Great Northern Scobey Line
MT · Plentywood → Scobey
A homesteader railroad on the edge of Canada.
The Great Northern built north from Bainville during the homestead rush of the 1910s, when thousands of settlers poured onto the Montana high plains. It reached Plentywood in 1911 and Scobey in 1914. A later extension west to Opheim was abandoned long ago.
Wheat was everything here. Grain elevators rose at every siding, and the branch hauled harvests to market for most of the 20th century. When the Bakken oil boom hit, BNSF took direct control of the eastern end again. The Yellowstone Valley Railroad had leased the line from 2005.
West of Plentywood the line is abandoned — miles of prairie track, small bridges and elevators, with Canada just to the north.
⚠️ Before you go: every railroad on this map is private property. A line that looks abandoned may still be owned by a railroad, used to store rail cars, or put back into service at any time — sometimes with no warning. Before going near any track, make sure it's truly abandoned (no recent use, rails not polished, no signals or cars stored on it) and that you're allowed to be there. Never assume a track is dead.
📷 Photos & stories from riders
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