Manned helper engines based in Crawford are used to help 18,000-ton (16,000 tonnes) loaded coal trains from Wyoming's Powder River Basin up the escarpment.
In September 1889, the CB&Q succeeded, establishing a small operations base in Crawford, as well as a connection with the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad.
The arrival of the CB&Q and the creation of a junction between the two railroads provided a significant economic boost to the region, particularly the agricultural and ranching industries.
The line also became a vital means of transport for the soldiers, horses, and supplies at the United States Army's outpost at Fort Robinson.
Through the years Crawford saw many businesses come and go, including a brick works, mica mill, pickle factory, and a Nash Finch Company warehouse.
The right of way was also widened, moving millions of tons of earth and whole hill sides in some places, creating huge cuts to allow for a second main track and access road for the length of the climb.
After Burlington Northern merged with Santa Fe in 1996, the resultant BNSF Railway began a second round of improvements, upgrading communications and signaling systems.
By the spring of 2013, numerous companies had entered the region of Wyoming to extract the fuel by means of the controversial hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking", method.