In 1972, Burlington Northern supervised the construction of a 14.8 mile spur from Donkey Creek to the new Amax Coal Co. Belle Ayr Mine. That line, with its 1.4% ruling grade southbound and 1.25% ruling grade northbound over White Tail Hill, was the genesis of today’s coal carrying Orin Subdivision between Donkey Creek at the north end and Bridger Junction at the south end. By the end of 1972, BN sought regulatory approval to build south of Belle Ayr mine to serve additional mines proposed in the region and connect with a second main line that provided an outlet to the south via Cheyenne. That action spawned a rivalry, and eventually cooperation, between BN and Chicago & North Western, which sought its own access to the coal field.
In recent years, Belle Ayr has supplied power plants in Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Texas, and Wisconsin, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration data.
According to statistics provided by BNSF Railway, Belle Ayr produced 15.8 million tons in 2017, 14.9 million tons in 2016, and 18.3 million tons in 2015. The facility has storage for 48,000 tons of coal in four silos and is capable of holding four trains on site simultaneously.
In its 2018 coal marketing materials, BNSF touts its service of 16 coal mines in Wyoming, including the now-closed Belle Ayre and Eagle Butte operations.
Another casualty in the “war on coal.”
Love the picture included. Would have been in the 7th grade on 12/21/76. living near the MP in Oklahoma, the coal trains provided some variety at the time. The green and black BN engines were completely foreign at the time, and unit trains of any sort were not seen, at least on the MP.
Eagle Butte and Belle Ayr are the fourth- and sixth-largest producing coal mines in the *country*.
The Casper Star Tribune is reporting that Blackjewel has secured new financing; if a judge approves, the company will be able to avoid Chapter 7 liquidation:
https://trib.com/business/energy/mine-owner-blackjewel-says-it-has-secured-financing-asks-for/article_280c6d80-b247-57c5-a463-8396ae83943d.html