A Rapid City to Huron RCP&E freight is handling some switching work off the main line at Pierre, South Dakota on June 5th, 2023.

The RCP&E #3999 leader is one of the small number of SD40-2/SD40M-2 diesels that were transferred from The Arizona & California Railroad over to the motive power roster of the Rapid City Pierre & Eastern. ~~ A Jeff Hampton Photograph ©

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A Rapid City Pierre & Eastern southbound is pausing in Whitewood, South Dakota for a crew change. – In just a short time this train will be back on the move towards their destination of Rapid City. – May 15th, 2019 ~~ A Jeff Hampton Photograph ©

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At the old C&NW Roundhouse in Huron, South Dakota the morning of June 5th, 2023 an unexpected visitor in the form of a BNSF General Electric C44-9W is occupying one of the whisker tracks of this Rapid City Pierre & Eastern locomotive facility.

No this is not a recent purchase and addition to the RCP&E motive power roster, according to one of the Roundhouse guys we talked to this unit was involved in a sizable wreck near Wolsey while on the property and the BNSF informed them that they would not accept it back until it was repaired. – (This photo taken with permission) ~~ A Jeff Hampton Photograph ©

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Not far from the small town of Wessington and only about twenty minutes after the Sunrise shot in my previous post.

Three big BNSF road units are working on the Rapid City Pierre & Eastern while bringing a lengthy eastbound grain train (or possibly corn or soybeans I guess) across the Prairies of South Dakota.

Just ahead at Wolsey, this train will be put away on one of the siding tracks there until a BNSF crew arrives to take it out onto the BNSFs Aberdeen sub. – October 18th, 2020 ~~ A Jeff Hampton Photograph ©

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The same RCP&E train as my previous post is now rolling into Whitewood past the RCP&E 3423 which was coupled to a string of covered hoppers and tied down.

At first we thought this would be picked up by the 3426 south, but as it turned out their only reason for slowing to a stop here was to wait a short time for a relief crew.

This shot also reveals that the nose emblem is positioned lower on some of the RCP&E SD40-2s - I prefer the overall paint/lettering scheme with the higher nose emblem. – May 15th, 2019 ~~ A Jeff Hampton Photograph ©

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