(The following appeared on the Billings Gazette website on March 6, 2011.)
BILLINGS, Mont. — After a rough Montana month of train derailments, bizarre weather and a bogus terrorism threat, the iron horse that tamed the West is limping into March like Mr. Ed.
February was not kind to train traffic in Montana, with costly business delays as rails used by 40 or more trains a day were taken offline for repairs.
The worst may have been last weekend when a vicious snowstorm drifted in an idling Burlington Northern Santa Fe train so badly that it had to be dug out with shovels before it could move.
“There was a train stopped that was actually frozen. This is extremely rare,” said Gus Melonas, BNSF spokesman.
The full story is at www.BillingsGazette.com.