2 Hours 24 Minutes
In the panhandle of northwestern Nebraska, coal
trains from Wyoming’s Powder River Basin battle a mountain grade through
an epic setting. On the BNSF
timetable, this is a thirteen-mile section of the Butte Subdivision
between Alliance, Nebraska and Edgemont, South Dakota. Railroaders and
railfans know it as Crawford Hill.
The double-track main line is a coal conveyor belt
pitched on a 1.55% grade. Manned helpers assist heavy coal trains to the
summit at Belmont, then drift back down the hill for the next shove.
Trains roar through Crawford as they get a run at the hill, but soon
they are on their knees grinding around Breezy Point. Once east of the
crossovers at Belmont, the helpers disconnect on the fly.
The incredible horseshoe curves and deep cuts
through the Pine Ridge escarpment provide an unlimited amount of
exciting locations to watch and photograph trains. Both line-side and
aerial photography were used to bring the majesty of this area to the
screen.
