Photo ID: 113950 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, May 31, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Belmont to Crossover 419.8 Dawes County, NE 16 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Butte (BNSF) BNSF Crawford Hill in Nebraska is one of the relatively few places in the country in which manned helpers are still in use. The grade on Crawford Hill varies between 1.5% and 2.0% on the eastward journey. Coal loads from the Powder River Basin (and even some manifests) are too heavy to make the climb with the standard 2x2 configuration BNSF employees on most coal trains. However, extra power is not needed on the train other than on the west slope of Crawford Hill. It would be a waste of power to run extra DPUs the entire distance the train runs. As a result, a helper crew is based at the small town of Crawford, NE. Here, a pair of ES44ACs are the manned helper, shoving behind the pair of SD70ACes on the end of this coal load. In another few miles, at the Belmont Crossover at the top of Crawford Hill, the helpers will cut off the train and return down to Crawford to wait their next assignment. The entire length of the journey for the helpers is only about 12 miles (one way)! One additional thing to note in this shot. If you see the white puff spraying up near the base of the power, you are seeing some sand kicking up from the sanders that are currently active, helping the train to keep and maintain traction on the climb. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113947 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, May 31, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Belmont to Crossover 419.8 Dawes County, NE 14 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Butte (BNSF) BNSF One final shot of BNSF's Employee Appreciation Special as it climbs the grade on Main 1 on Crawford Hill, moving away from the camera. It was an incredible day of chasing, but with a 4½ hour drive ahead, it was soon time to hit the road. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113944 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, May 31, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Belmont to Crossover 419.8 Dawes County, NE 14 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Butte (BNSF) BNSF On an absolutely beautiful Sunday evening, an eastbound BNSF coal train slowly grinds east on Main 2, cutting into the grade on Crawford Hill. The train is creeping along at no more than 10 MPH. This particular train loaded at the Black Thunder Mine in the Powder River Basin, and is headed to a power plant in Georgia. The train will be turned over to Norfolk Southern in Memphis, TN. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113943 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, May 31, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Belmont Dawes County, NE 13 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Butte (BNSF) BNSF The setting sun is just barely high enough to light BNSF 2026 on Main 1 at Belmont at the top of Crawford Hill. The train will continue west a few more miles before the crew will switch ends to return the train back to Alliance. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113942 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, May 31, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Belmont Dawes County, NE 15 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Butte (BNSF) BNSF Could not ask for better lighting as BNSF 1776 and BNSF 3336 reach the top of Crawford Hill on BNSF's Butte Subdivision. This is the final of four Employee Appreciation Specials (two yesterday, and two today). This final run departed Alliance just over an hour earlier, arriving here just after 7pm. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113941 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, May 31, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Belmont Dawes County, NE 14 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Butte (BNSF) BNSF BNSF 1776 just knocked down a green signal at the crossover of Belmont at the top of Crawford Hill. The sun is approaching the horizon, offering up some golden light on the red, white, and blue unit. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113916 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, May 31, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Belmont Dawes County, NE 12 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Butte (BNSF) BNSF BNSF 3336 and BNSF 1776 bring up what is now the tail end of this BNSF Employee Appreciate Special at Belmont, at the top of Crawford Hill. The train is headed back the roughly 50 miles to Alliance, NE, where its passengers will detrain. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113915 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, May 31, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Belmont Dawes County, NE 14 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Butte (BNSF) BNSF At the top of Crawford Hill, BNSF 2026 has just knocked down a green signal on Main 1 as it heads east toward Alliance. BNSF 2026 is painted red, white, and blue, and sports "We the People" on the long hood, with Freedom on the radiator blister. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113914 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, May 31, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Belmont Dawes County, NE 15 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Butte (BNSF) BNSF At a quarter after 11am, BNSF 2026 leads this Employee Appreciate Special toward a green signal at Belmont at the top of Crawford Hill on Main 1. There used to be a tunnel here around the bend, but was taken out of service by Burlington Northern in 1982, replaced by a massive cut. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113913 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, May 31, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Belmont to Crossover 419.8 Dawes County, NE 14 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Butte (BNSF) BNSF BNSF 2026 is working on the 1.5%-2.0% grade on Crawford Hill, pulling an eastbound Employee Appreciation Special. The long S-Curve on Crawford Hill is ahead, with Breezy Point clear in the distance about BNSF 2026. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113912 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, May 31, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Belmont to Crossover 419.8 Dawes County, NE 14 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Butte (BNSF) BNSF After making a run over Crawford Hill, the crew on this BNSF Employee Appreciate Special has moved to BNSF 2026 on the east end of the train, and is now headed back toward Alliance on Main 1, approaching the intermediate signals at MP 414.9. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113911 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, May 31, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Belmont to Crossover 419.8 Dawes County, NE 15 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Butte (BNSF) BNSF When you think of Nebraska, the first thing that comes to mind might well be plains and farms. While that is certainly true in eastern Nebraska, western Nebraska includes the Black Hills, which has some good grades and beautiful scenery. Here, BNSF's Employee Appreciate Special is rolling west on Main 1 on Crawford Hill. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113910 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, May 31, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Belmont to Crossover 419.8 Dawes County, NE 13 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Butte (BNSF) BNSF BNSF 2026 is the trailing unit on a push/pull Employee Appreciation Special in the Black Hills of Nebraska, specifically on Crawford Hill. The steepest parts of Crawford Hill have two main tracks, including, as you can see, right here. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108136 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, May 31, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Belmont Crossover Dawes County, NE 801 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Butte (BNSF) BNSF After cutting away from an eastbound coal load, this helper set is ready to return west to Crawford, NE. The helper crew on BNSF 5780 has a Diverging Clear (red over green) signal at Belmont Crossover. The helpers will cross from Main 2 to Main 1 for the return trip. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108135 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, May 31, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Belmont Crossover Dawes County, NE 810 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Butte (BNSF) BNSF After making the climb up and over the grade of Crawford Hill, these manned helpers have cut away from a loaded coal train and are getting ready to return to Crawford. The helpers cut away from the coal load without the coal load having to stop. The load is now on the downhill grade, so the helpers assistance is no long needed. This is one of a few places left where you can see manned helpers working trains. You can click the "Watch It" button to see a video of the helpers cutting away from the train. 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