Three UP Coal Trains South of Bill, WY

During a Powder River Basin trip back in 2009 I caught two Union Pacific coal trains heading south out of the Basin together south of Bill, WY. A mine-bound empty 'splits the uprights' heading the other way.

[@hankbob2000]

I call them the Powder River Express. They go through Texas here regularly. Southbound full, northbound empty, a full cycle, 24-7. It's an amazing operation!!!!

[@leegraves101]

Same here in central Va. , empty westbound full eastbound

[@Corcoran09]

What choreography! You must have great connections with Union Pacific to pull off such an awesome three-train catch like that! Spectacular ending!!

[@bhproductions1061]

That was awesome I caught a triple train race at Conway

[@AGSGuy]

I love the powder river basin because of this 3 trains for one video & you can see for miles so you can see about 5 of them at the same time LOVE IT!!!!!! friendly crews as well

[@rorymacve]

Brilliant video mate! It's strange seeing that Southern Pacific Locomotive on the second train, 13 years after being bought and the SP livery still goes strong...

[@METX210]

Oh my gosh what a beautiful catch! Spectacular shots too!

[@htc6600]

There's literally never-ending action here. You're right about the concrete ties. Concrete ties are an expensive luxury but they make sense in places that can't go down for maintenance very long.

[@pinkykhatun8046]

Oomokkl

[@rewind48]

That was so cool. I love how they all meet in the end at the same place.

[@TRAVAM91]

welcome to the powder river basin, where coal is gold and trains are endless... great video!

[@bennoach]

Where I'm at, KY and WV are great for mountain RR action, but nothing like this! Great shooting! :)

[@LanceCampeau]

Because this type of train "meeting" is not common in most parts of the world. The footage is spectacular.

[@TrainVidsWithTom]

@penguingeneral2 This line is completely triple track (with an area of 4 main tracks too) and has heavy traffic. I was happy to catch this event, but I'd be willing to bet something similar to this plays out on this line one or more times per day.

[@bonkeydollocks1879]

Running very clean at full throttle

[@SantaFe19484]

The Powder River Basin is one of the biggest things on my bucket list.

[@anb740]

I was first there in 2010 at the height of train movements there. The war on coal has decimated the train count there, and track #4 north of Bill is now used for hopper storage. A sad sight. I photographed over 200 coal hauling EMDs in the deadline east of Gilette in 2017.

[@FutureTruckerJen101]

I just love to see all the enthusiasm in the enthusiasts. Warms my heart to see that there are people aware of this industry.

[@adhithiyanrajendran4060]

FutureTrucker Jen

[@FutureTruckerJen101]

what

[@tractorsmachinesro1405]

Great & epic work as always

[@justforever96]

I like it. For some reason this video seems kind of creepy, or sinister somehow. I know that doesn't make any sense, but you got these industrial locos, throbbing with power, and the long lines of cars, all identical, slowly moving past you, unstoppable, and the setting of the scene, and the lighting. It was way better than your typical train video. And there is something about the resolution or camera that makes it look almost like an animation or like it's filtered. I've seen that before.

[@KKEM641]

Great catch on the the three way meet. On the weight on the cars (I saw in one Kansas City a few weeks ago) on the train I saw, had an average of 21 tons empty, with a 101 ton loads, for a total of 122 tons per car (and figure roughly 137 cars). For the most part that is what I see on other trains. I would love to visit the Orin Sub someday.

[@nickbolton7343]

Sweet video. Very nice meet!

[@adkanp]

I have been to Bill WY and driven along that line from Douglas to Gillette twice. When you see coal trains running as often as streetcars, you know you are witnessing big time railroading. The videos do it justice. But go there and experience it. Douglas is a great place to get a hotel and great eats.

[@roywebb8188]

Wow that's a beautiful sight

[@idriwzrd]

Yeah, send the high-speed empty down the middle. For maximum coal dust dispersion.

[@25mfd]

You also mention market forces. I think it would be interesting to see if the PRICE of electricity would go up,down or stay the same if we were to leave coal and switch to wind/solar. Coal is much cheaper to aquire and use than the other alternative energy sources. Coal also has flexibility with regards to how/when you use it. You can leave it in the ground. You can mine it and use it immediately. Or you can mine it and stockpile it. Those options aren't available with green energy...

[@freighttrainsahpassing9790]

Seeing all that coal on two trains like that is pretty satisfying !

[@joestrainworldvideos3977]

This is an impressive train video. I subscribed.

[@sxcgirllvsisraeli3072]

LMAO!!!!!! Good one! ~ But I love trains, especially the real long ones, makes me feel like a kid. LOL

[@BladeLigerV]

I am ASTOUNDED that most people think semis and trucks are the optimal transport instead of freight trains. I want those people to LOOK AT THIS!!

[@Ranveer_sangha03]

BladeLigerV trains cannot go deep in the heart of the city or small town so who is winner in the end and 2nd truck haul produce california to new york 2 and half day is there any train in america doing that thing but yes mostly big cargo safely done by trains these days but i always wondring why america not using dc for train because so far i know train take lot of fuel isn't

[@FutureTruckerJen101]

Oh I know, I never really thought it was but it is a huge part, pretty much the entire heart of America. Trucking is a part in everyone's lives, many just dont reslize it. If Americans were more aware, they'd realize how privileged we are and how much we need these huge industries. If you bought it, a trucker brought it.

[@mlane3837]

FutureTrucker Jen I realized that trains hold a lot more

[@abdulsalamcute1526]

Yes ur ri8 beautifull Melanie Lane

[@Jemalacane0]

@@Ranveer_sangha03 Alternating current traction motors are better in every way.

[@adkanp]

i have been to bill wy twice and it is simply amazing to see

[@ThePaulv12]

Great vid. Love the drama, also really love the UP crews 'acknowledging' your filming of them.

[@koebi1144]

it looks like a model train;) good video!!

[@bambo7532]

fajna jazda równoległa!

[@SSnQ_LPCWSTR]

Niesamowita wręcz!

[@THEATREofPAIN270]

2:05, Wow, What an awesome shot. Fantastic post.

[@strobx1]

@sevenswanstudio That was a Grade Crossing signal normally used to warn highway traffic a train is coming. It is also a greeting.

[@TrainVidsWithTom]

In the U.S., if a train has a locomotive on the rear (Distributed Power), an EOT is not required and instead the rear headlight of the locomotive is left on dim and used as a marker. U.S. freight locomotives typically don't have red marker lights even built into them for use in 'trailing' situations.

[@MickFix]

Holy Crap! I would've been jumping up and down!

[@upheritage6]

great catches.

[@Erail87]

Gotta love those coal drags!

[@lorirocks777]

Nice video

[@pony133]

that is some big ass trains right there blimey

coal train racing will never replace NASCAR

[@topautos]

Superb shot ! :)

[@Quicksilver_Cookie]

Should take a snap of that and send it to Green Peace to hang framed in one of their offices.

[@2011Maynard]

Really nice catch - thanks for sharing....

[@AdiposeExpress]

Two things: the car and the airplane. In the early 1900s, cars became popular in the U.S. In 1956, the U.S. started to construct the Interstate Highway System, which created large high-speed roads, competing with the trains. Soon after, the U.S. invested in many airports, and plane travel, blessed with superior speed, took away the remaining passengers. In 1971, the U.S. created Amtrak to take over the failing passenger services, and their trains run on the now freight railroads.

[@NRRailfan228]

This is awesome!

[@TheMichaelWilcock2016Railways]

All our railways here in the UK are fenced off. In cities they're made safe by walls, buildings etc, never running alongside roads as with you. In the countryside hedges and walls again separate livestock and people from trains. Very few of our roads are " open ". No doubt we being a much smaller country we have less open space. Mike in Llanblethian, Wales, UK

[@vrfan]

Great catch. Whats the capacity of those hoppers? Just wondering how it compares to the stuff where I'm from which is up to 120t capacity

[@Trainlover1995]

Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, and Jeff Gordon were racing those trains.

[@AdiposeExpress]

Not that many. Amtrak is the only long-distance (non-commuter) train provider. The East Coast is where most of the trains are: there is the Northeast Regional, the Acela Express, and some long-distance trains between WA and NY. There are also some trains along the west coast and around Chicago. In the mid-west of the country there are only four East-west routes and one North-south route (which does not connect the former four routes). Look up "Amtrak Map" to see what I mean.

[@mrjodoe]

such powerful pieces :-OO

[@tfmercedez]

I personally visited a large coal power plant that had the capacity to burn between 9000 to 12000 metric tons o coal a day, depending on the heat demand for district heating, and electricity. There are out even power plants that can output 4000 MW/h. 500 MW/h is almost small.

[@boildpeanuts]

I would hate to see what happens to both those trains going in the same direction on different tracks when those 3 tracks narrows down to single track! Will one train stop or will they both collide into each other?

[@keithramsey5637]

almost a million views for a one in a million shot! right place right time.

[@choppersilver]

top driving there. those two would have emerged the other end of the empty waving at each other. good driving top marks.

[@jaeFFCC]

Cool Triple Coals!

[@jcvjcvjcvjcv]

And what makes putting Diesel in them more sense? Coal > plant > train is more efficient than: Diesel > train Especially if the Diesel prices rise.

[@edgarsiesoibarra]

nice video wonderfull coal trains

[@Passengervehicles]

Awesome video

[@jakeinlow1561]

Good catch on these coal trains

[@thunderstormzlightning]

great video

[@vthome78]

Awesome great catch

[@cebrynd]

1:00 (y) great shot !!!!

[@Passengervehicles]

Super video. Great catch !

[@TrainVidsWithTom]

Thanks! I believe these hoppers are also in the 110-120 ton range.

[@dd51de10]

Great passing scene !

[@RS-io6vm]

Longest trains I've ever seen ×1000000

[@AKAtheA]

Also don't forget that coal is needed to make coke, a vital ingredient in several important industrial processes, one of being steel making ;-)

[@KJ-xx6xr]

Huh, I kinda miss the coal trains of Wyoming. Used to see em all the time when we'd take 18 outta Orin Junction heading to South Dakota, and used to listen to them at night running from Glenrock Coal Mine to the Dave Johnson Powerplant. Now all I have to listen to are CN frac sand trains going by 3 miles away along the US8 corridor, they aren't near as long. Sadly people around here whine about waiting for a quarter mile long train to go past.

[@richardhelliwell1210]

What do these trains weigh in total? Always amazed at the size of US trains. Must be 100 wagons at 100 tonnes each = 10000 tonnes. I guess the locos must be 4000 hp each. I'm English by the way. Our freights are smaller but run a lot faster to keep out of the way of the passenger services on a very crowded network.

[@philbob99]

135 wagons at 125-130 tons (total weight on rail) each was typical in early 2000s. Plus power, 3 units average. 17,000 tons not uncommon. I was there and knew engineers.

[@MichiganCentralLines]

great video!

[@Cornelu]

Excellent!!

[@Boss302fan]

In general railroads in North America have determined that electrification does not make better economic sense in the long run. It's been looked at over and over throughout the past few decades but the way railroads in the US, CN and MX operate, combined with the cost of the change, makes in incredibly unlikely we'll see electrification on this continent in the forseeable future.

[@TheSlagman0]

2011 I was hauling coal with a 240 ton Komatsu haul truck at Antelope mine . It is the first mine north of Bill Wyoming and is still operating today no thanks to Obama! I was told in the high point there was 60 plus coal trains going through there a day !

[@ChadsRailfanExperience]

This bridge has a bunch of truck traffic on it now

[@TrainVidsWithTom]

Bummer.

[@RobertFWWhitlock]

phenomenal

[@irelandbloke]

Fantastic videos !

[@akhtarmehmood3791]

irelandbloke steemengine

[@هاديهادي-ل9ر]

irelandbloke ضفغه

[@robink7945]

imagine being late for work and you have to wait for those things to pass

[@megatrains]

Just subscribed!! Awesome video!!!!!!!!

[@zandmannetje390]

wow, great movie

[@ShizSmitty]

Ugh. I'm slightly frustrated by the folks who are making comments on this video in regards to how it shows how we are ruining our planet. Well the computer you are using to make these comments, view the video and send your emails has to be powered by something. We all like to turn our lights on and make coffee every morning. We all love to have lights in our homes so we can still be productive after the sun goes down etc etc etc. Trains are the most efficient form or transportation over land. The only mode that is more efficient are barges, which by the way are also used to haul coal and oil. Let's keep shipping via rail including oil. No need for the keystone pipeline, we already have plenty of trains to move our oil. We can improve the safety as the rail industry has been doing for over a hundred years now. Don't throw the baby out with the bath water. We can have efficient, responsible energy and transportation and rail is the way! Coal is domestic so we don't have to go to war to keep it flowing. The coal indusrty creates jobs as does the rail industry. We should improve the working conditions for people in all domestic industry. Stop sticking our noses in the business of other countries and lets bring this country into a new chapter where we can depend on ourselves through domestic sources of energy.Food for thought.

[@jackhoskins6684]

S.km

[@arlenegrundy7671]

Couldn't have said it better myself.

[@mjp29]

nice footage !

[@charliebrooks2570]

Very cool!

[@bellezayverdad]

It is incredible that Americans have not electrified their mainlines yet... Even in India main lines are electrified.

[@tractorsmachinesro1405]

Great work....Epic images...Thumbs UP!!! Big like & subscribe from Romania

[@5292Nate]

Right @ 2:06 is a great shot!

[@paulspomer16]

Kinda odd to see only GE power on loaded coals. Normally EMD power is preferred for those

[@TheMichaelWilcock2016Railways]

Makes our trains her in the UK look very short. An still no fences over there Mike in Wales

[@loganbaileysfunwithtrains606]

there are no fences because it is to expensive to put fencing on the sides of the tracks and most of the tracks leading to those mines are in the middle of no where

[@jabmolou]

You will find fences along rail lines where snow tend to build up along the tracks. the common name used is "snow fence" or to keep people away from the railroad tracks. Tell us Mike what they use fences for there in the UK.

[@mitymo1968]

our whole metro system in Sydney NSW Austrraliais all fenced off and its a big area

[@Quadrenaro]

Notch would be proud.

[@RailfanTurner]

Terrific train sandwich!

[@brandonmartinezbello9254]

fantastic.

[@25mfd]

...with green energy,you have two options. Use it NOW or convert the energy to a storable source. It's that second option of converting the energy to a storable energy that adds to the cost of green electrical production. And we BOTH know who will pay for that or ANY extra costs...The Consumer.

[@17br549]

Who gives a flying fornication about all that energy jive.?????????? GREAT catch on these rails.!!!!

[@SMILEVIDEOTRAINS]

Crackin' good video.. Enjoyed that

[@dwarfinger]

The important aspect relates to the realities of burning all that coal... 400 PPM and risen'...

[@silviowanderleimaieski]

Um país desenvolvido é assim mesmo!

[@RobertFWWhitlock]

phenomenal!

[@parkybob22]

this is very cool!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@TrainVidsWithTom]

It's my video, and I can't understand it either!

[@aab8504]

Gey

[@DirtyRecordsAI]

there is a long BNSF coal train driven by CSX for CN that comes through where i live and i've never seen it using red lights or an EOT they just leave the headlights on in the back and if their suppose to they dont lol

[@Cyclist0623]

"Should" is a big word. We're moving away from coal to cleaner NG, largely economically-NG is way cheaper now. More accurately said, cleaner-burning NG. But extracting it is likely to prove more dirty and dangerous than is being touted. There was a good reason the NG industry requested (and received, from GWB) full exemption from the Clean Water Act. We will rethink fracking when we lose an entire aquafer. So maybe we "should" use more NG, less coal. It will result in lower CO2 emission tonnage.