A Montana Rail Link ballast train loads at the Pipestone ballast pit west of Whitehall, Montana, on October 1, 2013. This loader is located on the Spire Rock Industrial Track from the Fifth Subdivision at Whitehall, and is part of the storied former Northern Pacific passenger route through Butte over Homestake Pass. Powering the train are two of MRL’s rebuilt SD40s, now labeled SD40-2XR, Nos. 264 and 260.
