Loaded coal slowly making its way east out of the Red River Valley with an Oakway SD60 splicing a pair of whiteface Triclops.

BNSF 8244 leads eastbound coal off the coal connector which allows coal to move from the KO Sub to the Prosper Sub and then onto the Hillsboro Sub. Hope that fire truck wasn't in a hurry to get to... (more)

Westbound coal empties make their way out of the glacial flatland of the Red River Valley late in the day.

CAT-powered RRVW 4104 shoves empty hoppers down the line to get filled. Note the CAT sticker on the longhood and the Operation Lifesaver sticker on the front of the unit.

A six-pack of EMD power with a long manifest rounds the curve westbound in Lake Park on a very slow day after Christmas.

Late at the end of a busy day, BNSF 7863 leads this manifest east through the trench just east of Hawley.

Roaring south on a sunny and unseasonably warm afternoon, BNSF 8206 leads empty coal past the grain facilities in Thompson.

I wonder how many trains this little bridge has supported since it was built back in 1928? Here empty coal is about to add to the tally as it leaves the yard.

A CN Noodle, a rarity in these parts, fronts the daily Grand Forks - Northtown manifest south on the Hillsboro Sub shortly after sunrise.

Loaded coal snaking eastbound out of the Red River Valley behind a trio of typical northern plains coal power.

High priority Pasco - Northtown manifest rounds the bend eastbound as it slowly makes its way out of the Red River Valley.

Westbound BNSFbonnet hits the S-curves in Lake Park with a long intermodal train.

A rare daylight appearance by the Empire Builder in Grand Forks, it's seen here steaming south headed for Fargo about 9 and a half hours late.

On a day in which I caught a trio of Cascade Green Geeps, I was also able to catch a trio of Cascade Green SD40-2s, seen here running west with a long manifest.

Empty coal rushing west under an old country bridge behind a trio of SD60s. These units really stand out against the mid-December brown of western Minnesota.