This is the plan for Powder River. West is to the left. The right end of the mainline is coming from Casper, and at the left it is proceeding towards Shobon.

Powder River is represented only by some stock pens. The actual town is three or four miles further west. Stock shipping is a very seasonal business, and of course uses stock cars. Since stock has special handling requirements (periodic feeding, watering and exercising), little if anything else was shipped on a stock train. So most trains will pass Powder River by without even slowing. There isn't even a team track here - just the stock loading track.

Shobon is the junction point where the CB&Q splits from the CNW, with the Burlington going north through Wind River Canyon to Thermopolis, and the CNW heading southwest about 23 miles to the end of track in Lander. In this diagram, the CNW is the red track that heads off the line from Powder River and into a tunnel at the left end of the central peninsula on the layout.

The scenery in this area of the layout will be semi-arid high plains, with tall, separated clumps of grass mixed in liberally with a lot of sagebrush and tumbleweeds. If one looks closely, one might see a jackrabbit or twenty in amongst the sagebrush, and maybe even a small herd of Antelope. The eagle-eyed amongst us may even have some luck spotting a jackalope!

Right after passing Shobon, as one approaches the Wind River Canyon, one sees less sagebrush and more grasses and even a few trees, as the Wind River is very close by. The Boysen Reservoir and Dam are prominent scenic features in this area.