Photo ID: 108086 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, May 30, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Bill Bill, WY 684 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Orin (BNSF) Union Pacific UP has a small yard at Bill, WY, about 45 miles north of the south end of the Powder River Basin. This is a crew change point for many UP trains on the way to or from the mine. A single UP empty awaits a recrew this morning, ready to head west to the mines. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108084 Date Shot Photo By Friday, May 29, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed West Bill Bill, WY 652 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Orin (BNSF) BNSF The sun is sinking in the western sky, revealing a brilliant sunset after evening storms. A southbound BNSF train passes through the OS of the West Bill Crossover on its way south on Main 1. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 103823 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, July 24, 2011 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed MP 88.6 Bill, WY 1366 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Orin (BNSF) BNSF The entire Orin Sub runs under CTC, so there is no "right hand rule". The dispatcher can run trains on whichever track he or she sees fit. In this particular case, this load is heading east (geographic south) on Main 1 as an empty approaches on Main 3. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 103822 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, July 24, 2011 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed MP 88.6 Bill, WY 1411 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Orin (BNSF) BNSF I thought there was going to be a race between this load and a UP load a bit earlier. However, a track inspector on Main 2 precluded that possibility. This load had to hold at East Bill to crossover from Main 2 to Main 1 after the UP load was far enough ahead. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 103821 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, July 24, 2011 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed MP 88.6 Bill, WY 1494 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Orin (BNSF) Union Pacific In the distance, a UP coal empty is about to crossover from Main 3 to Main 2 at East Bill. In the foreground, a UP coal load with a fresh crew leaves Bill in the background on Main 1. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 103820 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, July 24, 2011 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed MP 88.6 Bill, WY 1592 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Orin (BNSF) Chicago North Western, Union Pacific Burlington Northern built the south end of the Orin Sub in the late 1970's, completing the connection with the north end in 1979. Chicago North Western was interested in helping finance the operation, but didn't have the money (Union Pacific would end up helping instead). Interesting now to see a (patched) CNW AC4400CW leading a westbound (geographic northbound) coal empty on Main 3 some 32 years later. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 103818 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, July 23, 2011 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed MP 75 Bill, WY 2590 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Orin (BNSF) BNSF Just because the sun has set does not mean you can't still get some great train shots! My dad and I set out to find some night shots on Saturday around 10:30pm. This shot was taken near the WY-59 overpass (geographically north of Bill a couple miles). This was a duration of 30 minutes and there were two westbounds (geographic northbounds) that passed by during that period, separated by about 12 minutes. I was glad there wasn't an eastbound (geographic southbound) during that stretch as it would have really washed out the shot! The lights in the distance are coming from the Antelope and North Antelope Rochelle mines. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 103789 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, July 23, 2011 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed MP 75 Bill, WY 1622 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Orin (BNSF) Union Pacific, BNSF This shot pretty well sums up the Powder River Basin! A coal load on Main 1 proceeds eastbound (geographic southbound) toward Bill as an empty charges westbound (geographic northbound) on Main 2 toward the North Antelope Mine. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 103788 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, July 23, 2011 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed MP 75 Bill, WY 2031 (2 Comments Posted) Subdivision Railroad Orin (BNSF) Union Pacific A UP coal load on the newest of the four main tracks (Main 1) approaches the WY-59 underpass. Note that there is a green signal on Main 2 for a westbound (geographic northbound) which has already departed Bill. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 103787 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, July 23, 2011 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed MP 75 Bill, WY 2227 (3 Comments Posted) Subdivision Railroad Orin (BNSF) BNSF It is impressive watching the dispatcher organize all the trains in the Powder River Basin. During my visit, it seemed that westbound (geographic northbound) empties ran on Main 2 (second track from the right) while loads split up the other three tracks. Here, a BNSF load approaches on Main 4 and you can see a UP load approaching three miles in the distance on Main 1. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 103786 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, July 23, 2011 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed MP 75 Bill, WY 1795 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Orin (BNSF) Union Pacific Just north (or, if you are looking at a timetable, west) of Bill, WY, you will find a spot where all four main tracks pass underneath WY-59. Here, an eastbound UP coal load is about to pass under WY-59 on Main 1. At Bill, the train will get a new crew. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 102241 Date Shot Photo By Monday, August 11, 2008 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed MP 90 Bill, WY 2330 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Orin (BNSF) BNSF A few miles east (geographically south) of Bill, we find a BNSF coal load moving on clear signals on Main Two. A storage and maintenance facility is located here off of Main Three over to the left. Growing up in Colorado, it is somewhat unusual to be able to get a 7,000+ foot long coal train captured in a single frame! Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 102240 Date Shot Photo By Monday, August 11, 2008 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Bill Bill, WY 1704 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Orin (BNSF) BNSF A BNSF coal load is coming down Main Two at Bill continuing its journey east out of the Powder River. On Main Four (to the left), a UP coal load is stopped at the depot in Bill waiting for a fresh crew. Maintenance is never ending along the tracks here...note the front end loader to the right moving along an access road. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 102238 Date Shot Photo By Monday, August 11, 2008 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed MP 59 Bill, WY 2632 (1 Comment Posted) Subdivision Railroad Orin (BNSF) Union Pacific The mining operations in the Powder River Basin are absolutely amazing to see in person. It looks like mini Grand Canyons have been carved into the ground digging for the coal. The great thing is that there is a fairly minimal impact to the environment as everything can be restored once the coal is extracted. Here, a Jacob's Ranch Mine load passes by a crane working at the Antelope Mine, digging some more coal for loading. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 102235 Date Shot Photo By Monday, August 11, 2008 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed MP 79 Bill, WY 2802 (4 Comments Posted) Subdivision Railroad Orin (BNSF) BNSF The Powder River Basin has been expanding at a nearly exponential rate over the last twenty years. Not long ago, there were two main tracks at this location. It didn't take long for a third main track to be put in to accommodate traffic. No sooner had the third track been put it, that a fourth main track was laid down! This roughly 25-mile stretch of four main tracks is the longest such stretch of non-passenger track in the country. In this shot, a UP coal empty proceeds west in the distance on Main Two, a BNSF coal load heads east on Main Four, and a clear signal on Main Three indicates another westbound is not far away. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.

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