Nonstop Coal Trains Battling Logan Hill in Wyoming's Powder River Basin

5/22/23:
This video takes us into the heart of Wyoming's Powder River Basin, the largest coal-producing region in the United States and home to the four-track BNSF Orin Subdivision. Every day, dozens of coal trains utilize this trackage to access one of the many mines in the area, making for an almost endless stream of rail traffic. The long straightaways and limited vegetation mean that there is rarely a time of the day when a train isn't in sight. This video will specifically focus on the famous Logan Hill, where fresh 18,000-ton loaded BNSF & UP coal trains roll by at full throttle to get up the 1% grade. The heavy trains and high-horsepower action combined with the beautiful Wyoming landscape make for one of the coolest places to watch trains in the country.
Subdivision(s):
BNSF Orin Subdivision
Location(s) In Order of Appearance:
Logan Hill, WY
Bill, WY
Thanks For Watching & Enjoy!
(c)2024 River Line Productions All Rights Reserved

[@sliderdriver1]

We have motorways shorter than that train! 🇬🇧👍🏻

[@marval44039]

The sheer power of all those locomotives is insane,you guys have mega long and heavy trains to there. Great video

[@RiverLineProductions]

Thanks! Certainly is an impressive sight

[@stavio12]

USA has some powerful diesel locomotives. Awesome to watch as I model American railways all the way in Australia.

[@strandkorbnorbert2789]

Good Channel, Greetings from a German Railfan to US 👍🏻

[@kolejnakolej.1437]

Excellent captures and long video. Greetings from Poland. 👍

[@deutschebundesbahnh0]

That was a pleasure to watch! These big trains in this outstanding landsacpe, just awesome! Thank you from Germany

[@RiverLineProductions]

Glad you liked it, thanks for watching!

[@RailsofForney]

Just wait - those GEVOs are about to take over.

[@NormanSilver]

BNFS sure adds plenty of front end power.

[@JohnNyren65]

Fantastic footage, wow! On my bucket list for sure!

[@RiverLineProductions]

Thanks!

[@dagarlook1]

Very impressive video. Thank you!

[@dagarlook1]

So much effort and patience to bring this perfect document to us. Thank you again!

[@jonjenkins5253]

Many thanks for curing my insomnia, I’ll definitely be back for more.👍😎

[@stephenhassert6616]

Love the optical illusion of the camera optics plays on the trains' lengths. Perfect example is at 45:36. It appears to be a relatively short train. That is until you get to 47:04. Then it's "DAMN" that's long.

[@TheMetGuy]

Awesome catches, definitely nothing but coal trains, neat to see an intermodal as well! Love that tanker train as well on the Black Hills Sub

[@user-ph3ws7qj5t]

these trains reminds me of poor shoestring ..rip brother !!

[@user-ph3ws7qj5t]

amazing all those locomotives..wow to say the least !!

[@WillTheTrain]

I remember seeing this yard when I went to Gillette, endless lines of locomotives. (2:30)

[@juliensaint-cyr9355]

Merci Jacques

[@robadams5799]

45:55 - "GEVO" referres to the type of locomotive engine used to pull the trains. Sometimes these train videos use lingo that is unfamiliar to novice railfans like myself.

[@derklausi2095]

beautiful 👍👍👍 Greetings from Germany

[@user-qr7ee2cp4y]

That track must see an insane amount of freight on a monthly basis

[@RiverLineProductions]

Yup, years ago I think this stretch saw over 80 trains a day, it’s probably around 50-60 now I want to say

[@James-tr9vv]

These tracks are among the busiest in the country.

[@rickeyburke2596]

Looks like Galveston railyard, Hundreds of engines from the 60's, thru the 90's. Just sitting there rusting away.

[@user-vv6sw1gg8c]

First time I have seen 9009 since it was new. In Lincoln Nebr. Along with 9010 back in I think 2017.

[@jaygeist1425]

❤ hi it nice to see you did I good job 👍

[@akasasin86]

bucket list for me 😄

[@NormanSilv]

My uncle worked at Bill for CNW. Busy place he told me.

[@MidwesternRailfan]

Nice captures! The PRB is quite a sight to behold.

[@RiverLineProductions]

Thanks! Yeah, no where else like it in the country

[@ats440you]

I worked at one of the open pit coal mines near Gillette . Driving the giant WABCO diesel-electric trucks was quite an experience. Watching the BN trains loading coal was a near constant process. The whole effort from mining, processing coal, loading trains was a well coordinated effort that continued 24/7.

[@RiverLineProductions]

It sure seems like quite the operation, in the time we were they they loaded and turned around multiple of the empty trains we saw which was quite impressive

[@RiDankulous]

That's a lot of money sitting on that railroad track at the beginning of the video. Nice shots!

[@user-vh1uc6in7b]

Nice Job. 💯👏

[@RiverLineProductions]

Thanks!

[@johnv.cramer3008]

They should rebuild all stored engine and make them readey for the line !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@jaygeist1425]

Hi you did a great job on the trains

[@kingdomsbricks4762]

all the macs will be scrapped, some of the GP, SD40s and other randoms will most likely be put back into service if the work allows.

[@xrude7875]

what a great place to put a live cam

[@RiverLineProductions]

Would certainly be cool! Would love to see a 24 hour log of how many go by here

[@sethcampbellmusic]

Very nice video, hoping to head up there soon as it's a relatively short trip for me to see one of the coolest logistical operations in the country.

[@RiverLineProductions]

Thanks! Yes it is indeed one of the coolest, amazing how smoothly it works!

[@swagzoneus]

Wow 3:45 !! This video of yours is very good, I am a content maker about machinery and I also love it

[@ManiacRacing]

Am I the only one who dreams of my own personal locomotive? Nice little private train to play with

[@streamer728]

1:20:35 Returning from Eastern Missouri.

[@moontrainz3790]

2:30 BNSF 9939 was involved in the cactus train collision as the second loco of BNSF 5942s train

[@realyfe32]

I know we will never catch a video of this large locomotives and trains passing by or near a CAT mine dump truck because they are not planned to be in the same area as one another. But I would like to see the size and power together.

[@2surogat-surogatovich]

vwery nice

[@JohnDoe-ev9fo]

An extra like for the video length :D "1:23:45"

[@emwungarand]

48:50 niceee. T4 EMD

[@RiverLineProductions]

They sure look good in UP!

[@Romans--bo7br]

GREAT VIDEO!! Suggestion.... Please, put a "muffler" on your "mike".... would really help cut down on the nearly Never ending Wyoming Wind noise. Thanks again fro your efforts... much appreciated!! PS: I counted 108 locomotives in the lineup, including 23 that I could see on the far side of the yard.... ALL EMD's !! Should be.. All GE's!!

[@cd66061]

They appear to have very clean burning engines, if that’s the right terminology? No dirty ‘clag’ from the exhaust despite the huge power required to move such massive trains.

[@user-qr7ee2cp4y]

Think of all the money in engines there....

[@TheWizardGamez]

Decades of the investment and innovation. All sitting in one lot

[@pluckw496]

live in virginia we get alot of coal passing thru from west va going to the port in norfolk va to be shipped over seas. does wyoming do the same or where does most of there coal go?

[@enesdemirkol919]

How many horsepower is the locomotive?

[@RiverLineProductions]

Each one is either generally 43 or 4400 horsepower

[@RailsofForney]

4:02 9969…nice

[@RailsofForney]

22:40 What is BNSFs deal with those old EMDs?

[@demil3618]

_Black_ Hill not Black _Hill_ in my view…

[@user-ph3ws7qj5t]

how often do they maintain these coal cars ?? some are sqeeking and others are making a bumping sound, what happens when a long train carrying fully loaded coal train cars and one of the cars wheels fail or bearings burn up ..what then ?

[@MrSmegfish]

I used to live in Kentucky 5 am every morning Id need the toilet.

[@kkafridi12]

wow what a beautiful and spectacle view of landscape how far is cheyenne from here

[@haroldwilkerson2026]

Cheyenne is about 6 hours south

[@TheWizardGamez]

@@haroldwilkerson2026you can really forget how massive Wyoming is

[@duxberry1958]

hello @30:10 would that be a Bonnet

[@DL541]

I worked at a mine loading trains-I have worked on a shortline that handles unit grain trains. The mine like most had a grade coming out of the loadout. The way it was setup is that it was not possible to get a run on the hill as you were still coming across the outbound scale. Although it was a bit challenging, 3 units would grunt up to 135 cars up the grade. Normally it was 3 units and 124 or 125 cars. We had a few shorter sets of 120 and a few 132's. I think I had 3 on a 135 but it may have been 4. However, if it was only 3 units and 125 or more, BNSF you send a manned helper out of Donkey Creek or Gillette for the climb out of Donkey Creek on the Orin Sub.

[@makeithappenvideos]

cool

[@michaelcap9550]

Show this to a Greenie and let the hysterics begin....

[@brucekellett2269]

Ha ha I Thought the same thing. Regards from Australia

[@Jacks_Kitchen.]

Just put it on 2x speed lol

[@jackl.davisjr.7132]

How long is a typical Coltrane.

[@DJ-bh1ju]

20:50 I can actually UNDERSTAND this dispatcher !!!!! You listen to radio traffic elsewhere and it's gibberish....

[@RiverLineProductions]

Yup they're pretty clear out there

[@artmchugh5644]

Is there a speed restriction for tanker trains ????😊😊

[@BrucePerkins-mc3hp]

The tracks have a speed limit and the Individual train will have a speed limit That's set by the dispatcher. And then They have what's called the yard limit For trains going into a yard of generally 10 mph track limit for freight trains are maxed at 40 to 50 Amtrak will Generally run 10 mph faster then the freight trains

[@artmchugh5644]

@@BrucePerkins-mc3hp thanks for the reply!!!!🚂🚂🚂🚂🚂🚂👍👍🍺🍺🍺

[@agusriyadist8328]

Exdpedisi di indonesia jg perlu kembali pd cara lama , gunakan kreta. Namun fasiltas pendukung belum ada.

[@prasannaparthasarathy3011]

Gift it to Africa

[@keithdeley7236]

Lets hope it doesn't go through a level crossing ridiculous

[@RiverLineProductions]

Yup no crossings out here, not much of anything

[@WiilyDerbbinphlatte]

Absolutely!! Haul more coal for all these electric vehicles!!!

[@currentbatches6205]

EV fuel!

[@parimaldas5387]

Where is it?

[@parimaldas5387]

From india

[@MG-ge5xq]

Coal is still an issue in the US? Are there any efforts of getting out of it?

[@jlsracing997]

That is the issue. They are trying to get rid of the coal industry without having a viable alternative. Knee jerk government reactions.

[@DCB1209]

Issue? Whats the issue?

[@jlsracing997]

The only issue with coal is the government wants to shut the industry down with nothing able to pick up the slack for energy production.

[@michaelcap9550]

Hello No!

[@Brl46574]

Coal is still used everywhere buddy. But european media wont let you believe that of course

[@hope8612]

Why do they drive with high beams on during the day?

[@MrPossumeyes]

Aaahhhhhh, visibility perhaps? To anyone near the tracks? Maybe?

[@zbigniewkomar9278]

Terejn jedzie

[@rideshareog]

I live near Fillmore and I -25 in Colorado Springs. Many of those same trains pass in their hushed grandeur on the 2.5% downhill grade. Chugging the empties back home.

[@RiverLineProductions]

Colorado Springs is definitely on my bucket list, seen lots of pictures of these trains from around there

[@rideshareog]

@@RiverLineProductions Castle Rock, Greenland and the Monument area likely has some catch worthy spots.

[@SuperTech199]

Hi you did a great job on the trains