendars from the past. Adjacent to Glacier National Park and with 2 daily Amtrak Empire Builder stops, the inn also offers abundant year-round photo opportunities and most viewpoints are easy to access as the rail line follows the Flathead River and US Highway 2. There are many pull-offs along the route to stop your car and get fantastic pictures. There are two tunnels, great curves, the summit of Marias Pass and seven avalanche snowsheds to view.
The Charlie Russell Chew Choo Dinner Train is a 56 mile round trip train ride that runs about 3 hours over old Milwaukee Road right of way from Kingston Junction to Denton. Enjoy catered prime rib as your dinner train ride travels across 33-span bridges and passes through a 2000 -foot tunnel. Scenic train ride features abundant wildlife along the route. Ride also includes an old fashion train robbery. Directions.
Historical museum housed in Fort Missoula depicting the area's history, including the Drummond depot, constructed in 1910 for the Chicago, Milwaukee, St Paul & Pacific RR.
The Alder Gulch Short Line is one of only 3 operating 30-in gauge tourist railroads in the US. Steam engine #12, a 1910 Baldwin Works 2-8-0 runs on weekends. Gas powered trains run weekdays during the summer. The three mile round trip train rides run between two former gold mining towns, Virginia City and Nevada City. Tickets include access to the walking tour of more than 100 historic buildings in one of the Old West's best preserved mining towns in Nevada City. Directions.
