Crawford Hill, Nebraska facts for kids

Crawford Hill is a special section of railroad track in Nebraska, United States. It's known for being a tough climb for trains! This part of the BNSF Railway goes uphill at an average slope of 1.55% when trains are heading east. It starts near Crawford, Nebraska, which is about 3,678 feet (1,121 m) high, and climbs to Belmont, Nebraska, at 4,499 feet (1,371 m). The hill goes up the Pine Ridge escarpment, which is an area with cool buttes (flat-topped hills) and sandy hills covered in pine trees. Because it's so steep, extra helper engines are kept in Crawford. These engines help really heavy coal trains, weighing up to 18,000 tons, get up the hill. These trains carry coal from Wyoming's Powder River Basin.

History of Crawford Hill

Building the Railroad (1888-1889)

Back in 1888, the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q) started building a new train line. They wanted to connect Alliance, Nebraska to Edgemont, South Dakota. This was to compete with another railroad company, the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad. The biggest challenge was getting over the Pine Ridge escarpment. When they reached Belmont, engineers realized they had to dig a tunnel, called the Belmont Tunnel. This tunnel went through the side of the hill, leading down to the town of Crawford with a steep track and sharp turns. By September 1889, the CB&Q finished the line. They set up a small base in Crawford and connected with the other railroad.

Crawford's Growth (Early 1900s)

The arrival of the CB&Q railroad was a huge boost for the area. It especially helped farming and ranching businesses. The train line also became very important for moving soldiers, horses, and supplies to Fort Robinson, a nearby U.S. Army outpost. In 1907, Crawford officially became a city. By 1911, it had one of the highest business volumes in Nebraska. Many different businesses came and went over the years, all supported by the railroad. Crawford's population reached its highest point in 1910, with 2,536 people.

Changes in Railroad Ownership (1970-1996)

On March 2, 1970, the railroad route became part of the Burlington Northern Railroad. This happened because four big railroad companies merged: Great Northern Railway, Northern Pacific Railway, Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway, and the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. This new, larger railroad made many improvements to the route.

Later, in 1992, the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad (which was now part of the Chicago and North Western Transportation Company) decided they didn't have enough trains on their line. So, they closed it down. They even removed the special crossing with the Burlington Northern Railroad in Crawford. However, a part of the old route from Crawford to Chadron was later reopened. Regional train companies, the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad, and later the Nebraska Northwestern Railroad and Nebkota Railway, started using it again. As of 2014, these companies still exchange grain and other goods by train car in Crawford.

Bringing Coal East

Discovery of Coal (Late 1970s)

In the late 1970s, a huge amount of low-sulfur coal was found in Wyoming, near Wright, Wyoming. This coal was in the Niobrara Basin and Powder River Basin. The Burlington Northern Railroad quickly started building a new line south from Edgemont, South Dakota. This new line would reach the coal deposits and allow trains to carry the coal. These coal trains would then head east towards Chicago and the Atlantic coast, traveling over Crawford Hill.

Upgrading Crawford Hill (1982-1999)

As more and more coal trains used the route, Crawford Hill became very busy. It was almost too full! In 1982, Burlington Northern started a big project to improve the route. They got rid of the old Belmont Tunnel. Instead, they built several double-horseshoe curves. These curves made the track less steep and the turns easier for trains. They also made the railroad wider, moving millions of tons of earth. In some places, they even cut through whole hillsides. This allowed them to add a second main track and an access road for the entire climb.

After Burlington Northern merged with Santa Fe in 1996, they formed the BNSF Railway. This new company continued to make improvements. In 1999, they installed strong concrete cross ties under the tracks. These ties help support heavier trains and reduce how often the tracks need repairs.

How Trains Operate on Crawford Hill

Crawford Hill runs mostly north and south. Trains going towards Crawford and Edgemont are called "westbound" trains. Trains heading towards Alliance, Nebraska are called "eastbound" trains. Loaded coal trains always travel eastbound, going up the hill. Empty coal trains travel westbound, going down the hill.

Train Size and Power

Coal trains can have anywhere from 125 to 140 cars. They can weigh up to 19,500 tons! Most trains on Crawford Hill use 2 or 3 locomotives (engines) at the front. They also have 1 or 2 remote locomotives at the back, called DPU (Distributed Power Units). Even with up to 5 engines, the hill is still too steep. So, they need extra helper locomotives. These helpers are usually added to trains at Moody Road in Crawford. They are removed at the top of the hill in Belmont. If a train is extra heavy or doesn't have enough power, the helpers might stay on until Nonphereil.

Other Types of Cargo

In recent years, a lot of oil has also been found in the same areas as the coal in Wyoming. By 2013, many companies started using a method called "fracking" to get this oil out of the ground. Much of this oil is loaded into special tank cars. Some of these oil trains also travel east over Crawford Hill.

Other types of trains use the route too. Merchandise trains from Kansas City, Kansas to the Pacific Northwest travel this way. This includes special trains carrying parts for Boeing 737 and Boeing 787 airplanes. These parts are the main body sections (fuselages) and they are shipped to Boeing's factory in Seattle, Washington.

Controlling the Trains

Train movements on Crawford Hill are controlled by a dispatcher in Fort Worth, Texas. They use a special system called ARES, which is a type of Advanced Train Control System. The signals along the double track route are spaced about 3 to 5 miles (5 to 8 km) apart. This allows trains to run in both directions on each track. Trains communicate using a radio frequency of 161.10000 MHz (AAR Channel 87).