Branching Out

A pair of BNSF Railway Geeps hunts for the rail among the tall grasses of the North Dakota prairie on a former Great Northern branch line. —Jerry Seimbida photo

Branching Out

June 2023Among those in our hobby, branch lines are a conundrum. On any given day off, most railfans are likely to head toward the nearest busy main line. This is also often true for vacations, where there are far more costs at stake. The reasons are quite simple — if there’s only so much time or money, you want to make sure that you actually see something.

Branch lines, by contrast, are almost always less busy. There might be only a few trains per day, or even per week. To see anything move requires insider knowledge of schedules, routines, and customers. Getting that knowledge was always hard, but in our security-conscious century, it’s harder still. Much of what you learn may be limited to rumors and gossip taken from online discussion groups. If you are fortunate, and know someone who works for the company that operates the branch, you might learn more still. Many of my best times fanning branch lines were the result of an employee who, out of friendship, sent me detailed information about when and where a train would be later that day. Lucky for me, but not so lucky for an employee if they get caught talking about work to an outsider. And all of this complexity doesn’t even factor in things like weather conditions, traffic patterns, or the whims of a customer that may or may not be ready for a switch.

Branch lines are tough to fan and, as a result, fewer people pay them attention. Are they worth all this extra effort? In my experience, most definitely. In an era when so many main lines feel homogeneous, branch lines are special. While the traffic may be lighter, they make up for this in character.

The branch line was once a staple of the North American railway network, and while there are fewer of them now than there were a hundred years ago, they remain fairly common. They came into existence for a variety of reasons. Sometimes, they began as ambitious companies aiming to someday become transcontinentals, but, after a hard time, ended up purchased by a major railway and made into a branch. Others were started as humble feeders meant to connect the busy high iron main with a distant mine, mill, or factory. Whatever their origin, branches live or die because of the industries they directly serve. Glamorous named passenger trains? Heavy, transcontinental drag freights? None of those are here to pay the bills.

Yet most branches are nowhere near as busy as they once were. Most were built as part of an economy that was gone long ago, when industries were smaller but more plentiful, and alternatives to shipping by boxcar were few and far between. What branch today doesn’t have a history where it was busier in the past? This gives branch lines a characterful and melancholy note, and makes them distinctly downbeat. The high iron may be fast-paced and hard-charging, but the branch line is both scrappy and mournful at the same time. Maybe that makes the branch harder to fan, but it also makes it easy to love.

Branches are also a bit more down to earth. While some connect at one end or the other with a city, most are more country, connecting small towns with the busy national rail network. They are the natural environment of dusty old grain elevators, dilapidated and closed depots, and a few determined shippers giving it one last try. They are both familiar and heartening, a prime example of small town railroading at its best.

Despite all, you never know how long they will last. My advice? Get to know a branch line near you; they are endlessly rewarding, and worthy of your time.

—Alexander Benjamin Craghead is a transportation historian, photographer, artist, and author.


June 2023This article appeared in the June 2023 issue of Railfan & Railroad. Subscribe Today!

This article was posted on: May 22, 2023