Crawford Hill is located on BNSF Butte Subdivision between Edgemont, SD, and Alliance, NE. East of Crawford the railroad has to climb 821 feet on average grade over 1.55% over the Pine Ridge escarpment. Eastbound heavy trains get a push from a pair of Crawford Helpers for the 12 mile climb out of Crawford. An empty coal train is pictured here wrapped around Crawford Hill as the train drops downgrade working west towards Edgemont, SD, the next crew change point. They pass helpers shoving hard on the back of the DP on the Laurel to KC freight train.
