Western Railroad Discussion > My 2013 Trip to Crawford, Ne. (Butte Sub) Day 13

Hello

My 13th day turned out much better than my 12 day for sure, and I at least closed out my trip on a bit of a positive note, before I would leave the next day for home.

I had not visited the northern end of the Butte Sub, in South Dakota yet, so I moved out and headed north.

I set up and positioned myself near MP 468 at the sight of the old army fort called "Fort Igloo". The bridge crossing there makes a great vantage point for photography. If you have a nice wide angle lens you can capture what remains of the fort in your photos along with the trains.

The buildings which make up the fort, have fallen into decay, and are rapidly disappearing. I attempted to capture as much of the fort in my photos, but there is not much left.

As the lighting conditions changed near mid day, I drove into Edgemont to relax in the park and I visited the historical museum there. Nice folks run the museum with a small room dedicated to Edgemont’s railroad past.

In the afternoon, I set up at MP 472, to photograph eastbound trains leaving Edgemont, but the afternoon lighting conditions changed into evening before any eastbound train arrived. I relocated to Edgemont proper for better lighting, catching one eastbound train passing beneath the signal bridge which marks the northern terminus of the Butte Sub.

As the day was drawing to a close, I left Edgemont and started to return back to the B & B to begin packing for my trip home. Not wanting to quit just yet, I caught 3 westbound trains at MP 439 just before the sun had set.

Note in the 10 years I have come to the Crawford area to photograph, my favorite place to stay is a place called "Our Heritage". The rates are some of the best in Crawford, and I enjoy the convenience of staying at a great jumping off point for the entire Butte Sub. If you are interested "Our Heritage's" website is www.vacation-ranch.com, and if you want a detailed review of the B & B from a railfan's perspective, you are welcome to PM me if you wish.

That is it for the 13th day of my trip to Crawford. All in all, my trip could have been much better but what little dissatisfaction I had for this year's trip only fills me with a desire to return once again next year.

Without further ado, here are my photos from my 13th and final day at the Butte Sub.

#1 I captured UP 6603 East at "Ft Igloo" in the early morning hours.
#2 I caught BNSF 8832 East at Fort Igloo at a different focal length which features more of the countryside this part of South Dakota offers.
#3 As a westbound passed by me at Fort Igloo the tail end Charlie DPU loco was BNSF 8814. "Patches" as I like to call it has not yet been re-painted since I first photographed it in 2009. I fear 8814 might remain in its "Patches" scheme for the remainder of its service life. If I am not mistaken, I believe a fellow TO member has actually modeled this unique loco in HO scale.

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#4 I photographed BNSF 9717 East crossing beneath the Signal bridge at MP 475. This was the only time I photographed a loaded coal train on this trip with its entire consist on the head end with no DPU's, a rare sight these days.
#5 With the sun setting fast I caught BNSF 5807 west splitting the signals at MP 439.
#6 The final train of the day was also my final photo of this trip. I caught BNSF 9873 west at MP 439 with the last light of the day glinting off the coal hoppers.

To my fellow TO members thanks for all the nice comments, questions and PM's regarding my 2013 trip to Crawford. If due to my posting you have taken an interest in visiting the entire Butte Sub, be sure to share your photos here on TO, as I would enjoy seeing them.
I am hoping my remaining summer here in Boise turns out better than last year, when in 2012 smoke from nearby forest fires filled in the entire Treasure Valley with smoke ruining my photographic opportunities. If so, I will try posting up a few photos from Idaho from time to time.

Thanks for looking.

RosevilleBill
Boise, Id.

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So many people think this part of our great country is "boring". This area was once criss-crossed with secondary mainlines. There are hidden treasures everywhere (Ft. Igloo!). What town has the second longest airport runway in Nebraska? Well, Alliance, of course! Why? Well, you can look that up! :-) Nice shots, brings back memories.

Alliance Runway - height above sea level calls for a long runway.

Michael McInerney
Marion, South Australia,

mmciau Wrote:
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> Alliance Runway - height above sea level calls for
> a long runway.

Alliance was used to train glider pilots in WWII and the runways were built accordingly.

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