Photo ID: 108140 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, May 31, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed MP 366.4 Alliance, NE 679 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Butte (BNSF) BNSF, Kansas City Southern (ALL) In Alliance, NE, the Butte Sub comes to an end at BNSF's yard in Alliance. Three subdivisions actually meet in Alliance. This manifest is heading around the wye from the Butte Sub to the Sand Hills Sub to continue its journey east toward Kansas City. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108139 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, May 31, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed MP 379.5 Box Butte County, NE 659 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Butte (BNSF) BNSF, Kansas City Southern (ALL) A BNSF "H" train, the "H" indicating this is a High Priority Manifest. Finding a pair of Kansas City Southern units on the head end was a pretty great bonus to the train itself. The train is just a few miles away from the start of two main tracks at Berea. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108138 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, May 31, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed MP 383.5 Hemingford, NE 619 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Butte (BNSF) BNSF An ES44C4 and an ES44AC lead a westbound unit grain train, sometimes referred to as an "earthworm", westbound along a fantastically green field just outside Hemingford, NE. Two main tracks start at Hemingford and this train will take Main 1 west up and over Crawford Hill. An afternoon storm is building in the distance. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108137 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, May 31, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed MP 383 Hemingford, NE 627 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Butte (BNSF) BNSF A westbound grain train is on a eight mile stretch of single track between Berea and Hemingford. A manifest is waiting on Main 2 at Hemingford, about a mile ahead, for the grain train. Two coal loads are stacked up behind the manifest, too. The lead unit here, BNSF 4252, is a Tier 4 "credit unit". BNSF had some emissions credits saved up that allowed them to purchase some Tier 3 units even after the Tier 4 deadline. 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 612 (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 632 (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. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108134 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, May 31, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Belmont Crossover Dawes County, NE 618 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Butte (BNSF) BNSF At first glance, you might assume this coal train has four units on the point and is moving away from the camera. In fact, these are all helpers on the end of the train, shoving it toward the camera. The two SD70ACes are DPUs controlled from the head end. The two ES44ACs are manned helpers that will cut away from the train just a few hundred feet ahead. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108133 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, May 31, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Belmont Tunnel Dawes County, NE 594 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Butte (BNSF) BNSF Just 20 minutes after the last coal load came through, another eastbound climbs to the top of Crawford Hill on Main 2. An ES44AC and SD70ACe provide the power on the head end. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108132 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, May 31, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Belmont Crossover Dawes County, NE 661 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Butte (BNSF) BNSF After having helped an eastbound coal load climb Crawford Hill, this manned helper set will now return the 13 miles to Crawford to await the next train that needs its help. The dispatcher crossed the power over from Main 2 to Main 1 here at Belmont Crossover for the trip back. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108131 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, May 31, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Belmont Crossover Dawes County, NE 624 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Butte (BNSF) BNSF Here at Belmont, at the top of Crawford Hill, these two manned SD70ACes will cut away from this eastbound coal load. The coal train does not even stop when the helpers cut away. They are not coupled to the rear DPU, but simply pushing on the train. The helpers will apply some brakes, slow down as the coal train continues, and then stop on the opposite side of the signals. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108130 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, May 31, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Belmont Tunnel Dawes County, NE 624 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Butte (BNSF) BNSF A trio of units bring up the rear of this eastbound coal load over the top of Crawford Hill through the cut at Belmont. This is one location where you can still find manned helpers in 2020. The ES44AC in the only DPU on the end of the train. The two SD70ACes are actually manned helpers based out of Crawford. Up ahead, they will cut away from the train and return to Crawford. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108129 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, May 31, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Belmont Tunnel Dawes County, NE 640 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Butte (BNSF) BNSF A pair of SD70ACes leads an eastbound coal load on Main 2 to the top of Crawford Hill. Belmont Road passes right over the tracks here, offering a fantastic view of trains from either direction as they crest the top of the grade. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108128 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, May 31, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Belmont Tunnel Dawes County, NE 632 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Butte (BNSF) BNSF This loaded coal train is nearing the top of Crawford Hill on Main 2, coming through a steep cut that was built in the early 1980s. For a long time, there was only a single track over Crawford Hill. Here at the summit, the single track when through a tunnel. When BN decided to add a second main, rather than bore a second hole, an new cut was created and the tunnel was left. The tunnel is not quite visible in the distance and to the right of the cut. The last train went through the tunnel on May 3, 1982. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108127 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, May 31, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Crawford Hill Horseshoe Curves Dawes County, NE 638 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Butte (BNSF) BNSF In this shot, you can really see the incredible engineering behind the horseshoe curves on the west slope of Crawford Hill. A 120-car coal train wraps through the full "S" of both curves as it slowly grinds its way up the grade on Main 2. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108126 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, May 31, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Crawford Hill Horseshoe Curves Dawes County, NE 629 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Butte (BNSF) BNSF From this elevated vantage point, you can really see the horseshoe curves built to get the Butte Sub up and over Crawford Hill. As you can see, there are two main tracks the entire distance through the curves. Indeed, there are two main tracks for over 60 miles on this part of the Butte Sub, from Ardmore, SD all the way to Hemingford, NE. In this shot, a loaded coal train makes its way up Crawford Hill. The last two units on the train to the left are actually manned helpers based out of Crawford. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.

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