Surprisingly, for the way the branchline looks with all the vegetation, the trains actually roll pretty smoothly over the rails with little to no rocking. On the other hand, I've seen trains rock a lot more on regularly used and maintained tracks. The roadbed on this branch must still be pretty firm under the weeds. Great video! Always neat to see trains operating on little-used tracks.
Thank you! The rail is actually pretty big. 110 pound. That probably helps. And we've seen pictures of the track without weeds from a few years ago. They had dumped ballast in spots during the final years of regular operation, so yes. Even though there are some trouble spots, your observations and assumptions are correct.
The story we were told, was that it would already have been abandoned if not for rumors of energy companies building facilities along the line. Lots of petroleum and natural gas extraction up in that area. So far, it's just intermittent railcar storage.
There's no revenue on that line because it's owned by a class 1. I bet like the 100's of lines class ones sold to short limes, the short lines would find customers. What should be said is, "because no customers take 100 car train sets and this isn't a direct route for intermodal trains, the railroad said they aren't serving anyone anymore on this line."
From what we understand, regular service on the line ended during the peak of the oil boom, when locomotives, crews, rail cars, and capacity were at a premium. However, we believe the railroad officially embargoed the line due to "track conditions".
@@CVisionContributor Regular service ended mid 1980s if I recall correctly, as Grenora hasn't had tracks for a long time. Lots of grain in that area to move, but it now has to go to Crosby, Stanley, or Williston...Where BNSF still doesn't really move it. Lots of Elevators here waiting for trains, full and piling it on the ground.
@@J-1410 Thank you for the information. Wasn’t sure when the last trains went to Grenora. Shows the line officially abandoned between Powers Lake and Grenora in 2002. The “regular service” reference we made was for the section between Stanley and Powers Lake. Service to the grain elevator in Powers Lake ended sometime during the oil boom years of the early 2010s.
This reminds me of an old Great Northern track that BN pulled up between St. Cloud, MN and Willmar, MN. When I was a kid my family drove to my grandpa’s farm and the road paralleled the line for about ten miles. I would eagerly scan the tracks hoping to see a train on it but decades went by without sighting one. I knew the track was in use as the occasional grain hopper or two would be sitting at the town elevator but alas, the track was abandoned and the roadbed turned into the ubiquitous bike/snowmobile/walking trail that ran flat and straight as an arrow from nowhere to nowhere. How exciting. Every now and then I visit “the farm” and wonder how exciting it would have been to see a train on those lost rails.
Nice, someone whose seen at least something on that St. Cloud - Wilmar line. There are some vintage aerial footage sites where you can see all the siding and track itself.
@@CVisionContributor.... with the way things are going, the class 1's are grateful to have abandoned lines kicking around that there is still access to, for storage of unused railcars and locomotives... and my guess is, that as time progresses, they're going to need a Lot more of them for storage.
A fantastic video. I absolutely love rail lines out in the middle of nowhere, winding through beautiful countryside. In my humble opinion, this is American railroading at its best. Thank you!
@@sirt7286 It’s too bad that branch lines like this are being given up on. More work for you guys if they’d keep them and try to generate some business. We always appreciate railroaders commenting, so thank you for that. Sorry for the late reply. We were kind of overrun with comments on this video, as you can see!
Cool when unit 144 blows her horn and jumps a ring necked pheasant at about 9:04 in the video. It was always good hunting nearby right of ways in Minnesota back in the 80’s.
The abandoned branch west of Glendive Montana is really interesting because of the old wooden bridges especially between Lindsey and the Yellowstone and Missouri River divide.
Ahhh, yes. The Circle Sub. That line is being used for the same purpose as the Grenora Sub. Lots of cars stored up there in 2020. Thanks for the comment!
This reminds me of my early days days Railfanning the Milwaukee Road and the Rock Island on many of their rural Branchlines which I loved to watch, in the 1970s, small towns 1-3 trains a week like it was the 1940s !! A Time we won't see again soon.
Yes! That is what this reminded us of as well. A bygone era... It's not often that circumstances like this come together in modern times, especially on a class one railroad.
@@philipcollins5440 Thank you, Philip! Yes, lots of these old branch lines are getting used for car storage. It’s cheaper than paying someone else to store them, so it most likely will continue.
That thunder clap from the slack extending out and then the couple was awesome watching this in my living room full surround sound and subwoofer shaking the place! Looked like a ghost train riding on invisible rails! Very good footage, text and narration!
They should have a pretty heavy duty fire extinguisher inside the cab of the locomotive, typically a 20 or 30 pound cartridge operated one. They should be able to at least knock a lot of it down.
That’s a run I could see crews looking forward to running. The fact three were in a consist is whats crazy to me you’d think these rails would be for even lighter power moves. I have a 7 foot section on my layout that’s going to be dedicated to an abandoned track with very very rare car storage to make occasional ops sessions more interesting
YA , I WORKED ON THE 144 NUMEROUS TIMES AT THE YARD SERVICING FUEL PADS AT ARGENTINE YARD!! IT DID LOOK PRETTY IN THE WARBONNET COLORS! RUNNING AT HIGH SPEED ON THE MAINLINE, THE 4 AXLE TRUCKS TOOK A HELL OF A BEATING, WITH MUCH ASSOCIATED PARTS WEAR! THE 4 AXLE GE 500 CLASS DID BETTER HOWEVER. AFTERWARDS MOST OF THE HOT SHOT INTER MODAL LOCOMOTIVES WAS PURCHASED AS 6 AXLE POWER! KEEP THEM ROLLING BROTHERS!! 👍👍
Reality check: Diesels can start fires over 100 ft. from the track by ejecting red hot chunks of carbon built up in the cylinders from long periods of idling or low powered switching.
Correct! One of the many ways a train could start a fire. When it's as dry as it was, it may actually be tougher NOT to start a fire in situations like this...
@@CVisionContributor Nah - that had all the hallmarks of a controlled burn-off, set by the crew themselves .. Why? Because it NEVER crossed the road (when it should / could easily have done so - if an uncontrolled burn), and it had a very defined start point, and a defined cut-off point. No reason to have one (no lightening and no other reason to set fire to that grass) - except to control the weeds. Saves time in the long run, to just toss a match at it and fire/burn short sections at a time. That way - (eventually) they get a fairly long length of trackside weeds burnt off
It will be a long time before they get rid off diesel. The billions of dollars it will cost to electrify the rail system in Australia 🇦🇺 and the USA 🇺🇸.
@@QUIX4U No. Just NO. You clearly don't know much about grass fires. The only reason it didn't cross the road is luck. A train crew would NEVER do a burn off, that's MOW's job, not to mention you'd need a permit. There's absolutely ZERO reason to do a random burn off on storage tracks in the middle of nowhere with ZERO firefighting equipment.
@@QUIX4U One of those locomotives more than likely started the fire. In the town I live in WI, we have had the former CNW, SOO LINE, and now CN start numerous fires in the summer in grassy areas like this. It happens more than you know!
Once BNSF started this huge fire at our lead when they didn't pick up units we set out. They just shoved in other units and sparks off the rail started the huge fire that even knocked power out...
i am really surprised BNSF is even using this track and doing little to keep the grass under control on it. I suspect the fire the crew ran into was wind driven and somehow a spark from the locomotives might be how it started.
We weren’t on the scene when it started, but the crew first noticed it under the locomotive. They had come to a stop to complete an air test. That’s the real story.
Great video! The hogger appears as though he could learn to use a little lighter touch on the brakes & throttle... 11:27 - 11:41 before he breaks a knuckle. Probably a young buck without much experience yet, in the right seat.
@@CVisionContributor.... Hello, and thank you for your reply. Well... "IF" he did do that for the video... that would be rather foolish of him to do so, considering how just about any operating infraction can get you in trouble with the Class 1 railroads anymore.. especially with regards to the train crews. Having something like this on video, and not knowing who's watching... the risk of it being exposed to "higher ups" in the corporate chain of command is exponentially increased. Having said that, and freeze framing a couple of shots where one can "kind of" see the engineer, and enlarging it... he "appears" to be, rather young of age, "possibly" late twenties or so... so my guess is, he hasn't been "in the seat" for too long and is either still pretty "rough around the edges"... or, he (like most of today's younger generation) is devoid of common sense, and is just hard on the equipment as a result. Either way, if he keeps it up, his career probably won't last to retirement. Railroading, like any other job... if one doesn't really "love" what they're doing, then it really is... just a job, and "you" (re: anyone) don't have the respect, pride in what you're doing, appreciation, caring and focus that you should.... and That, can turn out to be disastrous, especially when one is dealing with Any kind of heavy machinery. Just so you know... I speak with experience as "head-end" train crew, with a well known class 1 railroad. Thanks again for your response... and I am subscribed, and enjoy your videos, as well as appreciate all the time and effort it takes to put them "out there" for all to enjoy and appreciate.
@@Romans--bo7br Thank you for the response. It is very much appreciated. Glad to have you as a subscriber. We have class one experience on this end as well, so we understand what you’re saying. We just appreciated everyone being friendly during those days of filming and not taking issue with our presence.
There's a similar storage deal west of St Louis on abandoned and partly pulled up branch line. There were several miles of stored coal hoppers there for several years, nice later aluminum hoppers, not junk. I guess a sign of the times after coal mines stopped here in the Midwest. Eventually they were pulled back into service. As far as maintenance, as long as the dry tall grass is there there will be fires. If the line is still used no matter if revenue or not, it's their duty to keep the line in a safe condition, that means spraying and alignment. It's a lot cheaper than derailments, and fires.
You got that right! But good to see the rails still being used on occasion. This section of track got very lucky, considering how the west end of the branch between Powers Lake and Grenora ended up (abandoned).
@@cass1113 Glad he got to do that! Was unsure how drivable the right-of-way would be out there. Never went west of Powers Lake while filming the video, but did look at Powers Lake-Grenora on satellite view and in other pictures.
@@CVisionContributor im not sure how it looks now. This was back in 2009. Id like to go back with a drone and get some footage. Was the old bridge still holding pretty good just past the cabin area by power lake ?
@@cass1113 They had cars shoved all the way into the edge of Powers Lake, so we’d have to assume that it’s in fair condition. Didn’t hear of any bridge issues while we were out there.
Nicely captured... I miss shooting rail and landscapes up in this region and Watford still feels like home to me. Love the plethora of old elevators and there's still a lot of original Santa Fe and BN paint (among others) roaming around. Not sure why they got excited about the fire (too funny seeing him with his water bottle lol), for that was small and the wind wasn't up (I wasn't there, so I'm only guessing, obviously)... Fires certainly aren't uncommon up on the Plains. We'd get called out to haul water to the bigger fires for the county, for if the winds ever got up, it was an ordeal. Yep, fire extinguishers and water bottles are next to worthless on something like this.
As seen, they tried, and failed, to contain the fire. It was out of control almost immediately. The most important thing they did was back the train up to get away from the fire. They did it twice, once before we started filming, and again when we captured it on video. Because of their quick efforts, no locomotives or rail cars were damaged. Thanks for the comment!
Thank you! We never put music over the trains. Gotta hear those true sounds. But we do enjoy occasionally having music at the beginning or end of a video.
WOW! WHAT A VIDEO!!!! To see footage of a train--especially BNSF--in the grass/weeds in 2021 is a very rare (and AWESOME) sight to see! The views were amazing as well! Thank you very much!
Why were the RR's ever allowed to abandon track? They got millions of acres for free from the gov years ago, that should be enough to require them to keep running these branch lines. Why should some people get great rail service and the next place gets abandoned.
I suspect that road foremen inspected the track before the trains were allowed to move. I also expect that car knockers inspected these rail cars prior to the arrival of the power, even so I expect that it would take almost an hour to charge the brakes and then preform brake tests before moving the train.
I like your photographic style; reminds me of David Lean (Dr. ??Z?hivago, A Passage To India, Lawrence Of Arabia. I don't completely remember the rail-scenes in Bridge On The River Kwai.) Fixed camera and let the train pass through, which emphasizes the surrounding panorama and lets the train add to it.
That's exactly what we're going for, William. Multiple fixed angles throughout the scene, with an emphasis on the landscape -employing varying focal lengths to keep things interesting. Thank you for taking the time to examine our methods. We very much appreciate your comment.
That was now where near a "big" grass fire. The train easily could've gone through with no danger. They just need to make sure the FD came and put out any ties that caught fire.
It ended up spreading for several miles to the north. The fire department had quite the afternoon chasing it across the grasslands. It ended up becoming quite the large fire. It started right at the tracks and spread across the road. From there, it really took off. Video of the fire in the open country wasn't included, since it was nowhere near the train or the rail line, which was our main focus.
@@ffjsb We understand. Yes, you’re correct. If they had kept going, they would have been fine. But with all the managers and other personnel nearby, it wasn’t worth the risk of passing through an active fire. And we see what you were saying about the fire as well. As a note, it was never all that big right at the tracks, since that’s where it started. The gusty south winds were pushing it north, and really nowhere else, so the bigger part of the fire wasn’t in view during most of the shots. Thanks for watching and weighing in on it.
@@CVisionContributor If you hadn't been filming, I doubt anyone would've known...lol. Did it do much damage to any ties?? I know they're a real pain in the ass to put out, they can burn from the inside unless you flood them with water or use class A foam.
I can't believe that conductor used a water bottle to try to contain the fire in some way. He would have fared better using some of that dirt and rocks off of the dirt road. i'm thinking of one engineer in particular that would have talked about him in the shanty in front of everybody else. The conductor would have received a new nickname or some phrase attached to him about putting out fires or something remotely related to it. And, as time goes on, the running joke and attached "extra" details would be added by his other coworkers to inject more humor into the story .
All we can say is that the whole situation unfolded very quickly, and there really wasn't any time to come up with a plan. But yes, we were surprised by what we were seeing as well. Probably not something we'll ever see again!
Won't be long & that line will be pulled up too! You just cannot beat motor trucks for flexibility & freight capacity! Another walking/biking/snowmobile path coming soon to this area! Happy Days ahead!
Very interesting video. Old rail beds like this one and how it is used by BNSF to store unneeded rail cars always interests me. Tthe scenery is also really nice and complements the video. Thanks and keep up the good work.
As a matter of fact, Amtrak runs just south of here on the BNSF Hi-Line which passes through Stanley. So it would only be a short side trip. And yes, those weeds did hide the rails really well! Thank you for the comment.
Surely, if the line is still being used to some degree, some maintenance work should be done. Me being a Limey and on the other side of the Atlantic, I don't know how they think. Beautiful video though.
I remember visiting this line in August 1991. The only regular seasonal customer was in Zahl. The line went beyond to Hanks and Grenora. Farm equipment would be shipped to Grenora as needed but very rarely at that time. I assume the tracks have been removed long ago unless someone else knows.
@@CVisionContributor thank you for that. I wonder when was the last they ever ran out to Grenora. There are so many branch lines in the northern part of North Dakota that are gone too.
@@kenkemzura903 It may have been 2002. Powers Lake to Grenora was shown to be abandoned that year. From what we read, track was ripped up around 2005, but there may be more specific dates on that.
Nice video and love seeing action on branch lines. It's sad that there's so many weeds & high grasses over much of that line. Regardless of them using it mostly for storage someone should get the weed whacker out and take care of that. You did a very nice job filming!!
Thank you! And yes, there is talk of sending a piece of machinery out to cut down some of that vegetation before more storage cars are sent up the line. We'll see what happens!
There might be some actual traffic on the line if they had! As far as we know, Powers Lake still wanted to ship grain when the line was embargoed due to track conditions in 2013.
That is what I was thinking. The video was cut (while the train back up) and all the sudden there was a fire that started next to the track. The RR is responsible for weed control along their ROW
True. I think everyone was surprised how quickly the fire spread. I believe they were doing their best to keep it from burning more of the right-of-way. It was heading north no matter what (with south winds pushing it), but there was still hope that it would stop spreading down the tracks east-west.
We ride in those engine cars for fun! We don't ever bother anything, and when the train stops, and they have to sign the trip cards, I hide in the bathroom, praying they don't open the door!
@@CVisionContributor To this day, I'm 12-1, on getting busted! The only time I did get caught, they seen me coming out, the train was stopped, the engineer said, like what you rode in? And I said yes sir! And now I'm a ghost, you didn't see me, and he laughed!
You should go down to the South Dakota Mitchell sub ex-Milwaukee Road. been out there near Chancellor, Parker, and Marion seen a IC unit in Marion, a CSX SD70MAC rebuilt, CSX SD40-3, and a NS ET44AC.
Mrs Richards: "I paid for a room with a view!" Basil: (pointing to the lovely view) "That is Torquay, Madam." Mrs Richards: "It's not good enough!" Basil: "May I ask what you were expecting to see out of a Torquay hotel bedroom window? Sydney Opera House, perhaps? the Hanging Gardens of Babylon? Herds of wildebeest sweeping majestically past?..." Mrs Richards: "Don't be silly! I expect to be able to see the sea!" Basil: "You can see the sea, it's over there between the land and the sky." Mrs Richards: "I'm not satisfied. But I shall stay. But I expect a reduction." Basil: "Why?! Because Krakatoa's not erupting at the moment? ua-cam.com/video/POO4lrTclNY/v-deo.html
Nice! I use to live in ND and loved seeing all the grain trains run around Grand Forks. Wish I had explored some of these old lines and towns a bit more while I lived there. But as a college student, I had other things on my mind. :D
I have photographed a number of times around the Lunds Valley elevator and Powers Lake areas. I always wondered it the tracks were abandoned as they are quite overgrown. - Guess Not!
Glad we could help provide some intel on this piece of track for you. The line is embargoed, but not abandoned. No revenue traffic is hauled between Stanley and Powers Lake, just these storage moves. But yes, there still are trains on occasion!
Surprisingly, for the way the branchline looks with all the vegetation, the trains actually roll pretty smoothly over the rails with little to no rocking. On the other hand, I've seen trains rock a lot more on regularly used and maintained tracks. The roadbed on this branch must still be pretty firm under the weeds. Great video! Always neat to see trains operating on little-used tracks.
Thank you! The rail is actually pretty big. 110 pound. That probably helps. And we've seen pictures of the track without weeds from a few years ago. They had dumped ballast in spots during the final years of regular operation, so yes. Even though there are some trouble spots, your observations and assumptions are correct.
I would've never thought I'd see huge BNSF locomotives heading along tracks covered in weeds.
Very cool.
Thank you! It was surprising for us as well. We appreciate you watching and commenting.
This is the most scenic railfanning video I have ever watched. You did an excellent job of framing the shots. Thanks so much.
Thank you so much, Bruce! Glad you enjoyed it.
When I was young I rode the cab of an F7 over Stampede pass. I filmed the entire thing. Sadly, that film was lost years ago. Talk about scenic.
I understand three locos because of the hills and slow speeds but it amazes me still.
Two could do it, but three to ensure success.
that old grain elevator in Lunds Valley is beautiful!
It's a gem!
How old is it? About 100?
@@JungleYT We’re thinking it’s a bit newer than that. However, we can’t find any solid dates. Maybe someone else will know more.
@@CVisionContributor Yeah... There has to be a record or somebody who was around much of it's life?
@@JungleYT You would certainly think so. We’ve looked up as much information on the elevator as we could, but couldn’t determine its age.
This is every 'abandoned rails' fan's dream! ONLY SEEING A REAL TRAIN ON THE TRACKS!! AWESOME!
The only thing better would be some GP7's pulling those cars.
The story we were told, was that it would already have been abandoned if not for rumors of energy companies building facilities along the line. Lots of petroleum and natural gas extraction up in that area. So far, it's just intermittent railcar storage.
@@CVisionContributor Glad it is still somewhat in use. Like the old style abandoned grain elevator that appeared in several shots.
@@stevebayorgeon9905 That Lunds Valley elevator is a big part of what makes this line so unique. It’s becoming a popular structure!
There's no revenue on that line because it's owned by a class 1. I bet like the 100's of lines class ones sold to short limes, the short lines would find customers. What should be said is, "because no customers take 100 car train sets and this isn't a direct route for intermodal trains, the railroad said they aren't serving anyone anymore on this line."
Exactly class one rail roads are extremely short sighted
From what we understand, regular service on the line ended during the peak of the oil boom, when locomotives, crews, rail cars, and capacity were at a premium. However, we believe the railroad officially embargoed the line due to "track conditions".
@@CVisionContributor Regular service ended mid 1980s if I recall correctly, as Grenora hasn't had tracks for a long time.
Lots of grain in that area to move, but it now has to go to Crosby, Stanley, or Williston...Where BNSF still doesn't really move it. Lots of Elevators here waiting for trains, full and piling it on the ground.
@@J-1410 Thank you for the information. Wasn’t sure when the last trains went to Grenora. Shows the line officially abandoned between Powers Lake and Grenora in 2002. The “regular service” reference we made was for the section between Stanley and Powers Lake. Service to the grain elevator in Powers Lake ended sometime during the oil boom years of the early 2010s.
NPR ot DMVW should buy it and show em how it's done on a branch line!
MOST enjoyable! My home state AND little EMD workhorses (instead of those GE monstrosities). Wonderful videography and scenery.
Thank you so much! We love North Dakota and EMDs too, hence why this video was created.
This reminds me of an old Great Northern track that BN pulled up between St. Cloud, MN and Willmar, MN. When I was a kid my family drove to my grandpa’s farm and the road paralleled the line for about ten miles. I would eagerly scan the tracks hoping to see a train on it but decades went by without sighting one. I knew the track was in use as the occasional grain hopper or two would be sitting at the town elevator but alas, the track was abandoned and the roadbed turned into the ubiquitous bike/snowmobile/walking trail that ran flat and straight as an arrow from nowhere to nowhere. How exciting. Every now and then I visit “the farm” and wonder how exciting it would have been to see a train on those lost rails.
Ubiquitous is right when it comes to former rail lines turned into walking/bike paths. There are a number where I live in Minnetonka.
It's a shame to lose a rail line. No doubt about it. By all rights, this line should be gone too, but it seems to have nine lives!
@@shimshonbendan8730 I probably bike to work on one or more of those paths in Minnetonka. Especially the one off Roland Road.
Nice, someone whose seen at least something on that St. Cloud - Wilmar line. There are some vintage aerial footage sites where you can see all the siding and track itself.
@@CVisionContributor.... with the way things are going, the class 1's are grateful to have abandoned lines kicking around that there is still access to, for storage of unused railcars and locomotives... and my guess is, that as time progresses, they're going to need a Lot more of them for storage.
A fantastic video. I absolutely love rail lines out in the middle of nowhere, winding through beautiful countryside. In my humble opinion, this is American railroading at its best. Thank you!
Thank you! Not much of this type of railroading left on class one railroads.
As a BNSF Engineer I can agree on that statement ….
Without the pole-line, it looks weird seeing a desolate stretch of railroad on the plains
@@djscrizzle We agree. Pole line certainly helps define the right-of-way.
@@sirt7286 It’s too bad that branch lines like this are being given up on. More work for you guys if they’d keep them and try to generate some business. We always appreciate railroaders commenting, so thank you for that. Sorry for the late reply. We were kind of overrun with comments on this video, as you can see!
I like how the driver still goes bananas on the horn even though the passive road crossing he's approaching at a crawl is abandoned.
Gotta follow those rules, ya know! Especially when a camera crew is following you around. But yeah, we know what you mean.
Cool when unit 144 blows her horn and jumps a ring necked pheasant at about 9:04 in the video. It was always good hunting nearby right of ways in Minnesota back in the 80’s.
You’re right, Tom. Excellent hunting in MN, SD, and ND. Thank you for the comment.
The abandoned branch west of Glendive Montana is really interesting because of the old wooden bridges especially between Lindsey and the Yellowstone and Missouri River divide.
Ahhh, yes. The Circle Sub. That line is being used for the same purpose as the Grenora Sub. Lots of cars stored up there in 2020. Thanks for the comment!
Ahhhh, Glendive, aka.. the "dive", the "armpit" of Montana. I believe that's the old "Circle sub".. isn't it?
@@Romans--bo7br Correct! The home to many storage moves recently.
Best kind of railfanning is this kind. Awesome stuff
Thank you very much! Happy that you enjoyed the video. This type of railroading is becoming pretty uncommon.
Classic railroading on the plains. Like that grain elevator, the "sky scrappers of the prairies".
Yes, sir! It was great to see that wooden elevator at Lunds Valley.
This reminds me of my early days days Railfanning the Milwaukee Road and the Rock Island on many of their rural Branchlines which I loved to watch, in the 1970s, small towns 1-3 trains a week like it was the 1940s !! A Time we won't see again soon.
Yes! That is what this reminded us of as well. A bygone era... It's not often that circumstances like this come together in modern times, especially on a class one railroad.
Awesome! I love videos of way out of the way places with rusty rail and weeds
This was quite interesting. I didn't know that BNSF did this sorta thing. Thanks 👍😊
Thank you! Happy to see you on here, Jaw Tooth!
@@philipcollins5440 Thank you, Philip! Yes, lots of these old branch lines are getting used for car storage. It’s cheaper than paying someone else to store them, so it most likely will continue.
Hey Jaw tooth
That thunder clap from the slack extending out and then the couple was awesome watching this in my living room full surround sound and subwoofer shaking the place! Looked like a ghost train riding on invisible rails! Very good footage, text and narration!
That sounds like the way to watch videos! Glad you could experience it like that. And thank you for the kind words!
8:13 With the church framed in background is beautiful
Why, thank you very much! That's the angle we were going for. The church and train lined up nicely.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane. Family spent a couple of days in Powers Lakes for a reunion. Pretty country!
It certainly is! Thanks, Ried!
Legend has it that the crewman is still trying to put the fire out with a bottle of water...
Ha! Well, they certainly get an "A" for effort. Unfortunately, with the winds, and all that extremely dry vegetation, the fire won.
They should have a pretty heavy duty fire extinguisher inside the cab of the locomotive, typically a 20 or 30 pound cartridge operated one. They should be able to at least knock a lot of it down.
@@Troacoli They did a little of that with at least one fire extinguisher.
GREAT VIDEO! I used to do pipeline testing work in ND, spent some time north of Stanley & Tioga and saw this unused line often.
Thank you! It was a big surprise to hear there would be activity on it.
Sorry to see the fires, but loved the watery backdrop as the train weaved its way around the Dakotas. 😎😄🤗👍
Thank you, Vernon!
That’s a run I could see crews looking forward to running. The fact three were in a consist is whats crazy to me you’d think these rails would be for even lighter power moves. I have a 7 foot section on my layout that’s going to be dedicated to an abandoned track with very very rare car storage to make occasional ops sessions more interesting
That sounds like fun! Would love to see it.
YA , I WORKED ON THE 144 NUMEROUS TIMES AT THE YARD SERVICING FUEL PADS AT ARGENTINE YARD!!
IT DID LOOK PRETTY IN THE WARBONNET COLORS!
RUNNING AT HIGH SPEED
ON THE MAINLINE, THE 4 AXLE TRUCKS TOOK A HELL OF A BEATING, WITH MUCH ASSOCIATED PARTS WEAR!
THE 4 AXLE GE 500 CLASS DID BETTER HOWEVER.
AFTERWARDS MOST OF THE HOT SHOT INTER MODAL LOCOMOTIVES WAS PURCHASED AS 6 AXLE POWER!
KEEP THEM ROLLING BROTHERS!!
👍👍
Thanks for the comment! This BNSF 144 is the former ATSF 160. The original 144 was wrecked.
With all the corn this year, they’ll need every car they got!
Good to see!
Here in nc same thing lots of grain cars..
Everything in ND was burnt to hell this year.
I wonder if there's locals suprised to see the train; because of the weeds, they'd be like "Ahh! there's a train off-roading!"
A few local residents did come out to watch the trains. Most of them were very happy to see them.
Excellent job! Sad to see that GP60M hauling locals through weeds on 10mph railroad rather than burning up the transcon hauling 70mph pig trains!
Same here! But at least they have decided to keep them on the roster. That's a plus.
Very neat ! It looks like that 2547 was rebuild around 2016 with GP30 style dynamics. Its now listed as a GP39-3.
Correct! It's a neat unit.
Reality check: Diesels can start fires over 100 ft. from the track by ejecting red hot chunks of carbon built up in the cylinders from long periods of idling or low powered switching.
Correct! One of the many ways a train could start a fire. When it's as dry as it was, it may actually be tougher NOT to start a fire in situations like this...
@@CVisionContributor Nah - that had all the hallmarks of a controlled burn-off, set by the crew themselves ..
Why?
Because it NEVER crossed the road (when it should / could easily have done so - if an uncontrolled burn), and it had a very defined start point, and a defined cut-off point.
No reason to have one (no lightening and no other reason to set fire to that grass) - except to control the weeds.
Saves time in the long run, to just toss a match at it and fire/burn short sections at a time.
That way - (eventually) they get a fairly long length of trackside weeds burnt off
It will be a long time before they get rid off diesel. The billions of dollars it will cost to electrify the rail system in Australia 🇦🇺 and the USA 🇺🇸.
@@QUIX4U No. Just NO. You clearly don't know much about grass fires. The only reason it didn't cross the road is luck. A train crew would NEVER do a burn off, that's MOW's job, not to mention you'd need a permit. There's absolutely ZERO reason to do a random burn off on storage tracks in the middle of nowhere with ZERO firefighting equipment.
@@QUIX4U One of those locomotives more than likely started the fire. In the town I live in WI, we have had the former CNW, SOO LINE, and now CN start numerous fires in the summer in grassy areas like this. It happens more than you know!
A good way to see some of the scenic sights of the country! Very nice!
We appreciate it! Thanks for the comment.
Never in my life have I seen a train glide over grass that smooth. BNSF are miracle workers🤪
Ha! It was certainly interesting to experience. Thanks for the comment.
Thank you for capturing this! Both beautiful and sad to see the end of the use of a line
You're welcome! Glad we could document it. Although the future may not look very bright for this line, you never know what could happen in the future.
Once BNSF started this huge fire at our lead when they didn't pick up units we set out. They just shoved in other units and sparks off the rail started the huge fire that even knocked power out...
Well, that's not good at all! Thank you for sharing that story.
For those who liked that grain elevator, there's a lot of pictures of it online. Beautiful scenery and trains!
We'll have to search for those pictures. The Lunds Valley elevator is a true survivor!
I love how it looks like it's just nonchalantly driving thru fields
That was pretty much the theme for these moves! It was something to see, for sure. Thanks for the comment.
Great video! North Dakotan branch lines sure do have some great scenery!
Thank you! And yes, they absolutely do. More than one might expect.
i am really surprised BNSF is even using this track and doing little to keep the grass under control on it. I suspect the fire the crew ran into was wind driven and somehow a spark from the locomotives might be how it started.
We weren’t on the scene when it started, but the crew first noticed it under the locomotive. They had come to a stop to complete an air test. That’s the real story.
Most beautiful rail video ever. Looks like the oil wells replacing the grain elevators.
Thank you for the kind words. And yes, that seems to be happening in western ND. So many new wells in the past decade...
1:43 so unorthodox to see a modern locomotive rolling through the plains of weeds
Isn't it, though? Very strange sight on a class one railroad in 2021. Thanks for the comment!
Great video! The hogger appears as though he could learn to use a little lighter touch on the brakes & throttle... 11:27 - 11:41 before he breaks a knuckle. Probably a young buck without much experience yet, in the right seat.
He may have been doing that for our video. Not certain, but it made for a cool scene either way!
@@CVisionContributor.... Hello, and thank you for your reply. Well... "IF" he did do that for the video... that would be rather foolish of him to do so, considering how just about any operating infraction can get you in trouble with the Class 1 railroads anymore.. especially with regards to the train crews.
Having something like this on video, and not knowing who's watching... the risk of it being exposed to "higher ups" in the corporate chain of command is exponentially increased.
Having said that, and freeze framing a couple of shots where one can "kind of" see the engineer, and enlarging it... he "appears" to be, rather young of age, "possibly" late twenties or so... so my guess is, he hasn't been "in the seat" for too long and is either still pretty "rough around the edges"... or, he (like most of today's younger generation) is devoid of common sense, and is just hard on the equipment as a result.
Either way, if he keeps it up, his career probably won't last to retirement. Railroading, like any other job... if one doesn't really "love" what they're doing, then it really is... just a job, and "you" (re: anyone) don't have the respect, pride in what you're doing, appreciation, caring and focus that you should.... and That, can turn out to be disastrous, especially when one is dealing with Any kind of heavy machinery.
Just so you know... I speak with experience as "head-end" train crew, with a well known class 1 railroad.
Thanks again for your response... and I am subscribed, and enjoy your videos, as well as appreciate all the time and effort it takes to put them "out there" for all to enjoy and appreciate.
@@Romans--bo7br Thank you for the response. It is very much appreciated. Glad to have you as a subscriber. We have class one experience on this end as well, so we understand what you’re saying. We just appreciated everyone being friendly during those days of filming and not taking issue with our presence.
There's a similar storage deal west of St Louis on abandoned and partly pulled up branch line. There were several miles of stored coal hoppers there for several years, nice later aluminum hoppers, not junk. I guess a sign of the times after coal mines stopped here in the Midwest. Eventually they were pulled back into service. As far as maintenance, as long as the dry tall grass is there there will be fires. If the line is still used no matter if revenue or not, it's their duty to keep the line in a safe condition, that means spraying and alignment. It's a lot cheaper than derailments, and fires.
Hoping there will be a little more rain next year too!
Beautiful sight the train moving in front of that church on the hill above the lake!
That was a last second shot! Glad it worked out. Thanks for the comment.
Crazy to see that rail my grandfather laid down covered in weeds. Times of change
You got that right! But good to see the rails still being used on occasion. This section of track got very lucky, considering how the west end of the branch between Powers Lake and Grenora ended up (abandoned).
@@CVisionContributor before he passed he wanted to drive on the abandoned line west. Got to battle view and was a good memory for him
@@cass1113 Glad he got to do that! Was unsure how drivable the right-of-way would be out there. Never went west of Powers Lake while filming the video, but did look at Powers Lake-Grenora on satellite view and in other pictures.
@@CVisionContributor im not sure how it looks now. This was back in 2009. Id like to go back with a drone and get some footage. Was the old bridge still holding pretty good just past the cabin area by power lake ?
@@cass1113 They had cars shoved all the way into the edge of Powers Lake, so we’d have to assume that it’s in fair condition. Didn’t hear of any bridge issues while we were out there.
Nicely captured... I miss shooting rail and landscapes up in this region and Watford still feels like home to me. Love the plethora of old elevators and there's still a lot of original Santa Fe and BN paint (among others) roaming around.
Not sure why they got excited about the fire (too funny seeing him with his water bottle lol), for that was small and the wind wasn't up (I wasn't there, so I'm only guessing, obviously)... Fires certainly aren't uncommon up on the Plains. We'd get called out to haul water to the bigger fires for the county, for if the winds ever got up, it was an ordeal. Yep, fire extinguishers and water bottles are next to worthless on something like this.
As seen, they tried, and failed, to contain the fire. It was out of control almost immediately. The most important thing they did was back the train up to get away from the fire. They did it twice, once before we started filming, and again when we captured it on video. Because of their quick efforts, no locomotives or rail cars were damaged. Thanks for the comment!
Probably a perfect place to store the cars and not have them all graffitied
Exactly. no low-life 'banger would have the gumption to march out in the prairie and tag stuff.
That may be one of the reasons the railroad chooses to use lines like this for car storage.
Wow, those rails looked pretty sketchy in some areas!
Definitely not a high speed piece of railroad!
Great video. Reminds me of the Santa Fe branch line days in Kansas!
Thank you! And yes, very similar.
Staggeringly beautiful countryside and magnificent camerawork!
Thank you so much! We were impressed by the beauty of the landscape while shooting the video.
Thank you for a wonderful video, great filming showing what a beautiful country you have . The best part was No Music ! Thank you from the UK .
Thank you! We never put music over the trains. Gotta hear those true sounds. But we do enjoy occasionally having music at the beginning or end of a video.
Great video! I lived in Minot from 2007 to 2014 and I'm familiar with these areas from my time exploring there.
Very cool. They were great to explore. Lots of hidden treasures up there.
WOW! WHAT A VIDEO!!!! To see footage of a train--especially BNSF--in the grass/weeds in 2021 is a very rare (and AWESOME) sight to see! The views were amazing as well! Thank you very much!
Thank you! Love your little BN logo icon.
Why were the RR's ever allowed to abandon track? They got millions of acres for free from the gov years ago, that should be enough to require them to keep running these branch lines. Why should some people get great rail service and the next place gets abandoned.
That as long ago been paid off in full and frequently in kind.
Even if there's no need for them?
@@AndreiTupolev Aye, but they are needed.THAT is the way we run trains.
Sad to see the abandoned track-side granaries.
Yes, it certainly is a shame that the railroad is no longer serving it. Hasn't seen use for many years, it would appear.
I suspect that road foremen inspected the track before the trains were allowed to move. I also expect that car knockers inspected these rail cars prior to the arrival of the power, even so I expect that it would take almost an hour to charge the brakes and then preform brake tests before moving the train.
Yes, they took precautions and followed the rules. Lots of personnel on-site during these moves.
Great intro music. Real frontier railroading!
Not seeing my reply on here. So I'll comment again. Erik Shicotte really came through for us. He does excellent work!
Thanks Chris for the upload.
Any time! Thanks for watching Jim!
Beautiful scenery!
It certainly is! Thank you for the comment.
Almost seems like a shortline haha! Excellent coverage.
Thanks! And yes, kind of seems that way. Not typical of BNSF.
Great video, love your work! Your videos are the best in my collection, nice narration, concise and to the point, thanks for sharing 👍 👍
Thank you very much! We appreciate the feedback. Thanks for watching!
so cool at 10:47 you can see the Independent brake applying
Thanks for noticing that detail, Chris! It is pretty neat to see.
I like your photographic style; reminds me of David Lean (Dr. ??Z?hivago, A Passage To India, Lawrence Of Arabia. I don't completely remember the rail-scenes in Bridge On The River Kwai.) Fixed camera and let the train pass through, which emphasizes the surrounding panorama and lets the train add to it.
That's exactly what we're going for, William. Multiple fixed angles throughout the scene, with an emphasis on the landscape -employing varying focal lengths to keep things interesting. Thank you for taking the time to examine our methods. We very much appreciate your comment.
Well said! seeing a real train on abandon track!
Yes, quite the sight!
This channel seems to be having quite the evolution recently in terms of content quality on the channel. Enjoying it, good work!
Thank you very much!
Very nice, love seeing traffic on old forgotten rails. Thanks for video.
You're welcome! And yes, this does seem to be a popular subject for a video.
That was now where near a "big" grass fire. The train easily could've gone through with no danger. They just need to make sure the FD came and put out any ties that caught fire.
It ended up spreading for several miles to the north. The fire department had quite the afternoon chasing it across the grasslands. It ended up becoming quite the large fire. It started right at the tracks and spread across the road. From there, it really took off. Video of the fire in the open country wasn't included, since it was nowhere near the train or the rail line, which was our main focus.
@@CVisionProductions1 It wasn't big AT THE TIME... I would've taken the train through before any ties burned out making the line impassable.
@@ffjsb We understand. Yes, you’re correct. If they had kept going, they would have been fine. But with all the managers and other personnel nearby, it wasn’t worth the risk of passing through an active fire. And we see what you were saying about the fire as well. As a note, it was never all that big right at the tracks, since that’s where it started. The gusty south winds were pushing it north, and really nowhere else, so the bigger part of the fire wasn’t in view during most of the shots. Thanks for watching and weighing in on it.
@@CVisionContributor If you hadn't been filming, I doubt anyone would've known...lol. Did it do much damage to any ties?? I know they're a real pain in the ass to put out, they can burn from the inside unless you flood them with water or use class A foam.
@@ffjsbThe ties were burned on top, but otherwise structurally intact.
I can't believe that conductor used a water bottle to try to contain the fire in some way. He would have fared better using some of that dirt and rocks off of the dirt road. i'm thinking of one engineer in particular that would have talked about him in the shanty in front of everybody else. The conductor would have received a new nickname or some phrase attached to him about putting out fires or something remotely related to it. And, as time goes on, the running joke and attached "extra" details would be added by his other coworkers to inject more humor into the story .
All we can say is that the whole situation unfolded very quickly, and there really wasn't any time to come up with a plan. But yes, we were surprised by what we were seeing as well. Probably not something we'll ever see again!
Won't be long & that line will be pulled up too! You just cannot beat motor trucks for flexibility & freight capacity! Another walking/biking/snowmobile path coming soon to this area! Happy Days ahead!
Beautiful. Nice production! Gorgeous state I grew up in as a teen. =]
Thank you, Scott! Glad we could bring a little of North Dakota to you!
Outstanding video! It’s one of the most unique train videos I have seen lately. Thanks for your effort in making it.
Thank you very much! It's our pleasure to share them with you.
Very interesting video. Old rail beds like this one and how it is used by BNSF to store unneeded rail cars always interests me. Tthe scenery is also really nice and complements the video. Thanks and keep up the good work.
Thank you, Glen! And yes, these storage moves over the weedy track sure were fun to witness.
This would be a terrific amtrak ride, it's a very senic route! Looks like there's no rails at some places.
As a matter of fact, Amtrak runs just south of here on the BNSF Hi-Line which passes through Stanley. So it would only be a short side trip. And yes, those weeds did hide the rails really well! Thank you for the comment.
Very nice video definitely will have to check this out the next time I’m working up in New Town and Watford
It's worth it. Very nice area. Enjoy!
Absolutely beautiful footage. Thanks for sharing ⭐️
Thank you so much, Alco Power!
Reminds me when BNSF pulled stored double stack well cars off of the P-Line, north of Motorhead, MN.
Where is Motorhead, MN?
We remember that!
The 'best' railroad video I've 'ever' seen. Impressively shot. New subscriber onboard.
Well, C. Vision is happy to have you aboard! Welcome, sir.
Surely, if the line is still being used to some degree, some maintenance work should be done. Me being a Limey and on the other side of the Atlantic, I don't know how they think. Beautiful video though.
Thank you! But yes, the weeds and grass did get a little out of control, to say the least. Greetings from Minnesota!
@@CVisionContributor Thank you for your reply. And greetings from Cleethorpes on the east coast of England.
@@stuartcambell-frazer8863 You’re welcome, Stuart. Glad to make your acquaintance.
Thanx for the video. Love seeing those green Burlington Northern hoppers.
They were great to see scattered throughout these trains. Some of the coolest cars around!
I remember visiting this line in August 1991. The only regular seasonal customer
was in Zahl. The line went beyond to Hanks and Grenora. Farm equipment would be shipped to Grenora as needed but very rarely at that time. I assume the tracks have been removed long ago unless someone else knows.
Yes, the tracks out to Grenora were removed in the mid-2000s, from what we understand. Today, they only go to Powers Lake.
@@CVisionContributor thank you for that. I wonder when was the last they ever ran out to Grenora. There are so many branch lines in the northern part of North Dakota that are gone too.
@@kenkemzura903 It may have been 2002. Powers Lake to Grenora was shown to be abandoned that year. From what we read, track was ripped up around 2005, but there may be more specific dates on that.
A fire extinguishing train would be something for this area. I wonder if and if so, how a fire like that can be addressed in that area.
That's an idea!
One would think the track master took a spin out on those rails before the power was set to it.
Yes, there was plenty of maintenance of way presence during these moves. They took care of any issues right then and there.
Nice video and love seeing action on branch lines. It's sad that there's so many weeds & high grasses over much of that line. Regardless of them using it mostly for storage someone should get the weed whacker out and take care of that. You did a very nice job filming!!
Thank you! And yes, there is talk of sending a piece of machinery out to cut down some of that vegetation before more storage cars are sent up the line. We'll see what happens!
Wow amazing video. Locos look like they're hovering above grass...
We suppose they kind of are! It was a sight to see, for sure.
This should have been sold to a shortline operator years ago. How absurd!
There might be some actual traffic on the line if they had! As far as we know, Powers Lake still wanted to ship grain when the line was embargoed due to track conditions in 2013.
And I thought I lived in the middle of nowhere!
Very cool video.
Thank you! And yes, this area is pretty far from anything major. Minot to the east, Williston to the west, but that's about it.
Got off am track at Stanley a couple times
Yep, the Empire Builder is daily through Stanley. Thanks for the comment!
From the way the wind was blowing looks as the BNSF is responsible for the fire. Not against the RR but let's be HONEST. Pictures don't lie.
That is what I was thinking. The video was cut (while the train back up) and all the sudden there was a fire that started next to the track. The RR is responsible for weed control along their ROW
Agree. Sure looks that way, to me. No one else around and fire origination was right at the tracks.
The fire started underneath the locomotives. This is a perfect example of the importance of weed control.
Loved this! I have always been curious about the former GN Grenora Sub!
Thanks for a great showcase.
Thank you! Glad to be able to cover this line. Never thought we would.
Well, that's one way to clean up the ROW !
Roger that!
WOW great video. Such beautiful country
Thank you! We thought it was very pretty as well. So many hidden treasures in North Dakota...
Just FABULOUS. Thanks.
Thank you for the comment! Glad you liked it.
14:15 throwing the contents of his water bottle at it ☺ I think that'll be of more use to you than it would be any help towards putting that out
True. I think everyone was surprised how quickly the fire spread. I believe they were doing their best to keep it from burning more of the right-of-way. It was heading north no matter what (with south winds pushing it), but there was still hope that it would stop spreading down the tracks east-west.
We ride in those engine cars for fun! We don't ever bother anything, and when the train stops, and they have to sign the trip cards, I hide in the bathroom, praying they don't open the door!
Sounds like fun! Stay safe out there.
@@CVisionContributor To this day, I'm 12-1, on getting busted! The only time I did get caught, they seen me coming out, the train was stopped, the engineer said, like what you rode in? And I said yes sir! And now I'm a ghost, you didn't see me, and he laughed!
@@christopherreinsmith1401 Glad he was friendly! I’m sure most don’t care.
You should go down to the South Dakota Mitchell sub ex-Milwaukee Road. been out there near Chancellor, Parker, and Marion seen a IC unit in Marion, a CSX SD70MAC rebuilt, CSX SD40-3, and a NS ET44AC.
That’s a cool line! We’ve covered it (briefly) in the past. Thank you for the suggestion.
Mrs Richards: "I paid for a room with a view!"
Basil: (pointing to the lovely view) "That is Torquay, Madam."
Mrs Richards: "It's not good enough!"
Basil: "May I ask what you were expecting to see out of a Torquay hotel bedroom window? Sydney Opera House, perhaps? the Hanging Gardens of Babylon? Herds of wildebeest sweeping majestically past?..."
Mrs Richards: "Don't be silly! I expect to be able to see the sea!"
Basil: "You can see the sea, it's over there between the land and the sky."
Mrs Richards: "I'm not satisfied. But I shall stay. But I expect a reduction."
Basil: "Why?! Because Krakatoa's not erupting at the moment?
ua-cam.com/video/POO4lrTclNY/v-deo.html
That's a classic episode of faulty towers 👌
@@samuelanketell8190 I'M A DOCTOR AND I WANT MY SAUSAGE'S
Nice! I use to live in ND and loved seeing all the grain trains run around Grand Forks. Wish I had explored some of these old lines and towns a bit more while I lived there. But as a college student, I had other things on my mind. :D
Well, can't say we blame you. "There's more to life". Right? But yes, these ND branch lines are pretty darn neat.
Awesome video, really enjoyed it!! Thank you for sharing!!!!!
You're welcome! And thank you, Ron.
I have photographed a number of times around the Lunds Valley elevator and Powers Lake areas. I always wondered it the tracks were abandoned as they are quite overgrown. - Guess Not!
Glad we could help provide some intel on this piece of track for you. The line is embargoed, but not abandoned. No revenue traffic is hauled between Stanley and Powers Lake, just these storage moves. But yes, there still are trains on occasion!
Maintenance Of Way really needs to M.O.W. the weeds too.
Bingo!
Very well done very professional excellent video thank you very cool to watch
Thank you so much, Tyler!
@@CVisionContributor your more than welcome, looking forward to your next video!!!