Small elevators and a surviving code line add charm to the otherwise flat and unremarkable Hillsboro Subdivision between Fargo and Grand Forks. It also helps when Amtrak's eastbound Empire Builder is late enough to make a daylight appearance on the line. The Heritage I unit pinch hitting doesn't hurt, either. With the temperature around 40 degrees, there was absolutely nothing to complain about on this afternoon. Well, I guess the wind was gusting to near 50 mph, but it's North Dakota. Complaining that North Dakota is too windy is like complaining that the beach is too sandy. What do you expect?
Photos showing the railroad pole lines. The pole line used four basic electrical circuits - telegraph, telephone, signaling, and power. Modern technologies of fiber optics, microwave, radio, satellite, and computers have been replacing the pole lines.
