Devils Lake (Causeway)

A visit to the causeway is wonderfully straightforward: park safely along the wide gravel shoulders of ND Highway 19, step a few paces toward the rip-rapped shoreline, and the double-track main line is right in front of you—no fences, no power poles, no tall vegetation to block the view. South-facing trains roll in first as tiny specks shimmering over the water before thundering past at track speed, typically 50–60 mph. Northbound consists emerge from the gentle curve near Minnewaukan, giving photographers 30–40 seconds’ warning before they reach the causeway’s center. The open water amplifies every wheel click and diesel note; at night the soft roar of dynamic brakes drifts across the lake long before headlights appear. Expect trains exceeding 8,000 ft to take a full minute or more to clear the spot, and meets on the double track are common, producing thrilling stereo effects when two freights pass simultaneously.

Devils Lake is North Dakota’s largest natural lake, and the railway rides a low embankment only a few feet above the waterline. On calm mornings the rails reflect off mirror-still water; in late afternoon, prairie sunsets paint the sky orange and lavender behind long grain hoppers. Shortgrass prairie meets cattail marsh along both shores, so expect a background chorus of red-winged blackbirds and the occasional splash of a jumping carp. Spring and autumn can be windy, with sustained 20–30 mph breezes sweeping across the open lake. Summer temperatures hover in the mid-70s °F, though sudden thunderstorms may roll in from the west. Winter brings sub-zero cold and drifting snow, yet the frozen lake offers a stark, photogenic canvas for hardy railfans.

The causeway lies on BNSF’s Devils Lake Subdivision, a core segment of the Northern Transcontinental route linking Chicago with the Pacific Northwest. Current timetables show an average of 22–28 freight movements in 24 hours, though surge periods tied to grain harvest or intermodal demand can push totals above 30. Traffic is predominantly unit grain, crude-oil empties, mixed manifest, and doublestack intermodals, typically powered by GE ES44C4s or EMD SD70ACes in sets of three to four locomotives. Amtrak’s Empire Builder (Trains 7 & 8) provides two passenger appearances daily, generally around 7 a.m. eastbound and 9 p.m. westbound, creating a welcome change of pace with heritage baggage cars and Superliner coaches.

The prime photo perch is the gently elevated western shoulder of Highway 19, roughly ¼ mile east of the ND 57 junction. From here, morning light illuminates eastbound consists, while sunsets backlight westbounds with fiery skies. A 24–70 mm lens captures full-length trains framed by water; telephotos in the 200 mm range accentuate heat ripples and compress the scene so locomotives appear to skim the lake’s surface. For overhead shots, a short hike up the adjacent grade crossing embankment provides four additional feet of elevation—enough to clear foreground brush and showcase reflections. Winter photographers often favor mid-day when low sun angles bounce off the ice, producing high-contrast images without harsh shadows.

The Great Northern Railway completed the original causeway in 1906, shortening what had been a lengthy detour around the south shore. Rising lake levels threatened the line several times; after major floods in the late 1990s and again in 2011, BNSF undertook a multi-year project to raise the roadbed and replace timber trestles with concrete bridges, preserving an artery vital to national freight movement. Local Dakota Sioux legends refer to “Spirit Water” in the lake, and rail traffic across it symbolizes the long interplay between modern commerce and ancestral homeland.

Few mainland locations let you stand mere yards from a Class I double-track main while enjoying unobstructed 270-degree water views. The causeway’s isolation eliminates urban clutter—no warehouses, no billboards, no suburban fencing—so every frame centers on trains and nature alone. The combination of echoing acoustics, dramatic weather, and frequent meets creates a sensory experience that urban depots or tree-lined prairies simply cannot match.