The Black Thunder West Mine is the newest load out in the Powder River Basin. It was completed in 2008 and its balloon track is 8.1 miles around. Trains load in a clockwise circuit around the load out. This load out is right along the triple track mainline, as you can see on the right. The empty coal hoppers are in storage in the only siding along the entire subdivision.
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A pair of BNSF SD70ACes lead a coal empty into one of the tracks at Black Thunder West Mine. SD70ACes and ES44ACs are the power on virtually on BNSF coal trains these days.
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BNSF 9204 is moving along at about 10 MPH on the second of five Black Thunder West leads to the coal load out.
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A BNSF crew brings an empty coal train into one of five tracks that lead to the Black Thunder West Mine load out. The triple track main is to the right of the road, just out of view.
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Now that is one very large building! This is the loadout for the relatively new Black Thunder West mine. When I was last in the Powder River Basin in 2008, this facility was not yet complete. However, it is complete now as a UP empty loads at the tipple. A BNSF train (which has already loaded) sits on an outbound track in the distance, awaiting a crew.
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