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Photo ID: 114289
Date Shot
Photo By
Sunday, August 16, 2026 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Antelope Mine
Converse County, WY
29
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Orin (BNSF) BNSF
From around 1996 until 2005 or so, BNSF's SD70MACs reigned on coal train. Over the next decade, as ES44ACs and SD70ACes started to come on the scene, the SD70MAC presence started decreasing. Today, SD70MACs have almost completely disappeared. Most are in long term storage, and many have met the torch and been scrapped. Over the course of the two days I spent in the Powder River Basin, BNSF 8908 here was the only SD70MAC that I saw.
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Photo ID: 114287
Date Shot
Photo By
Sunday, August 16, 2026 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Black Thunder Mine
Campbell County, WY
26
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Orin (BNSF) BNSF
An overview of the main Black Thunder Mine facility here in the Powder River Basin. You can see the incredible mining effort, and the valleys that have been created, to get to the low sulfur "black diamonds".
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Photo ID: 114286
Date Shot
Photo By
Sunday, August 16, 2026 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Black Thunder Mine
Campbell County, WY
32
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Orin (BNSF) BNSF
A Union Pacific coal empty is waiting for its turn to start loading as a BNSF train (with an MRL SD70ACe in the consist) is in the process of loading. Black Thunder can load a 125-car train in about two hours. With a 30 minute break (give or take) between, the mine could probably load around 10 trains in a 24 hour period.
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Photo ID: 114285
Date Shot
Photo By
Sunday, August 16, 2026 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Black Thunder Mine
Campbell County, WY
32
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Orin (BNSF) BNSF
One BNSF train is making its way around the Black Thunder Mine load out, in the process of loading. A second train is already staged behind, ready to follow the first in and start its own loading process. Trains load in a counter-clockwise movement around the balloon track here.
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Photo ID: 114284
Date Shot
Photo By
Sunday, August 16, 2026 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Black Thunder Mine
Campbell County, WY
33
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Orin (BNSF) BNSF
You can see three different coal trains here at the Black Thunder Mind load out. You can see the massive mine to the right. The load out can completely load a 125 car train in about two hours.
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Photo ID: 114283
Date Shot
Photo By
Sunday, August 16, 2026 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Black Thunder Mine
Campbell County, WY
33
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Orin (BNSF) BNSF
I like this shot as you can clearly see the multiple tracks that lead from the triple track main to the Black Thunder Mine load out. The single track to the right leads to the Black Thunder East Mine load out.
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Photo ID: 114282
Date Shot
Photo By
Sunday, August 16, 2026 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Black Thunder Mine
Campbell County, WY
31
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Orin (BNSF) BNSF
BNSF 6067 has come to a stop on one of the two leads off the triple track mains to Black Thunder Mine. The crew is waiting for a route to pull all the way in. In the background is the Black Thunder West load out, and the conveyor belt that supplies it with coal.
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Photo ID: 114281
Date Shot
Photo By
Sunday, August 16, 2026 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Black Thunder Mine
Campbell County, WY
26
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Orin (BNSF) BNSF
Black Thunder Mine is one of the largest load outs in the Powder River Basin, and there are five tracks for staging just off the triple track at Reno Junction. Two empties are waiting to be taken to the mind, and two loads came out and are waiting to be recrewed and depart.
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Photo ID: 114280
Date Shot
Photo By
Sunday, August 16, 2026 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Black Thunder Mine
Campbell County, WY
26
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Orin (BNSF) BNSF
At Reno Junction, BNSF 6067 is leaving the triple track and is headed toward the Black Thunder Mine.
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Photo ID: 114279
Date Shot
Photo By
Sunday, August 16, 2026 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Black Thunder West Mine
Campbell County, WY
25
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Orin (BNSF) BNSF
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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Photo ID: 114278
Date Shot
Photo By
Sunday, August 16, 2026 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Black Thunder West Mine
Campbell County, WY
31
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Orin (BNSF) BNSF
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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Photo ID: 114277
Date Shot
Photo By
Sunday, August 16, 2026 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Black Thunder West Mine
Campbell County, WY
26
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Orin (BNSF) BNSF
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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Photo ID: 114276
Date Shot
Photo By
Sunday, August 16, 2026 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Black Thunder West Mine
Campbell County, WY
25
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Orin (BNSF) BNSF
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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Photo ID: 114272
Date Shot
Photo By
Sunday, August 16, 2026 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Crossover 42.1 to Crossover 33.0
Campbell County, WY
25
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Orin (BNSF) BNSF
A pair of BNSF SD70ACes lead an eastbound coal empty on Main 3, as a single UP ES44AC bring up the tail end of a westbound coal empty. Because BNSF accesses the Orin Sub from both ends, empties enter from both ends to reach the mines. As a result, it is quite possible for two empties (or two loads) to meet each other, such as in this shot.
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Photo ID: 114268
Date Shot
Photo By
Sunday, August 16, 2026 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Converse Junction
Converse County, WY
29
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Orin (BNSF) BNSF
A pair of DPUs bring up the end of a westbound BNSF coal empty on Main 3 as a single UP DPU works hard to help an eastbound train up Logan Hill on Main 1, passing by the Antelope Lead tracks.
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