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Photo ID: 114245
Date Shot
Photo By
Saturday, August 15, 2026 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Logan Hill
Converse County, WY
36
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Orin (BNSF) BNSF
With Logan Hill now conquered, this eastbound coal load descends the 1% grade on Main 3. Intermediate signals on Mains 1 and 2 both show Approach indications, likely meaning nothing is currently aligned in either direction on those mains. Off in the distance, you can see another of the many full train sets currently being stored on Main 4.
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Photo ID: 114244
Date Shot
Photo By
Saturday, August 15, 2026 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Logan Hill
Converse County, WY
34
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Orin (BNSF) BNSF
While coal is certainly the main industry in the Powder River Basin, there is some oil (or natural gas) in the area too, so you will see some wells in operation, such as the few in the background here. A single DPU helps this 125 car coal train up and over the 1% grade of Logan Hill. A decade ago, all coal trains has 2x2 power in the basin. However, probably thanks to Precision Scheduled Railroading, many now run 2x1. They occasionally stall on Logan Hill and need manned helpers to get over the top. Fortunately, that was not the case with this one.
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Photo ID: 114243
Date Shot
Photo By
Saturday, August 15, 2026 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Logan Hill
Converse County, WY
43
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Orin (BNSF) BNSF
As we getting closer to the end of the day, we find BNSF 8463 slowly making its way up the 1% grade of Logan Hill on Main 3. The empty hoppers you see on Main 4 are just in storage. Construction on Main 4, which is roughly 20 miles long, was started in 2006 and completed in 2008. The fourth main was a $100 million investment by both UP and BNSF. Coal output was so great at that point that the fourth main was justified due to the grade on Logan Hill and the slow moving loads. However, with the substantial decrease in coal demand, three mains is sufficient for Logan Hill, and Main 4 has been used to store multiple coal train sets for over a decade now.
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Photo ID: 114222
Date Shot
Photo By
Saturday, August 15, 2026 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Logan Hill
Converse County, WY
33
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Orin (BNSF) Union Pacific
UP 7503 has reached the top of Logan Hill, the steepest part of the Orin Sub. Logan Hill is located around MP 70. The mileposts on the subdivision starts at 0 at Donkey Creek Junction at the north end of the sub, with mileposts increasing to the south down to Bridger Junction at MP 127.3.
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Photo ID: 114221
Date Shot
Photo By
Saturday, August 15, 2026 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Logan Hill
Converse County, WY
36
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Orin (BNSF) Union Pacific
UP 7503 and UP 5751 is making the climb up Logan Hill on Main 1 on a mostly cloudy afternoon. The empties to the left on Main 4 are currently in long term storage.
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Photo ID: 114220
Date Shot
Photo By
Saturday, August 15, 2026 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Logan Hill
Converse County, WY
31
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Orin (BNSF) Union Pacific
The Orin Sub is CTC, so dispatchers can use whichever main they want in either direction. However, generally speaking, I've noticed Main 3 used a lot of empties and Mains 1 and 2 used a lot for loads. This eastbound is on Main 2 on Logan Hill.
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Photo ID: 114219
Date Shot
Photo By
Saturday, August 15, 2026 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Logan Hill
Converse County, WY
43
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Orin (BNSF) Union Pacific
UP 7622 crests the top of the grade on Logan Hill on Main 2. It is already starting to pick up a little speed as it starts down the 1% grade on the east side of the hill.
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Photo ID: 114218
Date Shot
Photo By
Saturday, August 15, 2026 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Logan Hill
Converse County, WY
43
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Orin (BNSF) Union Pacific
An eastbound UP coal load is on climbs the 1% grade on Main 2, grinding up the hill at 10 MPH or so. The "train" visible on Main 4 is actually one of several strings of cars being stored. With the decline in the demand for coal, four mains over Logan Hill are not really needed anymore, so Main 4 has been used for storage for a decade or more.
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Photo ID: 108109
Date Shot
Photo By
Saturday, May 30, 2020 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Logan Hill
Converse County, WY
860
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Orin (BNSF) Union Pacific, BNSF
A UP coal load in the foreground is just coming over the top of Logan Hill as a BNSF coal load, with one more DPU, picks up a little speed heading down the other side of the hill.
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Photo ID: 108108
Date Shot
Photo By
Saturday, May 30, 2020 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Logan Hill
Converse County, WY
882
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Orin (BNSF) Union Pacific
About five miles to the west (geographic north), this BNSF coal load on Main 3 started to overtake the UP coal load on Main 1. Now that about half of the BNSF train has crested the top of Logan Hill, it is starting to pick up even more speed, really leaving the UP train behind. You can see the DPUs on the BNSF load pass the head end of the UP load in the associated video!
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Photo ID: 108107
Date Shot
Photo By
Saturday, May 30, 2020 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Logan Hill
Converse County, WY
834
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Orin (BNSF) BNSF
Approaching the top of Logan Hill on Main 3, this BNSF coal load is passing by empty cars that are being stored on Main 4. In the distance, a UP coal load is also taking on the hill on Main 1, working hard to reach the summit.
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Photo ID: 108106
Date Shot
Photo By
Saturday, May 30, 2020 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Logan Hill
Converse County, WY
817
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Orin (BNSF) BNSF, Union Pacific
The race is on! Well, not literally. These load coal trains are both heading eastbound (geographically south) up Logan Hill. The BNSF train has four engines (2x2) whereas the UP train only has three engines (2x1), allowing the BNSF train to go a bit faster up the hill.
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Photo ID: 108082
Date Shot
Photo By
Friday, May 29, 2020 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Logan Hill
Converse County, WY
909
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Orin (BNSF) Union Pacific
After an evening rainstorm passed by, a westbound UP coal empty on Main 2 meets a rare non-coal train heading east on Main 1. The eastbound train is carrying Vestas nacelles, the power plant used on windmills. Note the faint rainbow visible in the distance.
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Photo ID: 105569
Date Shot
Photo By
Sunday, August 16, 2015 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Logan Hill (MP 69)
Converse County, WY
1996
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Orin (BNSF) BNSF
This BNSF coal train was loaded earlier in the day at the Black Thunder Mine East loadout. It is now climbing the west slope (geographically north) of Logan Hill on Main 4.
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Photo ID: 105568
Date Shot
Photo By
Sunday, August 16, 2015 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Logan Hill (MP 69)
Converse County, WY
1581
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Orin (BNSF) Union Pacific, BNSF
A BNSF coal load climbs up Logan Hill on Main 4 as a UP empty descends downgrade on Main 2. This UP coal train will be working extra hard on the return trip to get the loaded coal train over the hill with only three units!
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