An empty coal train rolls through the Badlands on the Dickinson Sub.

A westbound engineers train for Glendive snakes through the North Dakota Badlands behind a pair of Heritage 1 liveried SD40-2s. An entirely appropriate description as I nearly stood on a rattler h... (more)

Coal empties cruise through the west switch at Sully Springs on their way back to the mines.

A pair of veteran BN SD40-2's lead a ballast train through Sully Springs, North Dakota.

A loaded coal train rolls through the picturesque North Dakota badlands on BNSF's Dickinson Sub.

Coal empties from Becker, MN snake their way out of Sully Springs to meet a load just down the line at Rider.

Just before sunset, a pair of EMDs shove hard on coal loads climbing the hill toward Dickinson. The 8281 will cut off just up the hill in Fryburg and return to Glendive for another shove.

A Spring Creek Mine, WY to Superior, WI coal train has just went thru the west switch at Sully Springs. The rear unit is one of the few SD70MAC's in H-3 paint scheme, 9839. 123 DEEX coal cars make... (more)

Three headend units, combined with a two-unit manned helper set work up grade through the badlands at Sully Springs.

Five headend units grind through Sully Springs. Luckily they made the grade without helpers and without pulling a knuckle or drawbar.

The rear helper does its best to shove the final third of a loaded coal train up the hill at Sully Springs.

The recent increase in the use of DPUs on BNSF's northern coal line doesn't appear to have affected the use of manned helpers in western North Dakota, as illustrated by the end of this train trave... (more)

With the locomotives giving it all the power they've got, an eastbound coal train going to Superior, WI tackles one of the most grueling hills in North Dakota.

Three of a kind

Almost four ex-ATSF SD75M in red and silver