The Battle for Crawford Hill

Description

Located in the northwest corner of Nebraska, BNSF battles the stiff grade and sharp curves of Crawford Hill. Almost all of the trains that traverse the Hill are coal trains, and although coal traffic isn’t as heavy as it once was, Crawford Hill is still a great place to sit and soak in the action.

You’ll see many BNSF coal trains, several BNSF merchandise trains, and several Jeffrey Energy Center coal trains, a joint UP/BNSF contract which runs with UP power. You’ll see many Citirail lease gevos, Union Pacific, KCS, and Canadian Pacific run-through power, all in run-8. Also, due to a shortage of PTC-equipped locomotives, we see some former Burlington Northern SD70MACs being used in helper service!

In several differnt trips to the area, we’ve accessed almost the entire line, bringing you both the classic views, from Saw Log Road to the double horseshoes to the S-curves at MP 411.6, to views not often seen to bring you as much action as possible. Join us as we make our way up the hill!