I dont know if this is timely for the previous question but I just got back from coal county. We had good luck with photos at Sheridan WY; both morning and evening from the parking lots near the old depot and at the Decker Mine north of Sheridan. In Gillette the photos are best between Donkey Creek Yard east to Rosette; thats east-west so most of the day is good. South of Donkey Creek Jct there is public roads that get you to both sides of the track. Around the mines its best in the morning on the east side of Caballo Rojo mine; you can park along side the road at the track overpass; very little traffic. You can also see plenty of trains around Nacco Jct. Also near Reno altho the construction of the new loadout presents traffic and access problems. There are a few places near the Black Thunder but lots of traffic and access issues. Last week the traffic levels were down with often a couple hours between trains; both north and south bound. Penneys Diner at Bill is open 24/7 with good food. Dont bother to ask about a room at the OakTree Inn; its full with people with jobs in the area. Besides the RR, lots of gas and oil drilling etc going on. We could not find a room in Douglas a week before we went. Gillette prices are half again normal for rooms, if available. We also were there the final few days of Sturgus and I think that was part of the availability of room issue in Douglas. Also south of Bill there are several spots where the tracks are adjacent to the highway. There is an overpass south of the car repair shop. A track inspector stopped when we were there and was very friendly but reminded us that there is a zero tolerance on tresspass. Most of the tracks have the typical barbed wire fencing that sets off the ROW from adjacent fields. The Altamont Press time table for that area is way out of date but its a place to start. Roads have changed alot in the last several years as the mines have really been changing the earth. The AAA map for WY really shows very little in road access. Try the WY DeLorme map book.
RB