Billings, MT Was - And Is - A Railroad Town

I had the opportunity to travel up to Billings this week. And it fired up the imagination.

Billings is one of Montana's largest cities - but that is a matter of comparison. As cities go, it is on the small side, wedged between the rimrock cliffs carved by the Yellowstone River.

But to the modeller, Billings is a fantastic little city. It features two modern railroads, Montana Rail Link and BNSF. It has a rich and fairly well-preserved Northern Pacific heritage, and traces of MRL and predecessor BN are to be found all over.

The local industry mix is fantastic. Montana's economy is still resource based, and the mix of industry reflects that. There are three major oil refineries within twenty miles of Billings, including one on the south side of Billings proper. Just west of the refinery is a large but manageable coal-fired power plant - one easily modelled by the Walthers Tri-State Authority model recently retired. This plant receives unit trains of (I'm assuming) Powder River coal, in Montana Power-owned coal cars.

And that doesn't include the grain elevators and sugar refinery on the southwest edge of town.

Track-planners, it's worth a look... (Pictures to follow.)