Just a small update on the last days of MRL. Not sure if I've reported this before but the official time/date for the handover back to BNSF is midnight December 2023/ January 2024. Staff have begun receiving new gear in boxes marked BNSF, MRL Division, so at least the MRL name will still have some significance and recognition. No indication of whether BNSF will purchase/lease any of MRL's power or rolling stock. The original reason given for MRL's (Washington Corp) desire to relinquish the lease on the main trackage (They own the branch lines) was that MRL's owners wanted to retire and none of the family wanted to pick it up, which leads me wonder what the other railroad that Washington operate is SRY (Southern Railroad of British Columbia) in Canada, what will happen to that. Has the same livery color scheme and Logo's. MRL itself has been governed buy a Board for quite a time already. Personally I think it was becoming uneconomic when several of those branches closed, over time, the last one to go just recently in Livingstone when RY timber had it's second fire and closed immediately. The age of it's main Locos might have had something to do with it as well. All of their first SD70ACe's entered service in 2005 (4300-4315) with the majority of their work being notch 8 on Mullan or Bozeman tunnels as helpers. OK for class 2 still but as this trackage will be part of BNSF which as I understand is all Class 1 and possibly significant. MRL has been carrying out a huge amount of track upgrading for a long time plus signalling upgrades as well. My cynical, suspicious mind doesn't always take things at face value. I tell people that what being of old age only proves, is that I wasn't born yesterday.
On happier news to me, is that Tony (Wombat) is back. Great news that is.