Everywhere West was the motto of the famed Burlington Route. And no Burlington line exemplified that motto better than the 476 mile line between Alliance in northwest Nebraska and Billings, Montana. Today, the Burlington is part of western rail giant BNSF and the eastern part of the Alliance to Billings line is laced with coal mines as it bisects the northern part of the Powder River Basin. 333 miles northwest of Alliance lies the crew change point of Sheridan, Wyoming. Sheridan, which today still personifies the West in American culture, is the midpoint of BNSF’s Big Horn Subdivision, which stretches from Gillette to Billings. Coal from mines in the Powder River Basin and from mines in southern Montana has transformed the Big Horn sub from a sleepy secondary line in CB&Q days to a big time main line railroad. Just east of Sheridan is Ulm Hill, which has ten mile long, one and a quarter percent helper grades for loaded coal trains on both sides. Loaded coal trains with radio controlled distributed power and manned helpers run both ways up and down Ulm Hill. This program shows over 24 hours of, at times, earsplitting action on and around Ulm Hill in northern Wyoming in September of 2009. “BNSF Big Horn Sub east of Sheridan, WY” is 64 minutes long and sells for $30.95 plus $5 for S&H.  This DVD has the option of being watched with or without narration.

One of the real success stories in railroading today is the former Texas and Pacific, now Union Pacific, west end from Fort Worth to El Paso. Originally conceived as this country’s second transcontinental railroad, this line ended up as a 611 mile long branch line to El Paso when Southern Pacific arrived in El Paso first. The takeover of the SP by the UP in 1996 changed everything as UP completely rebuilt this part of the former T&P and began routing traffic from Memphis and Dallas-Fort Worth bound for southern California via the former T&P. Today this line handles more trains and much more tonnage than anytime in its history including World War II. This program shows over 24 hours of action on the former Texas and Pacific between Abilene and Sweetwater in west Texas in May of 2009. “UP’s ex-T&P Main west of Abilene, TX” is 65 minutes long and sells for $30.95 plus $5 for S&H.  This DVD has the option of being watched with or without narration.

Flatonia is home to the only train watching platform or pavilion aimed at railfans in the state of Texas. Flatonia is 119 miles west of Houston and 89 miles east of San Antonio on the former Southern Pacific, now Union Pacific, Sunset Route. When we were there the trains of four railroads – Union Pacific, Kansas City Southern, BNSF, and Amtrak - ran past the Flatonia Photo Pavilion as the railfan platform is called on the west side of town. In addition, Tower 3, which used to control the crossing of UP’s Glidden and Cuero subdivisions near the photo pavilion, and a former Southern Pacific caboose have been preserved in the Flatonia Rail Park in downtown Flatonia just south of the Glidden sub. UP’s Glidden subdivision between the outskirts of Houston and San Antonio is part of their busy Sunset Route while the north-south Cuero sub that crosses the Glidden sub at Flatonia is best known for being part of SP’s Dalsa Line and for hosting the Blue Streak Merchandise until the BSM was transferred to a routing via Kansas City and the former Rock Island Golden State Route. This program shows 24 hours of action at Flatonia in May of 2009. “Flatonia – Texas Hot Spot” is 96 minutes in length.  This DVD has the option of being watched with or without narration.

The north end of BNSF’s Fort Worth Subdivision between Gainesville, Texas and Alliance Yard, BNSF’s large intermodal, auto, and carload classification yard serving the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, is one of BNSF’s busiest lines in Texas. Part of the former Santa Fe main line between Kansas City and Houston, this track handles a lot of intermodal, grain, and mixed carload traffic between the Midwest and the great state of Texas. The UP takeover of the Southern Pacific in 1996 gave BNSF access to more chemical plants along the Gulf Coast, and much of this new traffic flows north on the Fort Worth sub. In spite of the current recession, this line is still handling near record levels of traffic, especially when export grain is moving to ports on the Gulf Coast. This program shows all the trains for over 24 hours on the north end of BNSF’s Fort Worth Subdivision including what fans call the “Metro pig dance” in May of 2009. “BNSF Fort Worth Subdivision” is 79 minutes in length.  This DVD has the option of being watched with or without narration.