Photo ID: 113950 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 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: 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.