After my last class for the day I quickly hit the road and headed for Montana on September 3, 2004.  On the way over I saw the empty coal train E-SPBBKM0-94 stopped in Empire siding (BNSF 9946, BN 9514(patched), 9513).  I had made previous arrangements to meet up with a friend for a weekend of railfanning.  I arrived at the motel in St. Regis, MT  we were going to stay at and relaxed for a bit before he showed up.  By that time it was almost 8pm so we decided to head up to Paradise and beyond to get some night shots.  At Paradise the local power was sitting in the yard waiting to be picked up by the night gas to be taken back to Missoula (MRL 115, 112).  Next we found the gas local near Thompson Falls, MT switching the plant there (MRL 342, 368, 702).  We parked along the road and got several night shots while he was working.

     Next we drove back to Paradise to wait around for a little while before he came into town.  The gas came into town and into the yard to put his train together.   Meanwhile the empty coal train I had seen earlier came through and took the 10th sub.  Next the M-LAUPAS1-02A came off up the 4th sub and through at 12:15am on Saturday morning.  After that we headed back to the motel to catch some shut eye time before that day's railfanning.  The next morning we got up and grabbed some breakfast before heading up towards Paradise.  The first train was the westbound day gas with MRL 342, 368 and 702 which we shot at Plains, MT.  We met up with Drew and Dale from the Seattle area and then headed back towards Paradise to set up for a P-TACKCM that was going to meet the local at Plains.  After a little bit of a wait it arrived with BNSF 4403 and ATSF 881(patched).  The westbound Montana Rocky Railtours train was stopped in Paradise waiting for it so we shot that train there too (MRL 651, 652).

     Next we chased the P-TACKCM to a couple of the semaphores around MP 192.  Then it was on down to Superior to grab another shot.  We heard that he was meeting a westbound somewhere and so headed down to Westfall siding but it was empty.  After getting our shot we headed on down and found the westbound in the siding at Rivulet.  After a little bit of exploring we turned around and chased the westbound which was the H-KCKPAS up to Superior, MT (BNSF 4814, 4862).  In the siding we were very surprised to see the eastbound day gas had taken the river line today instead of Evro hill. On up into the semaphores we met up with Drew and Dale again to get our shots and then chased it on west.  After getting a shot at St. Regis we raced to Dolan where a double set of semaphores stands.  Just beating it there we jumped out of the car and grabbed the shot before heading back to the road to give chase.  We continued to follow it all the way to Trout Creek exploring the route as we went.

     Heading back to Thompson Falls we again met up with Dale and Drew at Subway.  They decided that since it was already almost 5pm that they would be heading up to the BNSF Hi-Line around Libby for the night and Sunday.  Just after they left a train whistled in the distance and pretty soon the M-SPOLAU rolled around the corner (BNSF 5453, 4895).  After getting a shot there we headed to the semaphores at 210.3.  Next it was on down to the various semaphores around MP 193.  He met an H-BARPAS in Superior so we headed back to the semaphore at MP 190.0 (BNSF 5431).  We chased this guy with his 84 cars back west to MP 208.6.  After that we took a couple close-ups of the semaphore before heading back to St. Regis.  There we looked around a little and got some pictures of the crane that was sitting on one of the little yard tracks.  At 8:45pm the V-KCMPTL with several Boeing cars up front rumbled through (BN 7888, 8035(both patched)).  We followed this guy up to Paradise were we waited for the night gas to come through.  After that we headed back to St. Regis where we found that a westbound was lined through.  So after a long wait the M-LAUPAS rumbled passed at 11:50pm (BN 9203, NREX 6811).

     Then next morning we got up around 7:30am and headed out.   After stopping for breakfast we headed into Paradise to see what was up and running.  After a while the day gas came into town and on to Plains where it took the siding.  We raced down to the west switch to wait for the eastbound.  The P-TACKCM soon showed up at 10:00am and we grabbed some shots (FURX 8096, CSX 7331 (in CR paint).  After getting a couple shots of the meet we drove east and caught up to the P-TACKCM on the other side of Paradise.  We stopped to get a shot of it crossing one of the many bridges over the Clark Fork River before heading down to the semaphores at MP 193.5.  A westbound C-BKMSPB got a track warrant from Superior to Toole so we were happy to have a meet.  But then a few minutes later the Dispatcher called them back up and gave them a new one all the way to Paradise after voiding the first one.

     We set up for him at the semaphores at MP 190.0 and pretty soon his nose rounded the curve (BN 9539, 9285(patched) BNSF 8251).  Next we chased it to Toole to get a good shot.  But unfortunately the sun and clouds didn't quite cooperate with us and we lost the sun.  Next it was a quick dash to the Donlan semaphores before chasing it on into the Paradise.  In Paradise we found the train that it was supposed to meet which was a M-PASLAU (BNSF 4320, EMD 9055, BN 9219(patched)).   We knew that the westbound Montana Rocky Railtours train was supposed to be around pretty soon so we headed into Plains to wait for it.  Then at 1:45 the eastbound day gas arrived and blasted through.  Chasing it to Paradise we got some photos of it before it slowly negotiated the switch to head out on to Evro hill.  Power for the train was the usual MRL 342, 368 and 702.

     On the scanner we heard the eastbound passenger train get his track warrant so we quickly headed to the MP 210.3 semaphores to set up for a shot as it crossed the Clark Fork River.  He soon arrived with MRL 651 and 652 pulling 9 passenger cars  After that we jumped in the car to chase it.  The train was really moving fast and so we barely beat it to where the road to Tri-Con crosses over the tracks.  After that we headed on east towards Missoula, MT.  We knew that he was supposed to meet a H-KCKPAS somewhere but weren't sure where.  We had found a gigantic trestle near Rivulet siding earlier and so headed there.  We beat the train with plenty of time to explore for a good shot possibility.  Fortunately it was cloudy so we weren't shooting right into the sun.  It finally arrived and we snapped away as it slowly crossed the bridge.  Then after it passed we got several going-away shots of it as the people on the back waved.

     Next we headed to St. Regis and then walked into the semaphores at the east switch.  These were the only ones that I didn't have a good photo of yet and so I really wanted a shot.  Unfortunately the train didn't come for a long time and by the time it did come around 5:45pm the sun was long gone from the picture.  It was the H-KCKPAS with BN 7846(patched) and BNSF 6809 and 8014 up front.   After it passed I climbed down from the tree I had been up in to get the shot and we walked back out to the car.  From here we headed back to the motel where I got my car and headed back home.  On the way I headed over to the funnel at Rathdrum where I found a westbound hopper train in 2x2 (BNSF 4517, 4033, EMD 9009, ATSF 650).  It met an eastbound manifest at Hauser yard (BNSF 5110, 1002, 5338, 4930).  Next it was on into Spokane were another eastbound manifest was waiting to depart (BNSF 4491, 566, 9711, BN 9445(patched)).  In the yard an eastbound hopper train was just pulling through (BNSF 4955, ATSF 832, 6892(both patched)).  After that I headed home and arrived there around 9pm.  It was a great trip with quite a bit of traffic on the MRL.   And I now have a shot of all of the semaphores that are coming out in October of this year.