Storming past milepost 215 Montana’s Winston Hill between Townsend and Helena seems to be a magnate for afternoon thunderstorms in summer. Being east of the Continental Divide and wedged between the Big Belt and Elkhorn Mountains may have something to do with it.
Late in the afternoon of July 6, 2023, two westbound MRL trains, both led by blue power, emerge from a storm moving east over Canyon Ferry Lake and Townsend. The first one, led by MRL EMD GP9 No. 109, is the Helena local passing milepost 215 on the approach to the top of the hill at Winston Montana. Twenty-eight minutes later, MRL’s turn (operating because of the bridge out at Reed Point) running from Helena to Bozeman and return, will cruise up the hill past 215 too.
