Sunshine in the Powder River Basin

If your electric utility burns coal to generate electricity, I am tempted to advise you to buy a generator. It seems likely the BNSF and UP will haul all the coal in creation away by next week.

Just Kidding!!!!!

The thought did cross my mind at one point this afternoon, though, as I stood on the Wyoming Highway 450 overpass at Black Thunder Junction in gale-force winds and counted 8 (EIGHT!) trains. Those are trains I could see from where I was standing. Five of them moved during the less than 10 minutes I stood there.



If you look closely, you can see 5 of the trains in these two photos. There was one out of view to my right, loads coming from the Black Thunder Mine, and two more behind me and to my left, empties for further up the line.

From now on, three things will come to mind when the words "Powder River Basin" are uttered-LOTS of coal trains, lots of antelope, and lots of wind. The common theme is "lots". I had always heard about the volume of trains in this area, but until you visit and see it with your own eyes it's hard to really appreciate what is going on. The description on this sign sums it up pretty well.


I've got more shots that I will be processing after I get home, and I expect at least a couple of more posts with a PRB theme, but being excited about the trip I wanted to share some information right away. Here's one backlit shot I managed to squeeze out on this computer.


Until I make it home for long enough to sit down at the computer, that's all I got. I encourage every railfan to venture out to the PRB at least once and see big time railroading at its absolute peak!

Jim

PRB First Impressions

Well. It seems like there are a few locations every railfan should get a chance to visit during his or her life. Tehachapi, Cajon Pass, Marias Pass, Horseshoe Curve, The "Funnel", and UP's Nebraska main all feature some combination of scenery and traffic that put them on the list in some way, shape, or form.

Then there is the Powder River Basin. I don't think it is famous for scenery, but the traffic level has to be almost unrivaled. Plus, the newest high-horsepower locomotives from BNSF and UP (along with other lines) are featured moving heavy coal trains to utilities across the country.

This week is my chance to visit PRB country. After visits to the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway, Yellowstone National Park, the Buffalo Bill Scenic Byway, and the Bighorn Scenic Byway, Mrs. L4T and I arrived in Gillette, Wyoming this afternoon to spend a couple of days chasing trains in the area. (Here are some of the scenery photos.)

After checking in to a hotel I set out to find Donkey Creek Junction. Within 10 minutes I had a COLX loaded train in sight. In another 5 minutes, I was in position to see three trains moving at once. Within half an hour I had spotted about a dozen coal trains. I knew in my mind traffic would likely be heavy but this caused me to overload a bit. I didn't even know where to point the camera. Thought I would share a couple of the cloudy, snowy shots with you.


This empty was staged on the line from Alliance, waiting for a couple of loads to leave the yard.

For this last shot, I ran down a muddy county road and got an empty headed south. I just missed the tail end of the load that was moving north.


Tomorrow, hopefully, the sun will come out. You can bet we will be out looking for trains regardless of the weather.

Jim

A Train a Day...

That's what I have from the last part of the week. No big railfan trips or ventures to exotic locales, just run of the mill pounding the pavement on Highway 10 and the resulting photos.

On Thursday, the short run to New York Mills and home a few hours later gave me the opportunity to grab a photo of coal loads as they headed east through Bluffton. A real tough sun angle didn't give me the chance for anything conventional, so I conjured up this broadside of a pair of Grinstein MACs as they approach their crossing of the Leaf River.


Momma always told me that if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. So, at least these motors are in matching paint...

The former GN line between Sauk Center and Wadena would have been fertile ground for my travels on Friday, when I headed to Eagle Bend. But with that line long gone, the chance of any rail action was non-existent. Or so I thought, as I headed uptown for a quick stop before going south. Another eastbound, this one a stacker, blew through town as I approached the crossing. A reconfigured plan had me chase him east to the Todd County Hwy 9 crossing, where I shot the photo below. Immediately after releasing the shutter on this mixed up pair of GE's, I was off for Eagle Bend, taking the "scenic route".


The sun has moved south to the point that shots in the Staples area are almost directly nose-lit in the morning, as the shot of the intermodal (above) shows.

And finally, on Saturday, Mrs. L4T and I were in Park Rapids for a family function. Again, the abandonement of the GN line through the area made the chance of seeing a train nil. But once again, as we arrived in Wadena, the BNSF delivered. As I sat at a red light at the junction of Highways 10 and 71, the crossing gates began to sing their sweet song. Quick thinking and optimism motivated me to make a quick right turn in hopes the train was headed west and into the sun. Luck was with me, and I passed the power on this coal empty as it went through Bluffton. A quick set up at Otter Tail CR 143 yielded this shot.


As many times as I have staked out a train here, I still like this spot. The sun just works here, and the curve adds some interest as you get a glimpse of the dark side of the train. There is not much traffic and a safe place to pull over and get the shot.

Thus ends this train a day post. Let not clouds, or work, or prior commitments, keep you from your appointed rounds of trainwatching. Remember the old saying: a train a day keeps keeps the railfan happy! Or, a train in the viewfinder is worth two on the ATCS display.

Jim

More Southern Minnesota Miscellanea

Given the luck I had had on the first day of this Southern Minnesota journey, I had high hopes for finding some action on the UP while I spent some time in the far southwest corner of the state. After work on Wednesday, I went for a little drive to the east along the UP main to see if I could find a train to chase.

Action was slow, and I made it to Butterfield without seeing any action. As I crossed the overpass there, I caught sight of set of UP power sitting on the spur that heads south out of town. I swung around to get a shot of this three unit set of AC motors.


These units were all dead, and I guessed they must be waiting for a crew to head somewhere to move a shuttle train. The landscape is dotted with huge grain elevators in this part of the state.

Continuing on east, I took the exit for St. James to see if I could catch a switcher at the elevator. I managed to see one a few years ago, and it would have been nice to get a better shot of it. Man, it's been almost 5 years since I shot that, seems like it was only a few months. Time flies.

Anyway, I wasn't able to locate the engine, but there was a set of UP GP's sitting near the depot, so I grabbed a shot of them.


That was all I was able to locate on Wednesday. Not a moving train to be seen. I did take a detour to the Odin cemetary on the way back to Windom, and visited my grandparent's graves.

The next morning I was off to Westbrook bright and early. Westbrook is in Murray County, one of the very few Minnesota counties that has no railroad service. That didn't stop me from pulling over for a photo on my way up there, though. The sun was starting to burn off the fog already.


Yes, I know. I do have a great job.

I headed for home right after lunch. My chosen route took me through Willmar. After a visit there a couple of weeks ago, I figured it was worth an extra half hour to swing by the yard. I found a string of GP units, with a lone SD40-2 mixed in, waiting in the yard. There were a couple of other trains near the depot but no real shots to be had.


Just as I was pulling out, the crossing gates announced the arrival of another train, this one from the west. The light didn't allow much of a shot, but the presence of a KCS unit and what I suspect is one of the final units ever painted in the warbonnet scheme motivated me to take this photo.

And that's the story of my most recent trip south. I managed to see a few trains, and some nice scenery as well. Hope you enjoy the story.

Jim

Tuesday Twosome (from Last Week)

Last week's travels took me to various locations in the southwest part of the state. Destinations included Fairfax, Round Lake, and Westbrook, which meant my path would pass through CP, TCW, UP, and BNSF territory. One of the challenges of this trip, however, is that most of these lines are predominantly east-west, while my travel is mostly north-south, which means catching trains on some of these lines is mostly a matter of chance.

I headed out of Wadena early Tuesday morning, and the first tracks encountered are the CP Paynesville Sub at the intersection of Highway 4 and Highway 55. I get the chance to follow the right of way for a couple of miles into Paynesville before heading south on Highway 4, so I always check for a train here. Tuesday morning was a foggy one, and sure enough, the fog had delayed me just enough to catch a westbound right where I met up with Highway 55. I scampered down into the wet grass to grab a couple of shots as the train approached.





The foggy mornings turned out to be a theme for the week, with the fog burning off to reveal clear skies every day.

I made it to Fairfax about 15 minutes before a TC&W GP20C headed into town from the east on the Minnesota Prairie Line. He had a long string of grain hoppers, I assume for the elevator in town. This backlit shot shows the train against a backdrop of the grain elevator.


I had never seen a TC&W loco in this paint scheme before, so I grabbed a broadside of it as it stopped to work a cut of the grain cars it brought into town. It's a nice looking unit, but not as attractive as the maroon units I have usually seen on this line.


That was it for Tuesday (I have to work too, after all). I was planning on staying in Windom that night, and had hopes of catching some UP action while I was in that area. You will see the results of that effort in a later post.

Jim

Saturday CP Surprise

Picture this. Mrs. L4T is lounging in her chair, while I contemplate the opportunities presented by the BNSF on this day. I decide to check the ATCS display, in hopes of coming up with a plan for the afternoon and evening. In a matter of moments, a plan is born, and instantly goes from being nothing more than a wisp in my mind to a fully formed trip.

With that, we were off to new grounds. What sparked it all was a CP train showing up westbound out of Shoreham Yard on the ATCS. My brain calculated the distances involved, relative speeds, and spit out a conclusion, saying, "If you get your butt in gear, and traffic cooperates, you should just about see him clear the overpass at Paynesville as you pull onto Highway 55".

When inspiration of this level strikes, there is no time to waste. In less than 5 minutes, we had wiped the sleep from our eyes, found shoes, pop, magazines, and books to entertain us just in case this exquisitely formed plan didn't materialize, and we were off.

It didn't quite work out the way I had envisioned it in that moment of clarity.

Two hours later, we were sitting at a grade crossing west of Paynesville, waiting for the westbound that (we hoped) had been delayed in his transit of the CP. Mrs. L4T was deep in a Women's Day or Readers Digest, and I was studying my own text, when my head snapped up at the sound of a diesel horn. But wait, the horn was to the west, not the east. What is going on? Surely, no good can come from this. Yet, the intrepid railfan that I am, I broke out the trusty Pentax and struck out for a vantage point that would allow me a shot of whatever was coming that at least partially mitigated the backlit conditions we would suffer shooting an eastbound train.

As I drew a bead on the approaching train, you could have knocked me over with the veritable feather. My railfan network had completely neglected notifying me that some type of passenger special was traversing the CP Paynesville sub this gorgeous September afternoon.


The plan we had worked out every detail on-from where to eat, to what route to take back to Wadena, to when we would likely arrive home-went out the window with the sight of this train. In its place, a new plan emerged-chase this train. I know, it's not too detailed, and lacks the specifics of the old plan, but one sometimes must respond to changing conditions. This was one of those times. And we were off.


We shot him between Paynesville and Eden Valley, across a field.


We shot him at the overpass between Watkins and Kimball, coming at us, and...


Going away, with what I am guessing is about 150 years of railroad experience riding the observation platform. We shot him at other locations I will be uploading to my flickr page as well.

And then we let him go. At this time we were without a plan, drifting about central Minnesota, trying to decide the best way to proceed. I had a hunch there was still a westbound about, but the Staples Sub was calling as well. Without a firm idea of what was moving, (and my darn radio still doesn't work), I wrestled to come up with an idea. Finally, after a cold Diet Coke, I decided to work my way east a few more miles, and if we didn't encounter another train, we would cut north at Annandale and parallel the Staples Sub back home.

Only about a mile outside of Kimball, we both spotted what looked to a headlight, high up on a hill. Further investigation revealed the westbound I had been looking for, just starting out of a siding. Again, a new plan fell into place-this one involving another chase, in the opposite direction. I set out for the first location i would shoot, just west of Kimball:


As this train was only making about 40 mph, I had no difficulty leapfrogging him after each shot. I shot him in a number of locations along the highway, then entered farm country as he made the trek from Eden Valley to Paynesville.


There is some gorgeous scenery in this area, including a bridge that I didn't find until the power was over it. That would have been the shot of the day.


I was sitting in the Escape as I took this picture, out the passenger rear window. This bridge (this is not the same bridge I referred to earlier, that one is a railroad bridge across a stream) was very reminiscent of the wooden bridges east of Hawley. All in all a great stretch of railroad for photography. Bryant and Jer have a real jewel in this area.

I overtook the train again as we left Paynesville, and was able to shoot him as he rounded the curve near the intersection of Highways 4 and 55, here:


The chase continued all the way to Belgrade, where building clouds and hunger rumbles led us to break north for Sauk Center.

All in all, it was a very entertaining trip. The highlight seemed, at first glance, to be the unexpected passenger special, and it was fun to see, but beginning to learn this section of railroad and some of the photo locations it offers will provide the long term enjoyment. I can see more trips to "CP Country" in our future.

Jim

A Run to Staples

A glance at the weather, a quick discussion with Mrs. L4T, and a couple of trains on the way west were all the inspiration I needed to scamper over towards Staples after supper tonight.

I guessed that there might be a westbound switching when we left, and sure enough he was pulling a long cut of cars out of the yard shortly after we arrived. The locomotive stopped just short of the Dower Lake crossing and I shot the unusual consist-and SD75M in nice warbonnet paint leading a CP AC unit, with a Dash 9 pumpkin rounding out the power.


After a wait of a couple of minutes, the second westbound showed up on Main 1. I was a little concerned about getting blocked out, and I have shot the Dower Lake crossing quite a few times anyway, so we decided to head west for this train. I picked the last crossing before Aldrich as the tree line is well back from the tracks and the sun was getting very low in the sky.


Nice looking GEVO on the point of this mixed intermodal. Mostly stacks with a few trailers thrown in. The dispatcher treated him like a Z train, and he had the power as well, but the Z's I usually see have more trailers and less stacks. So I don't really know what this was.

I debated waiting for the manifest, but the sun was going away fast. We headed for Wadena, but met a loaded 1x1 coal train just west of Verndale. My attempt at getting a shot involving the setting sun and this train didn't pan out.

Another coal load and a Superior empty passed through Wadena before we made it back. So it was a busy evening on the Staples Sub.

I've got some photos to share from this week that I will try and get posted over the weekend. Just to keep your interest up, one is pretty unique for me.

Jim