Rocky Mountain Railroad Club

News & Current Events

This page shows interesting railroad happenings as well as breaking railroad news. Check it often as you may learn the location or schedule of some interesting equipment in time to go out and get some great photographs! If you do go photo 'fanning, please share your pictures with and contact News Page Webmaster Wally Weart.

Photo specs: 800 X 600, max of 1024 X 800 72 dpi or ppi is standard for the web. GIF or TIF is preferred as these are considered lossless versus lossy (A lossy compression (JPG) method is one where compressing data and then decompressing it retrieves data that may well be different from the original). I reduce some pictures to 559 x 380 if I put them side by side.

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A new home for some Pikes Peak cog railway equipment


Two of the Manitou and Pikes Peak Railway locomotives # 11 and #8 went to the Garden of the Gods Trading Post in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Reports are that they will be modified into dining seating. That will change the interiors dramatically. Hopefully they will maintain the exteriors as historic cars. Photos were taken March 15, 2019. ©2019 Larry Dilts

Aftermath of the blizzard

On the Joint Line


On 4 March, 2019 BNSF 1929 and a sister SD40-2 have brought the southbound Pikes Peak Local with a meager 2 flat cars to a stop at MP 36 just south of Castle Rock, CO. ©2019 Chris Paulhamus	Matt caught the PPL, at Acecqa with the classic BN paint scheme. ©2019 Matt Adamski

A rare locomotive

Retired ARCOSA Lightweight 208-1, EMD model G8 built 1954 as CN 851, sits ignored along Highway 93 south of Boulder, CO, 1 March 2019. Operation was once known as Trinity Lightweight.

The Ski Train

March 3rd Winter Park Express ski train zips through fresh snow in Arvada, Colorado, mile 9.75, on Union Pacific's Moffat Tunnel Subdivision. The train is running 30 minutes late and the temperature is 3 above, but the skiers will have plenty of powder at Winter Park to enjoy. ©2019 Joe McMillan, March 3, 2019.

Some unusual power

BNSF 9131, SD70ACe, was an LNG (Natural Gas Dual Fuel) test unit. 9131 was rear DPU on Black Thunder Mine, WY, to Smithers Lake, Texas, coal load C BTMSLP-033a. Train was at South Denver, CO, 26 February 2019.

The BNSF's LNG (Liquified Natural Gas) ACE's was picked up from the TTC (Transportation Center) east of Pueblo, CO, 26 April 2014. LNG experiment began on BNSF November 2013.

Observations regarding LNG Tests-Support of natural gas-fueled locomotives will require significant investments in new fueling infrastructure that are duplicative to established diesel based infrastructure. These infrastructure investments and their associated operating costs must be accounted for in any evaluation of cost effectiveness.

Given the small size of the locomotive market (approximately one locomotive is sold for every 211 Class 8 trucks) and given manufacturers' personnel and financial constraints, it is highly doubtful the builders can simultaneously pursue further improvements in diesel locomotive technology and natural gas-fueled locomotive development. (Info courtesy Chase, N. 14 April 2014, Potential of liquefied natural gas use as a railroad fuel. United States Energy Information Administration) ©2019 Chip

Action on the Joint Line


Matt was able to get out for part of the day on the first Monday of the month, and ended up catching the PPL. Since it had a fresh H3 and Cascade SD40-2 pair, I decided the chase them from Littleton to Palmer Lake. Here are a few shots at Larkspur and Palmer Lake. ©2019 Matt Adamski


A UP train consisting of bulkhead and empty flat cars heads North into the Littleton Trench. ©2019 Mike Harriman	A southbound UP train of Vestas windmill parts train is at South Littleton. ©2019 Mike Harriman

The PPL passes Castle Rock

A Warbonnet on a stack train

The PPL on its way to Colorado Springs

Some interesting pictures


Bartlett Grain is nearing completion of their new 400,000 bushel silo at Towner, Colorado. In talking with the elevator manager, he said they send most of their grain east on the K&O to Wichita, Kansas of Great Bend, Kansas. I asked him if they planned to ship on the Towner line to the west when it opens. He said no. I traversed the Towner line all the way to NA Junction. Nothing has changed except the line continues to deteriorate. The new owner doesn't seem to be in any hurry to reactivate the line. I also talked with a UP track inspector who lives in Eads, Colorado. He said the Bartlett elevator in Haswell, Colorado has closed and the one in Eads is about to close. That eliminates any elevators of size providing new business for the Towner line. Most of the grain is being trucked to Cheyenne Wells, Colorado and shipped on the UP. As mentioned in an earlier report, Bartlett Grain has two trackmobiles in Towner. The one in the foreground is out of service. It was formerly the Haswell trackmobile which was relocated to Yuma, Colorado to work the Bartlett elevator there. When the elevator closed, it was transferred to Towner. The other trackmobile has been at Towner for many years. ©2019 Larry Dilts	On February 4 an empty northbound coal train was crossing Fountain Creek south of Fountain, Colorado on the joint line. ©2019 Larry Dilts

The same coal train was crossing the Sand Creek trestle on one of the few scenic spots on the joint line near Kelker on the south side of Colorado Springs. ©2019 Larry Dilts

On the Joint Line

Action at Cheyenne


Mike Harriman went to Cheyenne recently and recorded the activity with this eastbound approaching Cheyenne ©2019 Mike Harriman	GO Transit MP45AC #676 on its way being delivered to Canada. ©2019 Mike Harriman

Heading west. ©2019 Mike Harriman

On the Joint Line

ex-Illinois Central E-Units (100 & 101) on the move


Forwarding info-101 and 102 were rebuilt by the IC in the early 90’s Iowa Pacific Holdings (Ed Ellis) bought the ex-Illinois Central E-Units (100 & 101) that CN had retired earlier in 2014 because they considered them surplus. Photo by Chip	UP 1601, SD40N, on UP-BNSF interchange track at Sidney, NE, returned to her train with SLRG 100, E8A, Sidney, Nebraska, 1 February 2019. SLRG 100 expected to arrive Denver area 5 February. Photo by Chip

Iowa Pacific’s 100, E8A built as CB&Q 9938-A, ducked under BNSF’s bridge at Sidney, Nebraska, 1 February 2019. Union Pacific was moving the unit to Ed Ellis’ operation at Alamosa, Colorado. Ed acquired two ex-CN E8A units in 2014. He painted them in an Illinois Central inspired paint scheme. Photo by Chip

At Palmer Lake on the Joint Line

BNSF 7172, ES44C4 rear DPU, moved unit LPG tank cars over Palmer Divide at Palmer Lake, CO, February 1, 2019. Train passed location where new pedestrian bridge was under construction. Photo by Chip

A unusual locomotive on the move

Iowa Pacific's SLRG 100, E8A ex-CB&Q 9938-A, moved west on UP's Sidney Turn (UP Sidney Subdivision) west of Lodgepole, NE, 31 Jan 2019. Hot axle had SLRG 100 set out at Lodgepole, NE, 30 Jan 2019. Unit got some repairs-she might move back east to North Platte, NE, 1 Feb 2019. BNSF 5693 moved to Sidney where it was interchanged back to BNSF. ©2019 Chip

Amtrak in Denver

A different perspective at Greenland




On January 25, Tim used his drone to get some different views at Greenland. ©2019 Tim Tonge

A UP heritage unit in Denver

On January 26, Mike headed down to North Yard and caught UP Heritage Unit #1982 sandwiches between some other power. There has been quite a bit of Heritage unit activity this month in the Mile High City. Good way to start off 2019! ©2019 Mike Harriman

Blades on the move

End of the line for Cheyenne Frontier Days train (Trains Magazine Newswire)

DENVER — The last annual steam-powered mainline excursion train in the U.S. is no more
On Monday, the Denver Post said the train Denver-Cheyenne, Wyo., train has come to the end of the line. “While we have enjoyed our partnership with Union Pacific, due to the company’s utilization of its historic rail cars in 2019 and beyond, The Denver Post Cheyenne Frontier Days Train will no longer operate,” the website announcement said. “On behalf of The Denver Post and The Denver Post Community Foundation, we thank you for your past support and participation and hope we have an opportunity for continued support in the future.”

On the Joint Line near Pueblo

Chris took this shot near Pueblo of last Wednesday's MNYPU with a rare'ish Phase 3, notch-nose SD70M leading the way. He says "rare'ish" because of the 1,452 SD70Ms that UP has rostered, only about 120 of them were of the Phase 3 flavor like this one. The Phase 3 units had the distinctive notch-nose design that is similar to what we see on the SD70ACe today. These were among the last SD70Ms built before the switch was made to the SD70ACe and SD70M-2 to meet increasing restrictions of the EPA Tier requirements. ©2019 Chris Paulhamus

How to spoil a good picture

Rail fans really like photographing the Pikes Peak Local as the PPL is the only train you can catch down here that runs with old-school standard cab power so that makes it a gem to catch. It runs south on Mondays and Thursdays, usually late in the morning, to take the type of shots Chris likes to take, the sun has to be shining which means late Spring through early Fall are out since I'd be dealing with the harsh light of high sun during that timeframe. So when a boring, GEVO is the lead power it kinda spoils the picture trying to get something more classic. ©2019 Chris Paulhamus

On the Joint Line

On the Kyle and World's Wonder View Tower

Eastbound Kyle RR lettered Utah Railway 5004, MK50-3, passed the closed World's Wonder View Tower built after 1926. View tower is near Genoa, CO, January 17, 2019.

Charles W. Gregory, Colorado's P.T. Barnum, would stand on the Tower and spot license plates of approaching cars. When tourists were within earshot, he would boom state-appropriate greetings through a megaphone. "How're things in the Buckeye State?" His billboard motto was Eat, drink, gas, and pop at the Tower. Charles W. Gregory died in 1943, and then the interstate bypassed US 24.

The Tower, however, survived, thanks in large part to its owners since 1967, Jerry and Ester Chubbuck. They charged only one dollar for admission. Small signs at the entrance caution the squeamish, "Animal Monstrosities," and "Two-headed calf.”

Snow on the Joint Line


Tim Tonge went to Greenland on January 13 and was able to photograph two trains in the snow. ©2019 Tim Tonge

At Denver


A derailment at the 31st St. Yard. This one much more minor than the previous week. A bulkhead flatcar and load came off the tracks, blocking the lead to the engine service terminal. ©2019 Mike Harriman	Amtrak Phase 3 Heritage unit #822 lead the California Zephyr into Denver Union Station for servicing. #5 also picked up private car "The Patron Tequila Express" for the trip west.©2019 Mike Harriman

Military on the move

UP 7522 East on snowy 11 January 2019 on Limon Subdivision moved Fort Carson equipment to Corpus Christie, Texas. Train passed Rob Thain's (passed away December 2018) place east of Strasburg, CO. ©2019 Chip

The UP's D&RGW Heritage unit on the Moffat Sub

Last weekend (Jan 5-6) there was lots of action on the Moffat Route, including 2 heritage units. UP 1989 left Denver Friday morning, and only made it as far as Rocky before mechanical problems overtook the train, and on Saturday morning, it was still sitting at Rocky. Then Sunday the SP Heritage unit UP 1996 was a mid train DPU on a loaded coal train, also seen at Rocky leaving the siding after meeting #5. ©2019 Mike Harriman

Opps!

BNSF 23rd Street Xing, Denver, CO, 2 January 2018. Four center beam cars tipped over near South Platte River bridge. BNSF Salt Mine job was pulling the cars with BNSF 1684-remained on the rails was near Prospect Junction. Straight lined-! View from Park Avenue West highway overpass. ©2019 Chip

The Ski Train consist on its way to Denver


On Janaury 3, Amtrak #5 includes the Winter Park Express consist in front of the normal consist, passes near the 88th Ave. grade crossing on the Brush Sub. ©2019 Mike Harriman

New Years Day on the Front Range Sub


Alan Schenkel was out New Years Day and caught some activity including B-ALTSCZ (Alliance, TX to Scoby MT) approaching the Fort Collins North Yard ©2019 Alan Schenkel	A Meet at Fort Collins' North Yard. ©2019 Alan Schenkel

S-TACOMA passing the Anheuser-Busch brewery. ©2019 Alan Schenkel	The Anheuser-Busch switcher. ©2019 Alan Schenkel

On the Joint Line with old code line poles

A neat shot

A warbonnet on an oil train

NS 9-1-1 on the road


On December 28, UP 7149 North approaching the local power in La Salle, Colorado ©2018 Alan Schenkel	Brief stop just north of Greeley, Colorado ©2018 Alan Schenkel

Newly expaned frac sand operation at Eaton, Colorado ©2018 Alan Schenkel	Last shot at Eaton ©2018 Alan Schenkel

Some Front Range pictures


On Dec. 18, Mike Harriman took a few pictures and the first is of a BNSF freight with an NS visitor from the east heads downgrade at Leyden. ©2018 Mike Harriman	The California Zephyr met the BNSF freight at Leyden, and is now continuing westward. ©2018 Mike Harriman

BNSF Golden Yard where 2 former ATSF cabeese can be seen, as well as a pair of sun weathered H2 MAC's and a former BN cascade green SD40-2. ©2018 Mike Harriman

A windmill blade train

Progress on "Big Boy"

Action at Pueblo

UP 8991 with the North Yard, Denver, to Pueblo, CO, train M NYPU-06, arrived the afternoon of December 7, 2018. Train had made pick-up at Kelker, CO, which prompted a dog catch late in the day. Note Arkansas River dike has been lowered. ©2018 Chip

Changes on the Moffat

Unfortunately (for railfans, at least), UP's PSR has claimed another victim. For decades, at least one manifest has regularly run across the Rio Grande (or former Rio Grande) between Denver and Salt Lake City. For the past two decades, since the UP/SP merger, the train has been the MNYRO and MRONY. A manifest between North Yard (east end of the Grande) and Roper (west end of the Grande). With PSR, UP seems to have deemed Roper Yard (in Salt Lake) to be redundant to North Yard (the one in Salt Lake City) and Ogden. Sounds like UP plans to reduce operations at Roper and traffic between Denver and Salt Lake will now run through Ogden via the Overland Route.

The final MNYRO departed Denver this past Wednesday. Alas, it left after dark. The final MRONY departed Salt Lake yesterday and descended the Moffat on12/09/18 during late morning and early afternoon. I was thrilled I had the time to get out and get a few shots. The train was 108 cars and just north of 6,700 feet.

Where as the MNYRO and MRONY had been a thrice-weekly train, it would appear that UP will now run a thrice-weekly MNYGJ and MGJNY between North Yard in Denver and Grand Junction, CO. But it sounds as though UP manifest in the Utah Desert and over Solider Summit are now a thing of the past. Granted that decision could be reversed at any point...but for now.........


An SD70ACe-T4 leads the final MRONY through a Form B on the main at Cliff (UP Moffat Tunnel Sub). A bridge over South Boulder Creek was replaced by UP. While main construction is complete, MOW is still working on cleanup in the area. ©2018 Kevin Morgan	The head end of the MRONY is getting close to the east end of Rocky, but there is no sign of the tail end in the frame just yet back at Little Ten Curve. Going to miss these massive manifests on the Moffat. ©2018 Kevin Morgan

And lastly, a shot of the train as it passes by the intermediate signal at MP 14.5 west of Leyden. ©2018 Kevin Morgan

Action along the Joint Line



	On 08 Dec 2018, Matt Adamski got several shots of a coal load led by a pair of ACes, one of which being an Eastern Thoroughbred. ©2018 Matt Adamski

On the Joint Line at Greenland

A ballast train on the Joint Line



	Matt Adamski had a little time last Saturday to go out on the Joint Line and chased a southbound ballast train from Littleton to Castle Rock. Here are a couple shots from Sedlaia and Castle Rock. ©2018 Matt Adamski

Union Pacific action in Kansas


Grain is big on the Union Pacific's Kansas Pacific mainline through Kansas. On November 20, 2018, a unit grain train was loading at the Cargill high speed loadout on the west side of Ogallah, Kansas. Cargill has stopped using their own switcher to shuttle the cars and now use the UP for this work. While one unit was switching the other two were spotted on the siding in Ogallah. Cargill's switcher has been transferred or sold. ©2018 Larry D. Dilts	On November 26, 2018 another grain train was loading at Cargill. This time it was loading the Cargill elevator on the east side of Wakeeney only eight miles west of Ogallah. Although the elevator still has its own switcher, the UP is switching this elevator as well. Due to the blizzard the day before, shuttling cars through the loader came to a halt. ©2018 Larry D. Dilts

On November 26, 2018. the Oakley local was westbound through Park, Kansas on its way to Oakley. The Oakley power is taken to Salina, Kansas on Saturday returning to Oakley the following Monday. The UP still calls Park, Kansas "Buffalo Park". I presume Buffalo Park is the original name in that the Kansas Pacific was first in the area. The railroads had a big say in the naming of towns along their lines. ©2018 Larry D. Dilts

A special Union Pacific train will participate in the funeral of President H.W. Bush.

4141 for been stored at North Little Rock, AR, since the 41st President visited the unit. More information is available at https://www.up.com/media/media_kit/bush41/index.htm Picture ©2018 Union Pacific

On the Joint Line

On the G&W (Kyle)


Kyle RR eastbound Utah Railway 5003 MK50-3 departed Flagler, Colorado, 6:45 AM Thursday, November 29, 2018. Kyle's Goodland Subdivision. Train LISA-29 to Salina, Kansas. ©2018 Chip	Kyle RR's Utah Railway 5003 MK50-3, CORP 4074 SD40T-2, and Kyle 6843 SD40-2, moved the Limon, CO, to Salina, KS, (train LISA-29). Train was east of Flagler, CO, November 29, 2018 just after sunrise. ©2018 Chip

On the Moffat Sub


Nov 27, Mike Harriman photograped a BNSF manifest with 3 GEVOâ€'s up front slowly climbs around the curve leading to Tunnel #29. ©2018 Mike Harriman	The same freight at Tolland, Oddly, the higher I went up in elevation, the sunnier it got! ©2018 Mike Harriman

UP crews were still working on the new concrete bridge at Cliff. Handrails were added to the North side. And it looks like the siding track was still under the wood bridge, about to be replaced with the concrete panels lined up. In the background a UP crane will lift the sections. ©2018 Mike Harriman

On the Joint Line


Matt Adamski shot these photos just north of Palmer Lake...the ACe was in the house track while the auto loads were headed to Big Lift. ©2018 Matt Adamski

It's still a caboose!

A new bridge over the South Boulder Creek

Amtrak 6 on train number 5, the California Zephyr, crossed newly installed (November 2018) concrete and steel bridge over the South Boulder Creek at Cliff, Colorado, Thanksgiving Day, November 22, 2018. ©2018 Chip

A "Light" engine move

A lucky catch

Northern Sun (ADM) sunflower plant at Carusso, Kansas operates former Kyle SW8 1103. This unit is difficult to photograph in that it spends most of its time on the back side (east side) of the plant. ADM also operates a GE 25 ton locomotive which is generally easily seen on the west side of the plant. ©2018 Larry D. Dilts

A different work train

SPS Georgetown Rail Equipment Company (GREX) 6000 used by BNSF to remove old railroad ties at Denver, Colorado, 14 November 2018. BNSF did major tie replacement project in Denver area October 2018. Power unit built on SW9 frame ex-MBTA 1900, ex-SCL 141, ex-ACL 659. GREX 6000 handled slot train loaded with discarded ties. ©2018 Chip

Not your usual train!

As reported earlier, Savage Transloaders has opened a facility at Kelker on the southeast side of Colorado Springs for shipping containers. On November 13, 2018, a string of loaded container flats were at the facility. The facility uses a Rail King rail mover to move the cars through the facility. It is on the left. In the right background is L. G. Everist Incorporated's Trackmobile. They unload bulk materials at their facility. ©2018 Larry Dilts

The containers and container flats are interesting. The containers are labeled "super heavy." They are smaller than most containers and only six are loaded on each three truck flatcar. The flats appear to be designed for heavier loads. From what I have been able to ascertain, the containers are filled with dore buttons which are bars of gold and silver alloys that require further refining to separate the gold and silver. The buttons are coming from the Cripple Creek and Victor Cresson Mine and being shipped to a refinery the location of which I was not able to find. ©2018 Larry Dilts

Along the Joint Line

In the snow

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On 12 Nov, 2018 BNSF 8778 leads a southbound coal train just south of Monument, CO during the last few gasps of the second significant snow storm of the season. ©2018 Chris Paulhamus

A little further along the line

Action in Colorado Springs

An empty BNSF coal train was headed north passing under Fillmore Street in Colorado Springs November 12, 2018. There were two lead units followed by three distributed power units bringing up the rear. © 2018 Larry Dilts

Some photos along the Joint Line


A loaded BNSF coal breaks the silence of a quiet morning in Sedalia, CO as it grinds upgrade just before sunrise. © 2018 Mike Harriman	Another loaded coal, this time with the sun up, crosses one of the original ATSF stone culverts in Castle Rock, this was taken right behind Castle View High School. © 2018 Mike Harriman

Wrapping up a great Saturday of trains, a BNSF manifest heads south at Big Lift with an NS visitor GEVO third out, in a few moments, the train will duck under the Titan Parkway road overpass. © 2018 Mike Harriman

The UP's C&NW heritage unit

Union Pacific 1995, Chicago & Northwestern Heritage unit, led Roseville, California, to North Platte, Nebraska, train up Archer Hill east of Cheyenne, Wyoming, Sidney Subdivision November 8, 2018. © 2018 Chip

Waiting for clearance

On November 9, Mike Harriman saw this southbound BNSF manifest waiting for MOW work to be completed at Littleton . The power is BNSF 6328 leading, CEFX 1042 the blue unit, and BNSF 4000. © 2018 Mike Harriman

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