It's a cold North Dakota morning as an empty coal train from Ardoch, ND, accelerates southward past the elevator at Merrifield.

After unloading at the Crystal Sugar stockpile in Ardoch, coal hoppers ease southward into Grand Forks with a single ACe on the point.

Coal empties from Ardoch, ND, roll southward out of Grand Forks behind a matching trio of Heritage II SD70MACs.

Coal empties from the Ardoch, ND, Crystal Sugar stockpile roll out of Grand Forks behind a nice pair of SD60M-succeeding ACes.

After backing out onto the Devils Lake line, Ardoch coal empties run around the west leg of the wye and toward Hillsboro behind an executive MAC doing just what an EMD should do and a GEVO that ha... (more)

An early SD70ACe and an older SD70MAC cousin have Ardoch coal empties halted at MP 2 while the interlocking clears ahead.

A trio of SD70s leads an Ardoch, ND, coal empty down the Hillsboro line after running around the train through the yard.

Coal empties from Ardoch, ND, reverse past D.L. Switch and prepare to pull past the Amtrak station onto the Hillsboro Subdivision.

Ardoch coal empties led by a newly delivered SD70ACe reverse past the Grand Forks Amtrak station's sign and onto the Devils Lake Subdivision. They will then pull past the passenger platform, along... (more)

A GEVO and two EMDs lead coal empties from Ardoch, ND, as they head back for the mines. The engineer was friendly enough to yell "cover your ears" before sounding the horn for the fourth time righ... (more)

An SD75M in need of a wash creeps through Buxton with coal empties as the South Local clears the siding switch on the south side of town.

A grubby SD75M on the point of coal empties from Ardoch, ND, waits at the west switch of the Buxton siding while the South Local enters at the east switch.

The Greenface SD60M is sandwiched by 1/13 of BNSF's fleet of SD75Is as Ardoch coal empties head for the mines. The train will likely be held up for a while at Miles City, MT, however, where track ... (more)

Coal empties from Crystal Sugar's coal stockpile in Ardoch take the "passenger main" in Grand Forks' yard and cruise past the University of North Dakota's water tower and heating plant. With a tem... (more)