Then and Now: The Sand Hills Subdivsion

The Sand Hills Subdivision was once a quiet backwater of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy system. Today, it is a heavy duty piece of railroad. Beginning in the early 70s, the line became one of the primary routes for coal trains from newly opened mines in Wyoming’s Powder River Basin. By the late 1980s, the line had been thoroughly rebuilt to handle the flood of unit coal trains traversing the line.

Part One of this two disc set looks at the line as it was between 1987 and 1989. Starting in Grand Island, Nebraska, and heading northwest through Ravenna to Alliance, we see the railroad as it was a quarter-century ago. Cascade Green dominates, as C30-7s, U30Cs and SD40-2s are the primary power. The latest power of the day is also seen, with the leased power-by-the-hour Oakway SD60s in EMD demonstrator colors and the LMX B39-8s making appearances. We even see a lone Tiger Stripe GP50 heading up an intermodal train. In addition to BN power, SD40-2s of Kansas City Southern and M-K-T are seen. This disc is presented in standard 4:3 format.

In Part Two we see the line as it was in mid-2012, with coal trains being led by today’s General Electric ES44ACs and EMD SD70ACEs and SD70MACs. We begin in Alliance and work our way east to Alliance, visiting some of the same locations as Part One as well as discovering new ones. This disc is presented in Widescreen 16:9 format. Both discs feature plenty of pacing as well as trackside shots, and the fallen flags and long scrapped locomotives featured in Part One alone is worth the price of admission.