Day 3

We started the day with a trip to the Fort Missoula historic museum. There had been a blurb about Fort Missoula in Trains magazine and we wanted to see why. The fort has inside displays of its history, of the Lewis and Clark expedition and a gunfighter display. The outside has old buildings that served various purposes and an old forestry display. It was the old foresty display that had this old Shay engine:

Mike climbed to the top of this fire tower to learn that it is swarming with yellow jackets.

This is one of the older buildings left from the fort. It is the 1910 officers quarters.

Mike dropped Nancy off at the hotel and headed east on I-90 to shoot trains. This LM (Laurel to Missoula) MRL train was shot just outside of Missola. Engines are MRL 342,382,343

The BNSF Pasco to Tulsa train was just leaving the MRL Missoula yard.

I have read articles and posting about the MRL "Gas Local". Late in the afternoon, here are a couple shots of the train climbing the hill west of Missoula. Power is MRL 703, 702 and 8925.

The MRL business train was in town getting ready for a run to Sand Point Idaho the next morning. I shot this by holding the camera over the fence. Not too bad.

Finally, this building is one of several remnants left of the Milwaukee Road. The Milwaulkee Road was a mostly electric railway and this is an electric power station about halfway between Missoula and Drummond, MT

Our funny of the day is Nancy's new friend the eagle.