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Guernsey braces for layoffs as coal’s decline quiets the rails | WyoFile
GUERNSEY — The railroad is this town’s backbone.
In the community of fewer than 1,200 people on the banks of North Platte River, it is the economic foundation, providing high-paying jobs for generations of residents whether they just finished high school or are moving back to raise a family.
The railroad runs within blocks of the town’s main street businesses, including Ben’s Bar, which has served railroaders and residents for 103 years, owners Wayne and Johnny K. Perkins say. The sound of trains rolling in and out of town, along with the clanging and banging in the switchyard and repair yards, provide the soundtrack to Guernsey life.
Today there are fewer trains, a decline townspeople say is notable. “We noticed it with the coal [downturn],” Johnny Perkins said. “There’s just lots of less sound,” she said.
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Coal is on the way out, unable to compete against renewable energy sources & abundant natural gas. Guernsey is near the Powder River Basin, the largest coal producing region in the country. The town is around a three-hour drive from the city at the heart of PRB coal country — Gillette. But Guernsey is tied to the coal industry by the long trains — 120 cars long — that come south into town laden with coal and pass back north empty.
GUERNSEY — The railroad is this town’s backbone.
In the community of fewer than 1,200 people on the banks of North Platte River, it is the economic foundation, providing high-paying jobs for generations of residents whether they just finished high school or are moving back to raise a family.
The railroad runs within blocks of the town’s main street businesses, including Ben’s Bar, which has served railroaders and residents for 103 years, owners Wayne and Johnny K. Perkins say. The sound of trains rolling in and out of town, along with the clanging and banging in the switchyard and repair yards, provide the soundtrack to Guernsey life.
Today there are fewer trains, a decline townspeople say is notable. “We noticed it with the coal [downturn],” Johnny Perkins said. “There’s just lots of less sound,” she said.
======================================================
Coal is on the way out, unable to compete against renewable energy sources & abundant natural gas. Guernsey is near the Powder River Basin, the largest coal producing region in the country. The town is around a three-hour drive from the city at the heart of PRB coal country — Gillette. But Guernsey is tied to the coal industry by the long trains — 120 cars long — that come south into town laden with coal and pass back north empty.