The RCPE Belle Fourche to Rapid City turn is about to duck under Interstate 90, as they head towards RC.

RCPE 3446 leads the LBFRC along the Black Hills with a train of bentonite clay loads. At Rapid City they will swap out their train for empties to eventually be ordered and loaded at Colony, WY.

RCPE 3482 leads the LBFRC along the Black Hills with a train of bentonite clay loads. At Rapid City they will swap out their train for empties to eventually be ordered and loaded at Colony, WY.

RCPE's Belle Fourche to Rapid City turn has found sunlight on their Northbound trip back to Belle Fourche.

RCPE 3435 and the two other units in trail are in notch 8, grinding up the grade on the South side of Sturgis.

The Belle Fourche to Rapid City turn has just about cleared a 10 MPH slow order, and will soon start ripping on them through Sturgis.

RCPE's LBFRC makes its way through the Northern Black Hills on a cold January day heading down to Rapid City.

A pair of SD40-2's bracket a GP38-3 on RCPE's LBFRC is easing into Sturgis and making the return trip north toward Belle Fourche.

A pair of SD40-2's bracket a GP38-3 on RCPE's LBFRC making the return trip north toward Belle Fourche and past the Black Hills National Cemetery.

A pair of SD40-2's bracket a GP38-3 on RCPE's LBFRC making the return trip north toward Belle Fourche.

A 4-pack of RCPE SD40-2's lead the LBFRC up out of Sturgis and toward Rapid City. In Rapid, they will swap the train of bentonite loads for empties and then return to Belle Fourche that evening.

An experience that took me back to my Calmar, IA, days at the IC&E...this southbound extra Belle Fourche job is down on their knees as they make the climb out of Sturgis. These 3 SD40-2's were pou... (more)

A trio of RCPE SD40-2's lead the LBFRC just south of Sturgis, and past the Black Hills National Cemetery

A trio of RCPE SD40-2's lead the LBFRC just outside of Sturgis, SD and heading toward Rapid City.

RCPE 3436 leads the LBFRC north along the Black Hills and back toward Belle Fourche with a train of empties bound for the bentonite clay mines in across the border in Colony, WY.