Powder River Basin (Bill)

Bill sits at roughly the midpoint of the 103-mile Joint Line (BNSF's Orin Subdivision), which runs from Donkey Creek Junction near Gillette south to Bridger Junction near Douglas. BNSF dispatches the entire line from Fort Worth. Both BNSF and Union Pacific operate coal trains here, and UP maintains a yard and crew-change facility right at Bill. The tiny hamlet—population essentially zero—consists of a Travelodge hotel (originally the Oak Tree Inn, built in 2007 by Avantic Lodging Enterprises for UP crews), Penny's Diner (open 24 hours, 1950s décor), and a convenience store/bar across WY-59.

Trains generally run at a maximum of 50 mph, with loaded southbound coal trains moving considerably slower on the grade approaching Logan Hill just north of town. The terrain is dead flat and treeless, so headlights appear on the horizon well before trains arrive, giving ample time to set up. You can park along WY-59 at several pullouts and watch trains pass within a few hundred feet. Note that while the tracks run geographically north-south, the Orin Subdivision timetable designates them east-west—northbound trains are "westbound" in railroad terminology.

Bill sits on the edge of the Thunder Basin National Grassland at roughly 4,900 feet elevation. The landscape is a broad, treeless expanse of sagebrush steppe stretching to distant buttes in every direction. Cottonwood trees grow only in creek bottoms—look elsewhere and you will not find a single tree. The sky dominates everything: huge cumulus buildups in summer, dramatic thunderstorms that sweep across the basin, and winter snowstorms that coat train sides in frost.

Wind is constant and can be fierce; the Penny's Diner at Bill was reportedly designed differently from other Avantic properties specifically because of the high winds. Summer temperatures reach the 90s °F, while winter brings sub-zero cold. The low humidity produces excellent visibility—on a clear day you can trace tracks toward the horizon for miles. Besides train noise, the only sounds are wind through the sagebrush, meadowlarks, and the occasional distant pump jack.

Coal traffic overwhelmingly dominates the Joint Line. Loaded trains haul sub-bituminous coal from Powder River Basin mines—including Black Thunder, North Antelope Rochelle, Antelope, Caballo, Belle Ayr, Cordero Rojo, and Coal Creek—to power plants across the Midwest, Texas, and the Gulf. Empty trains return northbound. Trains typically consist of 130+ hopper cars.

Both BNSF and UP run trains on the Joint Line, with BNSF owning and dispatching the trackage. The Orin Subdivision is three-to-four main tracks for much of its length; one track is sometimes used for storage of idled coal train sets. At peak coal demand around 2008, the line handled record volumes—168 total movements on November 30, 2008. By 2020, daily average volume had moderated to approximately 70 combined loaded and empty trains. BNSF alone averaged about 25.8 loaded trains per day out of the PRB as of late 2020.

Bill itself functions as a Union Pacific crew-change and yard staging point. You may see empty trains staged in the yard awaiting their turn for loading at the mines to the north. No scheduled passenger service operates through Bill.

The premier photography location near Bill is Logan Hill, about 9 miles north via WY-59. Take Steckley Road east from WY-59 for 1.7 miles to the overpass at the summit (approximately milepost 69). Loaded coal trains crawl uphill at walking speed (~5 mph), giving you plenty of time for multiple compositions. From the Steckley Road overpass you can shoot directly down onto the triple/quad-track main line with the immense basin stretching in all directions. Looking north from the summit, trains approaching from the Antelope Mine area are visible 30+ minutes before they arrive.

The WY-59 underpass south of Bill (where the railroad crosses over the highway) is another useful landmark but not ideal for photography. The WY-59 overpass north of Bill (where the highway crosses over the railroad) offers elevated shots looking down at trains.

South of Bill, Flat Top Road (Road 48) branches east from WY-59 about 8 miles north of Douglas and reaches an overpass 3.5 miles in—good for shots in both directions. Just north of this overpass is Walker Hill summit, where loaded southbound trains climb slowly. Walker Creek Road (Road 43), a paved road about 2 miles further north, has another overpass where trains run at full speed on level ground.

Morning light illuminates the east side of the tracks; golden-hour and sunset shots work best from western vantage points. A 200-300mm telephoto lens isolates distant power on the straight tangent track, while wide-angle captures the immensity of sky and basin.

The Joint Line through Bill was built in the 1970s as a cooperative venture between Burlington Northern and the Chicago and North Western Railway to tap the rapidly developing Powder River Basin coal deposits. BN's Orin Subdivision was constructed between 1972 and 1979, with BN recognizing that exploding coal demand required new track from the Bel Ayr mine spur south to Bridger Junction near Orin. The Chicago and North Western (backed by Union Pacific) built a parallel connector line, with the first UP train operating over the newly constructed connector on August 16, 1984. The 50,000th coal train was operated out of the PRB on December 28, 1996.

Originally a single-track line, the Orin Subdivision was progressively expanded to double track, then triple, and ultimately four main tracks by 2008 to handle surging coal demand. Concrete ties and continuous welded rail are standard throughout. BNSF and UP agreed to coordinated dispatching in 1999.

Bill itself existed as little more than a general store, gas station, and post office—famously signed "Population 1." The old store and post office are now closed. Union Pacific built the modern crew-change facility and partnered with Avantic Lodging Enterprises in 2007 to construct the hotel and diner.

The Powder River Basin Joint Line is, by tonnage, the busiest freight railroad corridor in the world. Few places on earth offer the spectacle of three or four parallel main tracks carrying an almost continuous procession of 130-car unit coal trains through open, treeless country. The combination of BNSF and UP operations on shared trackage means you can see locomotives of both Class I carriers passing simultaneously.

Logan Hill, just north of Bill, is one of the signature railfan locations in North America: loaded trains crawl up the grade at walking speed while empties race downhill at 50 mph, creating dramatic contrasts. The utter flatness and lack of any vegetation means every operational detail—from DPU sets to coal dust plumes—plays out in full view against an enormous sky.

Bill's isolation is part of its appeal. There is essentially nothing between Douglas (35 miles south) and Gillette (78 miles north) except sagebrush and railroad. Make sure your gas tank is full before heading out.