Photo ID: 103786 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, July 23, 2011 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed MP 75 Bill, WY 1725 (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: 103787 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, July 23, 2011 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed MP 75 Bill, WY 2103 (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: 103788 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, July 23, 2011 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed MP 75 Bill, WY 1907 (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: 103789 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, July 23, 2011 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed MP 75 Bill, WY 1563 (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: 103790 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, July 23, 2011 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed MP 65.4 (Converse Jct) Converse County, WY 1606 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Orin (BNSF) Union Pacific A coal empty heads westbound (geographic northbound) through Converse Junction on Main 2 while a coal load sits on an outbound track from the North Antelope Mine. For you signals fans, it is interesting to note that the signals on Mains 2 through 4 are absolute signals while the signal on Main 1 (far left) is actually an intermediate! Note the that the yellow signal has a "G" (grade) plate as well as a number board, making it an intermediate. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 103791 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, July 23, 2011 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed MP 65.4 (Converse Jct) Converse County, WY 1534 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Orin (BNSF) Union Pacific A coal empty on Main 2 slows as it is preparing to head into the North Antelope Rochelle Mine lead. Meanwhile, an empty and a load sit on the inbound and outbound tracks (respectively) for the Antelope mine. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 103792 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, July 23, 2011 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed MP 62.2 (Nacco Wye Jct) Converse County, WY 1505 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Orin (BNSF) BNSF At Nacco Wye Junction, an eastbound (geographic southbound) BNSF coal load with 132 bathtub gondolas has clear signals on Main 3. Nacco Wye Junction is the entrance (and exit) into the North Antelope Rochelle mine. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 103793 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, July 23, 2011 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed MP 62.5 (East Nacco) Converse County, WY 1487 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Orin (BNSF) BNSF The last DPU unit on an eastbound (geographic southbound) BNSF coal load passes by on Main 3 as the tipple at the Antelope mine stands tall in the distance. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 103794 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, July 23, 2011 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed MP 62.5 (East Nacco) 1486 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Orin (BNSF) Union Pacific The BNSF coal train is climbing its way up Logan Hill on Main 3 while a UP empty sits and waits patiently on Main 2. The empty has been told by the dispatcher that they will have to wait about 20 minutes as the mine (North Antelope Rochelle) cannot take them it quite yet. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 103795 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, July 23, 2011 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Black Thunder West Campbell County, WY 1519 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Orin (BNSF) Union Pacific 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. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 103796 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, July 23, 2011 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed MP 42.6 (Reno Jct) Campbell County, WY 1547 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Orin (BNSF) BNSF There are three main tracks at Reno Junction (the entrance to Black Thunder Mine and Black Thunder East Mine) and this BNSF empty is on Main 1. In the Powder River Basin, you can see BNSF loads meeting loads or empties meeting empties because BNSF can access the basin from the north or the south. Thus, you may have a empty enter the basin from the south heading for a mine at the north end meet an empty the entered the basin from the north heading for a mine at the south end. UP, on the other hand, can only access the basin from the south. So westbound (geographic northbound) UP trains are always empty and eastbound (geographic southbound) UP trains are always loaded. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 103797 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, July 23, 2011 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed MP 42.6 (Reno Jct) Campbell County, WY 1812 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Orin (BNSF) BNSF An early-production ES44AC (in Heritage 2 paint) leads an eastbound (geographic southbound) through Reno Junction on Main 1. The relatively new Black Thunder West tipple is in operation loading a train in the distance. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 103798 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, July 23, 2011 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Coal Creek Mine Campbell County, WY 1505 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Orin (BNSF) BNSF, Union Pacific How do you get coal from the ground to the tipple? Some mines will use conveyor belts, but even that doesn't always get you there. How about a dump truck that requires a ladder to climb in to? At Coal Creek Mine, a truck filled with coal heads from the mine to the tipple. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 103799 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, July 23, 2011 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Coal Creek Mine Campbell County, WY 1751 (1 Comment Posted) Subdivision Railroad Orin (BNSF) Union Pacific, BNSF Now that is a dump truck! Imagine what it must be liek to sit behind the wheel of a vehicle that is roughly the size of most houses! This is how the coal reaches the tipple to be loaded onto trains. These dump trucks came by every minute or so, just hauling back and forth. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 103800 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, July 23, 2011 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed MP 1 Gillette, WY 1560 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Orin (BNSF) BNSF We are at the far north end of the Orin Subdivision (where all three tracks are own exclusively by BNSF and UP trains don't tread) and a westbound (geographic northbound) coal load approaches Donkey Creek Junction on Main 2. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.

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