Wyoming Coal Trains - FULL VIDEO (1995) 

Thank you! You are right! Those days were the best!!!!

Too bad they were too late for the dash 9 Burlington northern

Thank you for the comments! I hope you enjoyed the video!!!

Thanks!!! It's not easy being in front of the camera!!! LOL

@@CVisionProductions1 For fans of your work good sir, seeing you in person like that is a dream come true.

Thank you so much Dennis!!! I really miss the CNW days.

its been a few years but did the CNW merger nearly brought the UP to its knees or was it SP?

@@DavidLeon140m3 CNW brought the UP big troubles especially in Chicago…it was bad. When they got SP it all fell apart…. Was not a good time in my career 😎

Thank you, Mark! We’re happy to hear that you enjoyed the video. And yes, those KCPL trains were really neat to see. We appreciate you watching and commenting.

That sounds like it was a fun trip! It is a blast to pace along with them alongside the highway. I've done that many times.

Thank you! I hope you enjoy it again!

Thank you for watching Bryant!!! I can’t believe how long ago this was too.

Thank you Colin! I'm glad you enjoyed it. We still have Midwest Classic Steam in stock.

@@CVisionProductions1 You're welcome good sir. I know you have Midwest Classic Steam in stock but finding a RARE copy in VHS will be even more rewarding.

Thank you Chad!

We agree! The horns of yesteryear were much more interesting and pleasant sounding than horns today.

My favorite horn out of all of these has to be the RS3K as heard here: 12:26 - 13:15 - 16:56 - 1:03:22

It's crazy, isn't it? I sure miss the good ole days!

@@CVisionProductions1 Me too. Just wish I’d realized it at the time.

Something you will probably never hear again. Thank you for the comment!

I agree! Thank you for watching!

I agree! Actually, anything CNW!!! Thanks for writing!

Those were less than two years old when this was made; and their AC44s less than a year old.

​@@anb7408Crazy how some are getting rebuild/converted into AC4400CWMs and AC44C6Ms (UP calls them "C44ACM").

Thank you Jason!

Thank you! I agree!!! And it was great when the horns echoed off the hills near Newcastle. Great times! Thank you for watching!!!

I agree! Only a few of the first order of BN MACs had the flashing ditch lights. The crews did not like them at all and they changed them back to constant.

Wow, thanks!

That's what I heard. Crazy! Glad they are still around somewhere. Aren't they now narrow gauge?

You are very welcome! Thank you for watching!!!

Thank you for watching!!!!

Thank you Tim!

You are very welcome Chuck. Thank you for watching!

Thank you Alex! Those were the days! It just isn't the same anymore.

Thank you Michael! We are working on it. Currently we are planning on only putting some of our older shows on YT. So stay tuned.

Thank you!!!

Couldn't agree more! Thanks for watching from New Zealand! Greetings from Minnesota!!!

I couldn't agree with you more. I think CSX was the only other RR to have those horns on the C40-8's.

They remind me a lot of the K5H’s heard on the old BCOL’s.

Thank you so much!!!!

Thank you Larry!!! I hope you enjoy it!!!

That's great news to hear! I hope more traffic comes back for all the people who have jobs out there and depend on mining!

We’re happy to hear that you enjoyed the video! 90s nostalgia is a big thing for us…

Thanks!

Same here! Thank you for your comments!!!

I agree Jeremy! Wyoming is a really neat state. Add in the coal trains, and that makes it even better.

Thank you so much Marty! Your kind words put a big smile on my face. I miss the Powder River Basin for what it was back then. Glad I was able to capture those trains and more happy that I have people like you who enjoy them. Thank you again and God Bless.

The 60M's had, and in some cases still have a great sounding horn. It was so neat back then to hear the horn echoing off the hillside in Newcastle.

That unit also had early, experimental strobe ditchlights which were used by the SP and BN in the early 90s. The EMD demo SD70Ms had some, too.

Ah, how times have changed. Yeah, cheesy is a mild term for that music. Not sure where I even found it!! LOL

@@CVisionProductions1 I miss that era, growing up as a 90s/00s kid, this brought loads of nostalgia!

It really is. Not sure why. But yes, they do sound awesome! Thanks for your comments. And we only wish we could have got that SD60MAC leading. But oh well....

Thank you so much, Kenny! We appreciate you watching our videos. More on the way - stay tuned.

@Cnw#8701 Just noticed that too. I thought that most railroads besides KCS didn’t use electronic railroad crossing bells until the late 90s. I thought that most railroads had mechanical striker railroad crossing bells in the mid 90s. I find that very interesting!

Yes, they were new and experimental back then. Good catch!!!

We plan to do a few more in the future. Thank you for asking!

@@CVisionProductions1 have you thought of doing some videos on smaller railroads in minesota, south dakota, or anywhere in between?

@@ajwillett7302 Mr. Laskowski will probably chime in, but yes, more are in the works!

Thank you! I wish more of them still were. Only a few here and there.

We’re glad that you got to visit the area. There’s still plenty to see out there. The number of trains may be down, but it’s still worth checking out. Thank you for watching and commenting.

Huh?

Only a few of the first order of BN MACs had the flashing ditch lights. The crews did not like them at all and they changed them back to constant.

@@CVisionProductions1 Thanks for the great info.

SD60MACs were a unique model! It's a shame that EMD didn't produce more of them after the demonstrators.

Those were some great pullers! We loved them too. The final years of the CNW were very interesting for motive power. Thank you for watching and commenting.

@@CVisionProductions1 thank you. It took me to a different world

Sometimes they left the door open because of no air conditioning in the cab.

Thank you so much Vernon!

@@CVisionProductions1 Your Welcome, Chris 😁👌

Thanks! I hope you liked it!!!

Thank you!

Thank you Ted. I hope that is in a good way. Haha!!! I hope you enjoyed the video!

The routes in this video are not as busy as they once were. Coal volumes have declined in recent years, but PSR is not to blame for that decrease. Thank you for watching and commenting.

Good eyes!!!

Thanks! It's not often you see those operating. Hard to record when it is raining.

@@CVisionProductions1 thanks, 😁 Chris.

Not sure exactly what you are referring to, but this was shot back in 1992-1995.

It was BN’s experiment with an articulated coal train it was in service starting in 1995

Nice! Thank you!!!

Thanks for asking Ross. That is the Sherco plant in Becker, MN. Thank you for your comments! I miss the CNW!!!

Thank you so much!!! I really appreciate that!

You could always find plenty of new equipment back in the 90s, especially in coal country. It was definitely a renaissance period in railroading. Thank you for watching and commenting.

@@CVisionProductions1 We actually met back in 1992 outside of Laurel. I was in HS, you were trying to navigate around an underpass (and the Bull) to get some shots, my buddy and I showed you the way. The idea of selling train videos was astounding to us.

Wow! Small world… You have a good memory.

Thanks! Probably the only thing that hasn't changed for me! LOL

It’s beat up but I found where it went

That is also where the Cowboy Line continued to Casper, Wyoming

Yes you know a lot about the CNW as well as I do

Only a few of the first order of BN MACs had the flashing ditch lights. The crews did not like them at all and they changed them back to constant.

Thank you!

CNW SD80MACs would have been incredible! The CNW passed into history just as their fleet was starting to look fantastic. Lots of new power and new paint in the early to mid-90s. Thank you for watching, and for the comment.

Thank you for the information!

@@CVisionProductions1 No Problem. But I also should add 28:07 You caught an BN SD60MAC trailing right behind of the SD70MAC. The BN SD60MAC is built for Burlington Northern in 1991 as a SD60M with AC Traction. These units are being used by BN, but after the ATSF & BN Merger these units have been sold off or retired. The current status of those units is unknown for these units, but I believed that BN 9503 is still alive as of today.

Those SD60MACs were neat units! Thank you for sharing those extra details.

Thanks 👍

Yes, the helper sets used the fuel tenders in that area, along with Crawford Hill.

@@CVisionProductions1 Interesting. Very interesting.

Hi Drayton. Absolutely. Thank you for asking.

Isn’t it funny how certain things in the video reflect the time they were done? Thanks for noticing that. I still chuckle to myself whenever I see that intro. Sometimes I really want to change it, but I know it reflects the time it was done. Thank you for your comments! We appreciate your support.

Yes. That is a fuel tender.

@@CVisionProductions1 Interesting, I guess they wanted longer range between stops?

That would be the Burlington Northern.

@@CVisionProductions1 I watched that BN logo & arrived At the Burlington Northern conclusion, looks like they had a corporate color change from Green to B&W, or vice versa, 😁👍👌

You are correct.

You said that they are taken to north platte but that’s because sometimes the coal trains will have a crew change

CNW operates the coal trains between the mines and South Morrill. UP operated the trains across its own network including South Morrill to North Platte. Many of those same coal trains were handed back to the CNW at Fremont, Nebraska.

It was a great time for them before they were layered in coal dust.

Probably explains why they were always the lead locomotives

They were unique.

Look at their dash 9 sounds they had the best horns ever

@@CVisionContributor sounds like a k5la

@@fishingwithkeaton8384 Well, you know what. You’re exactly right. That unit had a K5LA! We went back and watched the footage, then confirmed it with pictures of the locomotive from the 90s. Right on!

You never know! We have lots of unused footage. Thank you for the comment, Thomas.

I don’t remember the model number but it was a Sony Betacam.

We learned a lot since then. Most of what we do now does. Thank you for commenting!

I understand how you feel. I wish I shot the Milwaukee Road and CB&Q. But don’t use anyone else’s footage. That’s not cool.

1989 and 1991

The footage on this video of the CNW was in 1994. Our video “Remembering the Cowboy” was mostly 1994

I really REALLY wish I did, but I don't. Sorry about that.

It’s ok

The CNW did actually have a main line between Casper Wyoming and lander Wyoming

What’s your favorite railroad

Mine is definitely Chicago And NorthWestern

It was a failed transcontinental route. They were aiming for the west coast, but never made it.

Did they just not have the money

They didn’t have the resources or the vision to complete the route.

Why was it even built then

They had high hopes early on.

Newcastle. By far. I love the town and the places to watch trains. Thanks for asking.

​@@CVisionProductions1Are the people friendly?

No, unfortunatley not.

@@CVisionProductions1 big sad

Hi there, Gabe. Which train are you referring to? Engine number (or train symbol) and location are very helpful for us while answering comments. Thanks for watching!

The Montana rail link sd40-2 in Gillette

Ahhh, yes. Thanks for letting us know. That was actually an SD45-2. We made an error on the classification. Either way, that was a neat train.

@@CVisionProductions1 yep it sure was

No railroads owned any of the mines. They are each independently owned. The railroads only had contracts with the power companies who purchased the coal from a particular mine. However, CNW was only able to access the mines between Converse Junction up to Caballo Mine.

This site shows who owns the mines. www.up.com/customers/bulk/mines/m-sprb/index.htm

I was asking if the C&NW RR had access or went to any mines that the BN didn’t

Not that I know of. All of the ones that the North Western served, the Burlington northern served as well.

Probably because BN and C&NW had to agree with each other that they needed to share all the mines so they could get to the power plants that one railroad could have access to

Thank you Tony!

Bob Wilcox explained it perfectly. The C&NW recognized the potental in the PRB in the early 1970s but could not find a way to finance the project. During this time I was a Market Manager at the C&NW. The BN initically announced they were going to object to the C&NW coming into the PRB. Robert Spafford, Chairman of the ICC, invited Larry Provo, CEO of the C&NW and Bob Dowding, CEO of the BN to a meeting in Washington. He pointed out to his guests that the US faced an energy crisis and the national interest required the C&NW coming into the PRB as soon as they could arrange financing and specifically without a long drawn out ICC case about the C&NW getting access. The two CEOs agreed with Mr Spafford's view. However, the C&NW was unable to finance the project via the Cowboy Line or a connection with the UP in NE. Therefore, the UP thought the C&NW should step aside and not object to the UP coming in from Nebraska via the North Platte River. The C&NW's counter proposal was that they set up a joint venture(Northwest Town Properties). The C&NW contributed their geographic position and the UP contributed their borrowing power to the new joint venture.

Actually, 28 years ago. April 25, 1995. UP purchased the CNW

Noooooooo😢😢😢😢😢 my great railroad

Usually between 115 and 135.

I’m not saying my vision is bad it’s just because of the blur

The conical-shaped, wood-shingle roof is topped by an ornamental finial. A sign on the tank's southeast elevation reads, "Fremont, Elkhorn, and Missouri Valley Railroad 1886-1986" with a drawing of a steam locomotive.

@@CVisionProductions1 what does it say on the sign

At 41:23

www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=41961

Nope. Didn’t want to bother them while they were working.

Ok makes sense

I remember hearing that years ago. I still find it amazing that some of those C40-8’s are still in service on the CN. Thank you for sharing!!!

Yeah, the engineer was pretty weak with the lever.

@@CVisionProductions1Was the horn fouled?

Thanks for sharing your take on things. It’s been surprising to see how quickly coal traffic has declined in recent years.

And also sad and sickening. W. Virginia is even worse. Entire towns turned into ghost towns when the mines shut down and the rail traffic dried up.

What’s sad?

@@CVisionProductions1 that the UP bought the C&NW

@@CNWrapidrails6834 Yeah. That was a sad day.

They are not fake names. We do not make up things in our videos. They are railroad station names for sidings.

Ohhhh ok did you ask cnw and bn what they call their blocks

Btw I realized that the railroads have their own names for signal blocks sidings underpasses overpasses crossings and other plases