Westbound crude oil loads top out the Continental Divide at Blossburg, as they pass a 4 pack of SD70ACe helpers waiting to go back to Helena

Funny how time changes perspectives. At the time I was pretty mad that UP decided to start using their own power on these coal trains from Wellington starting the week I had flown out there to sho... (more)

A pair of SD70ACu locomotives, both facing east, shove hard on 12G as the finish their uphill battle over the west slope. The full interlocking of "CP-MO" is in view, showing off the new... (more)

The Byron Hill helpers are seen completing another assist up Byron Hill with an IC / BLE duo today.

A set of four Burlington Northern EMD SD40-2 helpers, spliced by a fuel tender, have just cut off the rear of a coal train, crossed over and are now headed back to Crawford to assist another coal ... (more)

Three Rio Grande EMD SD40T-2 Tunnel Motors push on a westbound Southern Pacific taconite ore train at Kyune, Utah, climbing the eastern grade of Soldier Summit. Passing the helpers is lone Utah Ra... (more)

This 5 unit set of Utah Railway helpers is rolling downgrade at Kyune near the top of the Price River Canyon. Actually I should have called them "helps" as that is what the Utah Ry. calls them. Ju... (more)

After pushing the caboose of a southbound coal train onto the main at Palmer Lake, Colorado, the help... (more)

As soon as a southbound Burlington Northern coal train stopped on the single track at Palmer Lake, Colorado, the helpers... (more)

The helpers on a BN coal train slow as they enter the single track at Palmer Lake, Colorado. After the caboose has clear... (more)

One In, One Out

After exiting the New Portage Tunnel, loaded eastbound coal drag NS 590 sits stopped with the head end just past the old SF duck under. 590 is in emergency, having ha... (more)

A westbound BNSF coal train sits with its head end just short of Head Lane west of Helena, Montana, late in the day of July 5, 2001. Two sets of helpers are being added to the “heavy” down at ... (more)

A set of helpers descend thru Slope Interlocking returning to Altoona. Before Conrail, both were former EL SD45-2s. CR 6661 was EL 3676 and CR 6663 was EL 3678. Both went to CSX in the 1999 breaku... (more)

As ubiquitous in this territory at the rear of heavy freights as cabin cars once were, a pair of helpers attached to an eastbound manifest exert their added dynamic braking power as the train desc... (more)

Helpers.