BNSF Butte train station takes us back to “1923” in Taylor Sheridan’s hit TV show

(NOTE FOR “1923” VIEWERS: SPOILER ALERT AHEAD!) 

Back in 1923, the Northern Pacific (NP) train depot on Front Street in Butte, Montana was bustling with activity. Like many train stations of its era, it served as a gathering point for the community. The highway system was yet to be developed as we know it today, and the elite would ride passenger trains to escape home and see the country in style.  

NP, along with other BNSF predecessor railroads at the time like Great Northern (GN) and Santa Fe, would display advertisements on billboards and flyers for the public in the depots, promoting tourism out West. The ads showcased colorful, picturesque paintings by talented artists, hired to capture the natural beauty of the region’s vast landscape, especially in places like Yellowstone National Park.  

Fast forward about 100 years, to the first day of November 2024. Cars are shuffling through Front Street on this cold afternoon, and it’s business as usual in the small mining town. 

The Butte station, now typically only used as an event space, is completely blocked from public view — giant jibs, camera equipment, lights, trailers and white vans line the exterior. A security guard paces the perimeter. About a half dozen vintage cars, some with their original engines, are hidden behind a giant blue backdrop. Artificial snow blankets the exterior of the building, made from paper, salt and foam. 

Filming for season two of Taylor Sheridan’s “1923,” a prequel to the show “Yellowstone,” is in full swing.  

A row of director’s chairs faces a group of TV monitors, showing shots from cameras outside the depot near the train tracks. Harrison Ford casually walks inside, dressed in full cowboy gear, and starts talking to producers. He sits in one of the chairs to make a call.  

Quiet on the set! 

Rolling, here we go …  

Outside the back door, a shiny, black NP steam locomotive slowly starts to churn down the tracks. A thick plume of steam gushes into the afternoon sky as it chugs along toward the station, coming closer into view, and except for the peaceful, rhythmic huffing of the engine and slow ringing of a safety bell, all goes quiet.

“This place emptied out,” said Calene Borup, who was visiting on set. Her son Jordan works in visual effects. “There was a big commotion, and everyone started taking videos. It was so cool seeing it coming down the tracks, in person. The sounds of it, the steam. You feel like you’re going back in time. You take it for granted in the movies, but seeing it in person, it’s almost like it’s a character.”  

Production company 101 Studios is shooting the final moments of the final episode for season two of the show, a culmination of months of buildup to a dramatic moment as Spencer Dutton, played by Brandon Sklenar, finally makes his way back home to Montana to help save his family ranch. He’s on the train.

The “1923” team wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for BNSF. 

Cary Hutchings, BNSF director of Corporate Real Estate, said a lot of coordination led to this successful partnership with Paramount+ and 101 Studios.  

When Paramount+ approached BNSF about filming on BNSF property, Hutchings said they had to make sure filming wouldn’t interrupt daily train operations and everything could be done safely.  

“It really was about the give and take,” Hutchings said. “I would give (co-producer) Charlie Skinner a lot of credit. They knew what they wanted, were experienced enough to know the ramifications of what they were asking, and so it made the process easy. It takes a bit of a champion on both sides.”  

“Where we were flexible is we have a pretty large yard, and our main track is what’s being used,” Pierson said. “We were able to divert everything through the yard around this and not slow any service up.” 

After working out the logistics of using BNSF property, train coordinator Ray Morquecho filled in the blanks on the other half of Paramount’s request: finding the right steam locomotive and getting it to Butte. 

Pierson, who coordinated all the work with his crew that was needed to get the yard cleared and ready for loading and unloading of the equipment, also was tasked with being a part of some special TV magic.  

“In the final negotiations, they asked if we could use one of our vehicles for a camera rig,” Pierson said. “I cleaned out my truck and took it to their camera grip people and watched them build this big elaborate set up to mount three to five cameras on. I got to drive my hi-rail and pretend I was the train pulling into the depot, too. So, all the shots that are in this episode are actually me driving the camera into the depot on a BNSF hi-rail.” 

A hi-rail vehicle is one that can operate on both regular roads and railroad track. 

Brant said his experience working with the cast and crew was interesting, to say the least. 

“You don’t think about how much movies use trains and the need to coordinate all the stuff that I’ve done, let alone all the stuff they’ve had to do just on the steam engine, it’s amazing,” he said.  

Josh Henson, senior vice president of production for 101 Studios, said working with BNSF has been a dream come true.  

“(This scene) was so integral — it was the climax of the series and homecoming for Brandon’s character,” Henson said. “In this day and age, we could add CG (computer graphics), but Taylor (Sheridan) is so keen on making it as real as possible, so it was important to have a real train line and train pulling in … Working with people who do this for a living makes it all the more real for us.” 

Season two of “1923” is available to stream now on Paramount+. Episode 7, “A Dream and a Memory,” features BNSF’s Butte station and railroad tracks. Thanks, Paramount+ and 101 Studios, for an experience many of us at BNSF will never forget!