Western Railroad Discussion > Slipped into Wyoming

Slipped from Montana into the Sheridan, Wyoming area for some railfanning.

1. A hidden gem is the Dutch Sub northeast of Sheridan, WY extending into Montana. It serves the busy Spring Creek Mine, but also has the dormant West and East Decker loadouts along the railroad. The railroad cuts through the hills high above the Tongue River Valley south of Decker. This coal train is barely into Wyoming on it's journey southbound on the Dutch Sub. There is also grades of a railroad that long predates the construction of the Dutch Sub in the 1970's that follows to the Tongue River north from Sheridan for quite some ways, but I don't know the history of it.

2. The Decker Mine closed earlier in 2021. I think the dragline seen operating at the East Decker side of the mine is now starting the reclamation work. The Spring Creek Mine at the end of the line is still quite busy loading several trains a day.

3. Kleenburn north of Sheridan is a location that keeps changing over the years. Seems there was a early coal mine against the hillside here and you can see some crumbling concrete foundations where coal was dumped into cars to the west of where I was standing. Later on the far side of the hill at left was a multi-track tipple that filled cars. Up into the 1970's Goose Creek flowed under a bridge about where the first boxcar in the train is, but later flowed through a pit created by the mine on the inside of the curve behind the hill. In the 1970s the long siding in the foreground was added through a modern flood loader that would have been in the center distance. The siding appeared to be able to load about 100 cars at a time. The loadout and tipple lasted through 1994 at least, but most evidence of the coal mine here has vanished with the reclamation work.

Ted Curphey
Ontario, OR

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4. A grain train loaded with soybeans for the elevator at Interbay in Seattle swings through the broad curve at Arvada, WY late in the day. The rusty CB&Q water tank still stands across from the elevator. The train is just about the start the slow grind up the 1% grade to Kendrick to meet a H-LAUKCK. But the train would later wait on helpers at Clearmont due to the 1.25% grade up to Ulm.

5. CB&Q 4-8-4 #5631 on display next to the old depot in Sheridan, WY. The enclosed cab attests to the harsh winters that were endured on the lonely CB&Q branch to Billings, MT.

6. Q-ALTSPO with three Boeing fuselages on the head end at the west end of Kleenburn siding.

Ted Curphey
Ontario, OR

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Great series

Posted from iPhone

Very nice indeed, the Burlington was generous in preserving their locomotives

Jonathan Fischer
West Seattle, WA

Great photos. Arvada IS WY!
RB

Arvada photo has everything!

Rick z

Very enjoyable series Ted!

Larry
 

Nice shots, Ted!

RC Lundgren
Elgin, TX

Nice pics!!

Excellent series on your trip Ted.
John

Beautiful photos, love that pristine autumn air.