Essex, Montana [December 2000]

The Sunrise, as viewed from the western edge of Glacier National Park, reaches perfection in December. Here, the day begins atop Forster Mountain, as viewed from Essex through Marias Pass.
	First up the hill today is the eastbound Empire Builder.
As the morning overcast clears, Essex awakens. A westbound Z train thunders through the yard, with the mountains of Rampage Ridge in the distance, as viewed from the new bridge.
	Later in the day, a wayward Warbonnet leads an eastbound manifest under the bridge.
On the heels of the manifest, the Loram Rail Grinder, on its semi-annual vist to Marias Pass, snails its way up Main Two.
	As the sun ducks behind the Flathead range, a work train returns from a wreck site at Java West.
The following day, a trio of C44s leads a westbound stack train up the hill east of Essex.
	On the back of the stack train, a pair of Essex helpers shoves hard, approaching Shed 12.
Behind the stack train, a High Priority Mainfest grinds uphill.
	The final day of the trip, a set of Acela Scheme P42s pause briefly at Shed 12 while passengers board at Essex.
As the morning sun burns through the overcast, one of Rocky's muscular descendants strikes a stately pose on Essex Hill.