Photograph as originally submitted to this page in the Historical Marker Database www.HMdb.org. Click on photo to resize in browser. Scroll down to see metadata.

Photographer: Barry Swackhamer
Taken: September 15, 2020
Caption: The Iron Horse Comes To Billings Marker, panel 3
Additional Description: Captions: (bottom left) Taken at Belfry, MT on November 26, 1940, this photo shoes the Bridger local arriving for coal loading by Brophy Coal Company. Coal from the Bearcreek mines was hauled to Belfry where the Montana Wyoming Southern Railroad tracks began.; (bottom center) North Coast Limited approaching the Billings Depot. (bottom right) The end of steam engines at Billings is shown in this January 12, 1964 photo. New Alco diesel engines replaced the steam engines on the Billings, Laurel transfer and four were used in the Billings and Laurel yards. No longer needed were the coal dock shown here, the water tower or the roundhouse.; (top right) The first train on the 37.7 mile branchline from Laurel to Rapelie, MT photographed on July 1, 1918. From there Laurel Depot, the train headed to Mossmain and Hesper on the Great Northern line before continuing on to Molt, Wheat Basin and Rapelie. Grain produced on drylands farms was stored in six grain elevators until it could be hauled out. Rapelie, MT was named for a Northern Pacific Railroad president, J.M. Rapelie.; (middle right) According to Brakeman Warren McGee, this train came away from Molt on August 11, 1938 with 25 loads of wheat but no passengers.
Submitted: March 13, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.
Database Locator Identification Number: p572703
File Size: 3.478 Megabytes

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