Planning trip to Powder River Basin at the end of August

[Murphy Siding]

     I can tell you this,  in that area.

That has to be the funniest thing I heard all day. Very good one!! 

Not a lot of trees to get in the way of your photos in the PRB.

I lived in the early 80's.  I had a cousin who lived there, and I called him and asked what it was like.  He said "There is a pretty girl behind every tree."  I asked what that meant.  He said even the trees were ugly, and there weren't too many of them.

[Doublestack]

     I can tell you this, there is a pretty girl behind every tree in that area.

That has to be the funniest thing I heard all day. Very good one!! 

Not a lot of trees to get in the way of your photos in the PRB.

[miniwyo]

I've heard that when you get out to those parts the Jackalopes are as big as 50 pounds. My friend said people have seen them chewing on truck tires during the last drought. Imagine trying to take an insurance claim in and telling them a Jackalope ruined 2 tires on my pickup truck while I was sleeping in the motel room.

 

I saw one the other day that was big enough that when the little Honda stopped on top of it, it was high centered, and The antlers punctured one of the tires!

 

     I can tell you this, there is a pretty girl behind every tree in that area.

 

Thats good in theory.... But there has to be trees here for that to actually happen!! :D

 

[Railway Man]

Five places you have to see in person to grasp what railroading is all about in the U.S. today, (not listed in any order):

1. Powder River Basin
2. North Jersey
3. Los Angeles/Long Beach
4. Chicago
5. Houston

RWM

[Murphy Siding]

     I can tell you this, there is a pretty girl behind every tree in that area.

[Boyd]

I've heard that when you get out to those parts the Jackalopes are as big as 50 pounds. My friend said people have seen them chewing on truck tires during the last drought. Imagine trying to take an insurance claim in and telling them a Jackalope ruined 2 tires on my pickup truck while I was sleeping in the motel room.

[rogruth]

I also would like to visit that part of the country someday.Not sure I would virst the Powder River Basin as I have seen coal trains all my life.Can see some of those same trains here in southeast Georgia.

[Doublestack]

Hi Railbird,

Where are you starting from?  I may be able to give some suggestions of things to see on the way. (i.e. if you're coming from the east, there are a number of rail things to see across I-90 in SD, prior to Rapid City.)   In Rapid City, you can check out the DME yard just southeast of town, along hwy 16T.  There were still a couple stalls of the roundhouse there yet last time I visited (that's approx 1 mile west of the yard, closer to town.)    Going from Rapid City toward Gillette, you'll parallel the DME line that runs out to the Bentonite mines at Colony, WY.  The Hwy parallels from Rapid City, through Piedmont, Sturgis and as far as Whitewood, where the tracks swing further north.   A DME turn works out of Belle Fourche (pron. Bell Foosh) to the mines and another to Rapid and back. 

Just across the Wyo state line, you'll pass through Sundance.  You could head north from here to see Devil's Tower.  Very cool Natl Park.  It has a 2 mile walking trail (reasonably flat) around the base.  Incredibly unique feature.

If you follow I-90, you'll come up alongside the BNSF Alliance - Gillette mainline at Moorcroft.  If you're based in Gillette (which is a decent idea), you can take a day and drive from Gillette down to perhaps Newcastle - maybe to Edgemont.   Between Gillette and Newcastle, the mainline follows closely along WY Hwy 16.  You can get food at a couple of the small towns (i.e. Upton.)  The tracks cross under 16 near Upton.  You can stop on the overpass and photograph pretty safely.   There are a number of sidings and last time I was there, this was still single track - but really busy.  Empty hopper trains come up from Alliance to Gillette and then go either north or south to the mines.  There is also a decent number of manifest trains on this route, which I find to be a nice brake from the endless strings of coal hoppers on the PRB.  Newcastle is a full service town (by WYO standards).   Good food at the old Grain Elevator restaurant.  Gas stations, etc.    Personally, I really like railfanning this stretch.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=197275

 

From Moorcroft to Gillette, get off of I-90 (at Moorcroft) and follow Hwy 51 along the tracks.  Good close access from the public road.  There are few sidings and an overpass (Rozet).  You'll also see Donkey Creek Jct which is where the "Coal Line (aka Joint line)" (North South line from Gillette to Orin/Douglass) breaks off of the Alliance-Gillette line.   Hwy 51 goes right over the Wye tracks that make up Donkey Creek Jct. 

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=55387

Timber Creek Rd follows the main line South from Donkey Creek for a ways but I believe it dead ends about 3 miles in.  On Hwy 51 you can also drive close to the mine and power plant a Wyodak, just before Gillette.

Back to Gillette - don't forget the 4 or 5 mines North of Gillette.  You can get some really nice views from hwy 59.  Just follow 59 north out of Gillette 2-3 miles.   One of the mines is very visible from the Hwy.  There is a huge culvert over the entrance to one of the mines - nice photo op. (Don't go inside anything like that tho - dangerous as far as trains - and snakes.)

Going South from Gillette,  go South on 59, then catch one of the roads to the east that will get you to Hilight road.  (T-7 road, Wagensen Rd, Breene Rd)   Hilight Rd parallels the tracks very closely for miles and miles.   You're going to see trains.  Lots and lots and lots of trains.  Moving trains, standing trains, waiting trains - just a boat load of trains.   When you get to Reno Jct, you can get up on the overpass and see the wye that feeds into Black Thunder mine and Jacobs Ranch Mine.  Black Thunder used to do tours - still might.  http://www.archcoal.com/aboutus/blackthunder.asp

Reno Jct:

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=210412

 

Lots of wildlife around Blackthunder as well.   Drive a couple miles east of Hwy 450 and you can see a lot of Jacob's Ranch mine. 

Its hard to miss the mines out there with their 300' tall load out towers standing up on the relatively flat plains.   http://www.palungjit.com/gallery/data/516/medium/x95-15.jpg

South of Reno Jct, you can follow Hilight for a ways, but it crosses over the tracks and get away.  You may have to use your atlas if you want to stay closer.

For my money, I'd hop on 450 west, take it a few miles to 59 South and head toward BIll.  Just north of BIll you'll find Natl Forest Rd 942 (I think its also called Stickney Rd).  Its at the top of Logan Hill - 4 track main.  Southbound traffic pulls up hill hard.    There is an attractive curve for both NB and SB traffic.

Logan Hill:

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=211944

Just south of here is Bill, WY which is basically the UP staging yard for the mines.  You can drive in and get a few photos.  There's a contract car repair shop here too.

A little further south UP breaks off at Shawnee Jct and heads east.  You can go into Douglas, WY and catch  Hwy 18 east toward Shawnee, Lost Springs, Lusk etc.   Lost Springs Grade is another place to watch loaded trains really rumble to make it up the hill.   Note the city limit sign at Lost Springs - Population 6.... and I've never seen those 6 anywhere.

On the way to Shawnee, you pass through Orin- that's where the BNSF line up from Denver heading to Billings splits from the coal line.  Some good photo spots here too.

You can follow the BNSF SE into the Wendover Canyon area.  Just magnificent canyon. 

Keep in mind its about 100 miles from Douglas to Gillette.  You might want to stay a day or two at Gillette and a day or two at Douglas to let you work the north and south end of the line.

From Douglas, if you're heading back east to go home, you can follow UP toward Lusk, head into Chadron, catch the BNSF again (Alliance - Gillette line) and follow it up toward Crawford and Edgemont - then back to Rapid City - if that fits your travel need.

The 1880 train in Hill City is pretty cool.  They have an articulated tank engine that they've restored. 

You should have a nice time out there.  Catching trains in that part of the world is like shooting fish in a barrel.  There are places that I've been (Reno Jct) where you can see 4 or more trains at once coming, going, loading, etc.

I've been on the PRB in just about every month of the year.   I've had some really hot days in the summer (as noted above) bring lots of water.  I've had 75 and sunny in January out there but that changed in about 30 mins to a blizzard.  Screwy.  I'd say June-Aug is summer there and the chance of snow or the like is fairly slim - still check the weather reports daily.

I hope you have a great time. Take along plenty of film or memory cards, sunblock, binoculars and be safe. There are plenty of places to shoot trains w/o trespassing.  Finally - I'd do a search on this forum because I know this question has come up before.

Happy hunting,
Stack

[miniwyo]

Might I also suggest picking up the Wyoming Atlas and Gazetteer published by DeLourme. I live here and still refer to it quite often. That will show you lots of the back roads and help you navigate where the GPS doens't know where you are.....

[sgtbean1]

 

The Bill store has snacks and whatnot, and a tavern, as I recall. That's also the place to buy your "Bill Yacht Club" hats.

It's still in business? I visited last August and at mid-day it seemed pretty much derelict.

Anyway, a light meal can be enjoyed in Wright, Wy - some 10 miles west from Reno Jct. There's a gas station there and at the least a Subway. The rest of the PRB is pretty much uncharted territory. If you are solely there to catch train action, I'd consider Hilight Rd. It runs from just north of Coal Creek to somewhere near the new Black Thunder South cut-off. Do stake out at the haul road just east of Black Thunder to catch some of the big rigs crossing under the tracks and the highway. Pretty impressive.

If you go out there, take water - lots of it. I went out for a full day of railfanning and took a 24 bottles of 13 oz. of water. I drank half of that on a single 6 hour trip. And bring a windbreaker or something. Even though it get pretty hot on those prairies, the wind seems to blow for ever. If the sun is blocked by clouds for even a few minutes, with a stiff breeze like that in the PRB it can get chilly pretty quick.

As to hotels, there's a good one I know of from personal experience: the Hampton Inn. It's at the west of Gillette, Wy right off of I-90. There's also a couple I've read about with views of the tracks, but I can't remember the names. Gillette and the Hampton will serve well a base for "attacking" the PRB area. Donkey Creek Jct is about 10 miles out of town to the west, you can get to the mines in the northern part of the Orin line by paved roads, you can get to the mines on the Campbell sub - Gillette is pretty much the best place to settle for the PRB area. 

As for spots: there are a few along hilight Rd. that give a good view of the tracks without tresspassing onto RR property. Since there are a lot of BNSF trucks going up and down all the time, I don't think you'd last long if you were tresspassing, but you dont have to to get some good angles. One particular spot is off the "highway" between Nacco Jct. and Antelope Mine. Going south, just before you go over a viaduct that spans the Antelope tracks, there's a sort of a power substation between the tracks and the highway. There's a somewhat improved dirtroad that leads to it from the highway. Take the dirtroad past the power substation. There's a little hill just north of the lower part of the railroad S-curve. Gives a great shot of Nacco Jct to th north and Antelope and the start of Logan Hill to the south.

Anyway, go out there and have a blast! It really is a great area to do some trainspotting! I wish I could join you. I kinda fell in love with the PRB since I visited last summer.

[mikeyuhas]

There is nothing on the road in the PRB for meals and snacks and gas so do not leave town without a full stock of what you will need.  There are crew facilities at Bill, WY but I am not sure if the restaurant is open to the public or not.

 

The Bill store has snacks and whatnot, and a tavern, as I recall. That's also the place to buy your "Bill Yacht Club" hats.

 

 

[mudchicken]

Get your room reservations in Gillette as far in advance as possible. Gillette is a boomtown right now. (major housing shortage and don't wander into town too late looking for a room.)

...and as pointed out above, this is the great empty spaces - DO NOT COME UNPREPARED (or be coyote food).

Mud

[arbfbe]

Rapid City and Cody are north of Gillette.  Plan a route west out of Rapid City through the Black Hills to Edgemont.  Check out the Black Hills Central operation for some nice steam power.  From Edgemont you can find Moorcroft and Newcastle and the road will follow the tracks all the way to Gillette.  There is a BN U30C stuffed and mounted in a city 'park' on the east side of town.  Motels in Gillette are scarce, full and over priced.  Lood into Douglas, WY for more reasonable lodgings.  There is nothing on the road in the PRB for meals and snacks and gas so do not leave town without a full stock of what you will need.  There are crew facilities at Bill, WY but I am not sure if the restaurant is open to the public or not.

If the unpaved roads are wet be careful to stay on the graveled ones or you will find the clay in the soils will make them very slippery to impassable.  Sunlight Road is the key to parts of the trackage and there are a number of overpasses to work from.  Any of the railroad junctions in the area will have roads to them and no one will bother you if you stay outside the railroad fence lines.  It is really wide open, people are friendly though those at work in the coal mines and oil fields are in a hurry so you can feel free to practice railfanning pretty much unnoticed and left alone by folks in the area.  The Bel Ayre Mine used to offer mine tours during tourist season.  A check with the Gillette Chamber of Commerce might provide some information and maps of the area.  Otherwise purchase a DeLorme Atlas for WY to help navigate.  If you cannot find one where you live at B&N then as you get close you can find them at B&N or Wal-Mart.

Have fun, stay safe.  It is a different world out there, it is fun, though.  

[Boyd]

Thats a trip I want  to take some day.

[miniwyo]

Down here in this part of the state, There are a couple publicly accessable county roads, that they let the Mines govern, and They have them losted big signs that say, LEFT HAND TRAFFIC. So it is not totally impossible to get on one of those roads. Just drive on the left side, They do this that way if thier haul trucks side swipe, it isnt on the cab side...  Also be absolutely sure you are on a public road before you venture onto it.

[Anonymous]

Like as not, those haul trucks wont bother stopping. It will be ON YOU to evade em. If they did hit you, likely they might hear the thin scream or hear a bump but keep right on going especially if they are preoccupied or fighting sleep.

One clue is a NICE WIDE gravel road... something like 4 interstate lanes wide. Those belong to Haul trucks.

[miniwyo]

Actually, I don't think weather wise you will have much of a problem, They are at a lower elevation on the east side of the state, and the past few years, the snows dont come until mid to late september, if not later. So any snow that does happen to fall will be minor. If at all possible, don't let your fuel tank drop too far below 1/2 full.... Definitely make sure you have a charger for your phone. You may not have service in all places though... Wyoming is pretty patchy sometimes. If you need a place to stay, just just roll into town thinking oyu can get a room. MAKE A RESERVATION!! The oil boom has forced alot of companies to house thier workers long term in the hotels. Make sure you have clothing that will block the wind, nights in Late august can get chilly, and if the wind starts blowing it will blow fast and cold.... If you want to get to the more remote places, a high clearance vehicle is reccomended, 4WD is not a big deal, but it helps if you decide to get stuck in 2WD. I am not sure, but they may have some public dirt roads out there that they let the mine use and govern. Keep a look out for sinage, Some of those roads that they may use for Haul roads are Left Hand Drive. Dont want to head on with a CAT 777....

[garyla]

Just a "ditto" for emphasis on one item. 

The weather can really surprise you there.  You're at a fairly high elevation and, make no mistake, it can snow ANY day of the year.

[Anonymous]

Think about gas. Bring cash for that gas. Dont depend on every exit to have gas. Fill that tank every time you hit 2/3 or 1/2 tank. Some roads out west have signs saying "No gas next (30-200 miles) and they mean it too.

It's God's Country out there, but end of august signals onset of winter. Bring Chains too.

Stay OUT of those casinos and other traps. You dont need to lose your dollars there.

Keep one ear tuned to the local weather in your area. The Mountain range up there have a way of catching the unwary.

Buy a second battery for your cell. And a car charger too. Leave your travel plans for the day with some one in the family and check in daily because sometimes people leave up there and never show up where they wanted to go.

Take care of your nature before you drive and dont drink so much so fast either. That part of the USA is pretty wide open up there.

It would be better to hit that area sometime late may or so before the heat sets in. It is right short spring and summer up there. But what lands! Dont get caught with bad or cheapie tires. take care of your tires.

If it sounds like Im being a bit harsh or overly paranoid, apologies in advance. But I say that you are embarking on a great journey and the West is not the place to be skimping like the tenderfeets do back east thinking there is a 7-11 or starbucks every 5 miles.

I dont know too much about hotels, but I doubt there will be too many Hamptons up there. Probably Super 8's will be the best choice.

Everyone should get up there at least once in a life time. It's SOOO worth it.

The Trains? Well... I wasnt up there to rail fan much, too intent on getting over the Cabbage or out of Sheridan and eastbound gone before that winter storm caught us and made us stop to chain up. Once we hit the Dakotas it was time to open her up and let it run for St. Paul.

That Gillette or the Powder River is the great coal country. Seems that the entire United States wants thier trains loaded yesterday there and coal at thier power plants today. It aint the hard coal back east.

[dehusman]

Tip : When trying to find hotels, look for Gillette, WY, not Gillet.

With search engines, spelling counts.

Dave H.

[railbirrd]

I am planning a trip from Rapid City SD to Cody WY and plan on doing some rail fanning around Gillet Wy and south to see as much of the Powder River operations as time allows.

Need to find a good motel/hotel in Gillet for a base for a few days.

Any good hot spots to view trains without being herassed.

Any info would be appreciated.