BNSF C-CNAM rounding a reverse s-curve near Black Thunder

BNSF C-CAMCDJ at Black Thunder Mine

A BNSF Portland,OR - Los Angeles,CA intermodal train is detouring through the heart of the Powder River Basin due to fires in northern California. It's seen passing under part of the Thunder Basin... (more)

UP SD70AH #9054 leads a BNSF coal train south at Lawyer Road with a fresh load of PRB coal. A month prior to this I caught this same UP/BNSF pair on a empty coal train ~1700 miles away in Atlanta,... (more)

Union Pacific coal loads roll south through the Powder River Basin

Union Pacific empties take the wye off BNSF's quadruple track mainline at 'Thunder Junction West' to get loaded at the largest coal mine in North America.

Union Pacific coal loads hustle south past part of the massive Thunder Basin Coal Company loadout which is the largest surface coal mine in North America.

Both loaded coal trains here at Black Thunder Junction are led by new units. One month old C&NW 8678 was built in April, and BN 9429 was built the month before. The C&NW train was loaded at Jacobs... (more)

A train loads at the Black Thunder West mine as loads roll south on the adjacent mainline.

A load of black diamonds head north out of Wyoming's Powder River Basin.

BNSF coal empties skirt the edge of an open pit mine in the Powder River Basin.

With the threat of a thunderstorm looming in the distance, a southbound FPPX (Fayette Power Project) loaded coal drag snakes off the Reno Subdivison from Black Thunder Mine and back onto the Orin ... (more)

Swap Meet at Jacobs Creek. Watco and BNSF crews trade trains. Watco crews handle the loading at Jacobs Creek and prepare to take the MT's to the loading loop for a re-fill under a picture perfect ... (more)

UP 5907 struggles to crest Logan hill with a loaded coal train. In a couple thousand feet, however, a knuckle, mid-train, will break and UP 5907 will go into emergency.