Did any rail system pick up the MILW thru to Billings, where did the rails get pulled up from/to? Know in WA and ID they are gone.
Rails largely pulled out from Miles City, MT to Tacoma, with a few holdouts. As far as interchange with Billings, not directly. MILW interchanged with NP/BN at a few points in MT, but not near Billings. BoxcabE50 will know more, for sure.
They did have trackage rights to Billings as part of the agreement when BN was formed in 1970 so they could compete. Dunno if they had a connector track at Terry Montana, or how that worked though.
The track from Mobridge SD to Terry, MT is intact and still in use by SF today. The BN and Milw did interchange there at Terry. From there west, it is all gone. There may be pieces of it, but few. The bridges at Terry, east and west Miles City are still there and two of them are in use for county roads. Very crudely redone though! The bridge at Forsyth is gone, as is all the track up into the Musselshell valley. Lots of memoriabilia there though. I would recommend a book, "The Milwaukee in Montana." It is a guide to what is there today.
Yes. MILW accessed the coal nearby Billings via a trackage rights agreement. This was a through settlement of legal complaints due to the BN merger, known as "Gateways".
Of the transcontinental main, west of Miles City, a few scattered remnants. Examples such as Othello to Royal City Junction, short line contractor. Warden to Othello, Columbia Basin RY. Black River, (it was NOT named Black River Junction. Only BN used that name), to Tacoma Junction is Union Pacific. St. Maries to Plummer, Idaho, is St. Maries River RR. Scattered industrial tracks all along the way survive. Plus branch lines here and there.
This would be the Steve McCarter book. However, since it's publication, there have been changes. Some remnants no longer exist.
Yes, that is the book. Ingomar has always been intriguing, the Tender from a 4-8-4 there and Jersey Lilly's. Which is now closing due to owners wanting to retire.
Prior to rail removal, the tender actually was at the east end of the old house track. The bar almost within a stone's throw from the depot. What I am asking is about the potential for anyone to actually buy the bar?