The Powder River Basin
A Guide to America's Power Railroading Base

[This page contains an excerpt from the preface, explaining why and how this book came about.]

Preface

The first time I stood atop Logan Hill in Wyoming and watched and listened as inbound coal train after coal train received permission to pull within the preceding train's limits, stretching nose to tail for nearly a dozen miles, I knew that, in the words of the John Denver song, I had come home to a place I had never been before.

I had seen one too many abandoned track, either slowly succumbing to weeds or its rails entirely gone. I had seen even class I railroads operating over less-than-perfect mainline tracks, hobbled by slow-orders which didn't matter that much because the trains were spaced hours apart and the entire plant was underutilized.

In the Powder River Basin, on the other hand, the railroads couldn't lay tracks fast enough to handle the business. Yes, in the PRB, they are still laying new tracks. They were doing so on my first visit in 1995; they were still doing so on my third visit in the fall of 1997. They were still doing so on my fourth visit in late spring of 1999. They are still doing so now.

Another of my books, America's Classic Railroad Places: A Geographical Dictionary of North American Railroad Locations—see the back of this book for an extended description and ordering information—devotes several listings to the Powder River Basin and associated locations. However, each of the listings simply concentrates on providing basic information about the named locations.

Simple compilations of facts are often not enough when planning a visit to an area as large and complex as the Powder River Basin. So, here I've tried to combine background information with practical tips for everything from planning a trip to where to stay and even outlined a possible itinerary (with many options for modifications).

More than just a place to be seen, the Powder River Basin is a place to be experienced.

This guide does not tell you every possible fact about the PRB. Such a comprehensive work would be far to large and unwieldy to take with you on your travels. For example, most visitors interested in railroad operations in the PRB are not particularly interested in technical specifications of coal produced by a particular mine.

Rather, this guide tries to ensure that, with limited time, you can see the representative features and operations of the area, while being aware of their significance.

I've tried to avoid making this book simply a "go there; turn left" type of guidebook, though I would be remiss in not describing specific travel routes—and what you will encounter along the way.

Neither have I tried to impose my photographic view, by telling you to stand at a particularly location and point your camera in a particular direction. Rather, I've tried to point out that you may see interesting action at a particular location—and left it to you to decide whether you want to photograph that action at ground level or climb a nearby hill (provided it does not involve trespassing) to get a view from there.

Once you've started with the features included here, you will undoubtedly find other areas to explore, depending on your specific interests. This guide should help you in getting started and save you time, especially during your first visit.

If I had to characterize my intentions in creating this guide, I would say that what follows describes what I would show you if you hired me as your guide and told me that you had a week to learn about the Powder River Basin. These are the places that I would show you, and these are the things I would tell you along the way.

Would everything work out perfectly throughout the trip? Probably not. I've encountered minor glitches on many of my travels. But, each time I return to a particular place, I am a little wiser in terms of what to look for and what to avoid.

On my second trip to the Powder River Basin in the fall of 1995, Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF), the railroad that maintains and dispatches the jointly owned (with Union Pacific) trackage in the PRB, was exceedingly generous in not only allowing me access to some of its property, but also in providing one of its roadmasters (a supervisor in charge of track construction and maintenance) to act as a guide for a day. BNSF subsequently purchased a number of my photos from that trip for the railroad's internal publications.

Such cooperation is rare, and, short of being given a tour by one of the two railroads operating in the area, I hope that this guide will provide the next best experience.

While a few of the photos included in this guide were made on railroad property—for the reasons just noted—most operations in the PRB can be seen and photographed from public property.

For reasons explained in the following chapters, I have based all my trips to the Powder River Basin out of Denver, Colo., and the trip that I have planned for you follows that same pattern. You can, of course, choose to enter and leave the area from other directions, particularly if you live in Wyoming or one of its adjoining states.

But, if you do choose Denver as your access and departure point, it would be a shame to overlook the many railroad attractions in that area, particularly if you've come a great distance and are not likely to be able to return again in the near future. So, the final chapters also include pointers to the more noteworthy—and easily accessible—sites in the Denver area.

Are you ready to start planning your trip?

Many people—too many to name individually—offered valuable suggestions and comments for this work, some after reviewing early drafts. I gratefully acknowledge all of this assistance. The final responsibility for the content is, however, mine.

The information provided is, to the best of my knowledge, correct as of spring 2000. However, all of the information provided here as well as the information in the reference sources cited in the listings is subject to change. Therefore, none of the information can be guaranteed.

None of the information provided in this work should be considered to be an inducement to trespass onto railroad or mine property or to participate in any other types of hazardous activity.

Please pay careful attention to all warnings about travel in this sparsely populated area.

If you do find information that believe to be incorrect or incomplete, please contact me in writing, if possible via e-mail (ehr@mindspring.com) pointing out the specific location (by chapter and page number). Please specify not only the information you believe to be incorrect but also provide what you believe to be the correct information—and, if possible, a corroborating source for that information.

A mail-in questionnaire for general comments on this guide is provided following chapter 18.

While I may not be able to individually acknowledge all comments on this work, all such comments will be considered for possible inclusion in a future edition. Thank you in advance for these comments.

This book assumes at least a general familiarity with railroad operations and terminology. While this work is not the place to explain such basics as the operation of diesel locomotives, most terms new to you should be obvious from the context in which they are used.

I you are completely new to railroads, you may be interested in a forthcoming book (in the same format as this book) entitled The Basic Railfan Book. The new book—nearing completion but not yet available when the work you are now reading went to press—covers many of the basics, from equipment and operations to researching and planning a railfan trip.

The projected publication date for The Basic Railfan Book is—subject to some adjustment—late June of 2000. Look for a more extensive description at the end of this book and check my Web site (http://www.robl.w1.com) for availability information.

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