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 Siemens SC-44 Charger in Amtrak Cascades paint


 Chris was at Woodmen Road to get my shot;and saw a Phase 2 UP SD70M with a brand-new Siemens SC-44 Charger in Amtrak Cascades paint:
This was headed to the TTCI in Pueblo but these units have been in service with Amtrak Cascades for a while now.   ©2020 Chris Paulhamus
 

Something different in the sky


 While Matt was waiting on a southbound earthworm and a couple of coal loads, He was pleasantly surprised by the Colorado Army National Guard conducting fire bucket training at Chatfield Reservoir. Two UH-60M Blackhawks and a UH-72 Lakota provided nice shooting opportunities with the southbound BNSF Trains. ©2020 Matt Adamski

Amtrak on the move


 Amtrak at Keenesburg, CO 21 Jun 2020 ©2020 Erik Lindgren

On the Joint Line

GEVO-led blade empty, but what stood out was the fact that the long-standing (no pun intended) code line had been cut down. ©2020 Chris Paulhamus
 		 CSUX coal empty in Castle Rock ©2020 Chris Paulhamus

BNSF 8447 and a sister ACe lead a northbound coal empty through the Greenland Open Space in Greenland, CO. ©2020 Chris Paulhamus

 

 Chris was in Colorado Spring and was able to photograph the local power complete with a clean caboose ©2020 Chris Paulhamus

A Heritage unit visits Denver

Union Pacific 1983, Western Pacific heritage unit SD70ACe, arrived Denver off the Cheyenne, WY, to Denver extra early June 10, 2020. She was parked on Lynns Spur north of York Street, Denver, Colorado, June 10, 2020. Photo by Chip  ©2020 Erik Lindgren
 

©2020 Erik Lindgren

Some news items

   
Mt. Hood Railroad lettered  unit SDCX 02 arrived Denver via Union Pacific to join Denver Rock Island Railroad June 9, 2020.  Unit was in UP's North Yard, Denver, at Utah Junction awaiting delivery to Denver Rock Island.  Photo by Chip ©2020 Nebraska-Kansas-Colorado (NKC) RailNet crew took over BNSF 123-car unit grain train at Sterling, Colorado, June 9, 2020. Train originated at Hereford, Texas, to load at Venango, Nebraska. Photo by Chip ©2020
   

Kyle Railway in Limon


On 06 Jun 2020, Kyle was all loaded up and ready to go East, in Limon.  ©2020 Limonrail

Neither rail, hail or snow...

For one to truly capture the storm one must become part of the storm. Hail and large heavy rain blast my back while I dash into the adjacent lot to capture the Z from Chicago. At the elevator in Brush, CO the slow arrival of the Z CHIDEN7 05 with dispatch approved holding due to severe thunderstorms is creeping to a stop before the storms arrival. 70 mile per hour straight line winds and hail are scouring the High Plains and the Brush Subdivision along with the Akron Subdivision on this very stormy June 6, 2020 ©2020 Erik Lindgren Snow in June? ©2020 Erik Lindgren

A couple of visitors from the East

David Grothe was able to photograph two CSX units in downtown Castle Rock just after 12:00 on June 7  ©2020 David Grothe

A KCS visitor


Southbound Kansas City Southern 4791 led BNSF's Hemingford, Nebraska, to Plainview, Texas, unit grain train passed Walnut St., Denver, CO, May 31, 2020. The BNSF train had 115-loaded covered grain hoppers.  ©2020 Chip

Semaphores are being replaced in New Mexico

BNSF signal crew upgrading signals between milepost 709 (Colmor, New Mexico) and 720 (WSS Levy, NM). Michael carried signal cable protective tubing to Casey as they upgraded signals with interface box at Levy north of Wagon Mound, NM, May 28, 2020. ©2020 Chip

 		BNSF intermediate semaphore at milepost (MP) 712.2 days are numbered. BNSF will pull down this semaphore along with six others between MP 709 and 720 summer 2020. Copper thieves have cut pole line wires on several occasions in that area of BNSF’s Raton Subdivision south of Colmor, New Mexico. May 28, 2020 found clouds building behind semaphore. ©2020 Chip

The D&RGW Heritage unit


on a welded rail train on the Joint Line .©2020 Mike Harriman

Action at Limon


 the Kyle switching in Limon  ©2020 Limonrail

Under stormy skies...


 on the Joint Line ©2020 Erik Lindgren

Coal on the Moffat Sub


 An eastbound coal train slides downhill and a momentary shaft of sunlight illuminates the lead unit. ©2020 Erik Lindgren

More rocks on the roll


UP 3017 is leading today's Rock Train. EB thru Florence at 0715, kinda early today. Heads up. ©2020 Ben Hensel

The Rock Lives!

Rock Island units 4310 and 4373 on Mississippi Delta RR crossed trestle near Swan Lake, Mississippi, 22 May 2020. Owner Robert Riley had units painted April and May 2020 into the Rock Island blue paint scheme near Sumner, Mississippi. Photo by Chip ©2020 Robert Riley owns the rights now (2020) to the name Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific. His reporting marks are RILX. Two units; 4373 (engineer Reid Dawes) & 4310, were fresh from painting by Southern Pride Equipment Painting. First run together after repainting to switch cars at Swan Lake, MS, on the Mississippi Delta RR line. Swan Lake is interchange point with the Canadian National. ©2020 Chip

Interesting power on the Kyle G&W

B&P 3344 was passing through Colby April 27, 2020 while B&P 3318 was in Colby May 8, 2020. Although the Utah units work our area frequently, Utah 5006 has not. On May 8, 2020, I saw 5006 in Colby for the first time. ©2020 Larry Dilts
 
   

An interesting tree carving

The tree carving artist came to Hugo and carved a train out of a tree stump.  ©2020 Limonrail

On the Kyle Genesee & Wyoming

Kyle RR had Utah Railway 5006, MK-50-3, switching Limon, CO, 9:25 AM, Saturday, 16 May 2020.  Trucks zipped overhead on Interstate 70.  Former Rock Island Line still interchanges with Union Pacific at Limon. ©2020 Chip Kyle RR 2128, GP38-3, picked up some 70-cars at Limon, CO, May 16, 2020 for their run East. ©2020 Chip

Locomotives on their way to?


Sad line of dead motive power headed east by Denver Post plant on Washington St  ©2020 Denny Leonard

Rocks on the Roll


The RRRR Rock Train originates at the Martin Marietta Quarry at Parkdale Co on the ex DRGW Tenn Pass ML. Parkdale is 12 miles or so west of Canon City on US50. Train normally operates M-F with an early morning departure from the quarry. Train is generally thru Canon City 0645-0715 with 0700 being the norm. Attached is a shot of the May 5  train as it made its way east between Canon City and Florence. ©2020 Ben Helsel

A BNSF Officer train on the Joint Line

Bob Thiele caught this Officer Train near Larkspur on May 8  ©2020 Bob Thiele

On a Spring day on the Moffat Sub


It's been awhile since I've seen a nice long manifest on the Moffat. BNSF leads this healthy train occupying Clay throughout Coal Creek through 3 tangents in beautiful spring storm light. A cold front was stalled over the Palmer Divide bringing some broken and scatter interactions with the low ceiling at Clay or now known as Eisele east of Coal Creek on the Moffat Subdivision. 5/2/20 ©2020 Erik Lindgren

Pipeline material arrives in Stratton

Kyle RR was busy delivering unit natural gas pipe to Stratton, CO, May 2, 2020.  ©2020 Chip Kyle RR has been busy moving natural gas pipe into Stratton, CO, where its off-loaded. The former Rock Island Stratton Depot (closed-no longer used) had loaded PTTX flatcars parked north of the Stratton, CO, depot, May 2, 2020. ©2020 Chip

On the Kansas Pacific

Union Pacific decided discontinue through train traffic on the Kansas Pacific (Limon Subdivision) on or about April 11, 2020. Due to novel coronavirus (COVID-19) prompting economic downturn unneeded rail cars are heading to storage. The siding at Byers, CO, has a string of auto racks stored in it. Agate has spine cars stored, and Buick Siding, CO, has well cars stored. About 6-miles of empty auto racks are stored west of milepost 430-Sharon Springs, Kansas-cars are stored on the main track between Cheyenne Wells, CO, and Sharon Springs.

The only trains the KP will see for the foreseeable future will be the Denver-Limon Local and an occasional grain shuttle to either Byers or Cheyenne Wells, Colorado, Highway 40 west of Sharon Springs, Kansas, April 25, 2020. ©2020 Chip

 CHS (NREX) 7264, SD40-2, at milepost 430 next to closed Union Pacific Limon Subdivision main line. About a quarter mile away are the stored empty auto racks on the main -25 April 2020 at Sharon Springs, Kansas. ©2020 Chip

1989 on a stone train


UP 1989, Rio Grande Heritage unit, worked the Rock & Rail unit stone train operating from Parkdale to Drennan, CO, April 21, 2020. She worked the Martin Marietta owned train for a couple of weeks. It's Headed north at Pueblo, CO.  ©2020 Chip

On 21 Apr 2020, Erik Lindgren caught 1989 at Canon City. ©2020 Erik Lindgren Later 1989 was at Kelker on Rock n Rail Train ©2020 Erik Lindgren

The reinstated CZ heading east


Eric Lindgren found Number 6 emerging Tunnel 1on April18. ©2020 Erik Lindgren

On a snowy day


On 4/17/20, Erik Lindgren was near Blue Mountain Estates on a snowy day on the ridge East of the fire station  ©2020 Erik Lindgren

A bridge replacement on the UP

The Oakley Kansas depot which serves both the UP mainline and the Plainville branch recently got a needed face lift with a new coat of paint. ©2020 Larry Dilts The pile driver installed new steel piles on bridge 207.85. The bridge was not taken out of service but only small holes cut in the old bridge to make room for the new piles. ©2020 Larry Dilts
New concrete caps were installed leaving the old trestle in place. ©2020 Larry Dilts

 The caps are set in under the wood girders and wedded to the piles. ©2020 Larry Dilts
Herog train provided the ballast and rock for the new bridge. ©2020 Larry Dilts Mainline Services were contracted to remove the old wood trestle. ©2020 Larry Dilts
Mainline Services completed all the earth work and debris cleanupand provided the equipment to remove the old trestle and complete installing riprap and clean up. ©2020 Larry Dilts The UP using their cranes installing the new concrete girders on the new caps. ©2020 Larry Dilts
As the bridge is built, new panel track is laid on the new girders so the crane move to the next section of girder installation. ©2020 Larry Dilts The last section of panel track was installed and connected to the track at the end of the bridge. ©2020 Larry Dilts
Mainline Services used a drone to photograph the completed work. ©2020 Larry Dilts The last bit of work was to install ballast and tamp. ©2020 Larry Dilts

An oil train on the Moffat Sub in winter

On April 15, Erik Lindgren, caught an eastbound oil train working its way toward Denver  ©2020 Erik Lindgren

Amtrak No. 5


Yes, I'm a pretty good drone pilot. It's less than a foot off the ridge. But I've climbed that ridge a few times but I wouldn't take it on in slippery snow. I had heard a helicopter, wonderd what they were doing..  (ED. note: The helicopter was actually most likely a helicopter setting powerlines poles in the canyon. They are upgrading the transmission line up Coal Creek Canyon and for several months have been using choppers to set poles. No. 5 &6 are back to the  full route)   ©2020 Erik Lindgren

Escalante Western

Escalante Western Railway (ESWR) WFAX 603, SD40-3, pulled coal loads from Peabody Mine at Lee Ranch, New Mexico, 14 April 2020. Last Escalante Western coal train expected to operate 29 April 2020! ©2020 Chip

 

 Escalante Western Rly 603, SD40-3, led northbound coal empty past Lee Ranch Junction, New Mexico, April 14, 2020. The Tri-State Generation Escalante Generating Station will cease taking coal on April 29, 2020. The Peabody Energy Lee Ranch Mine is where coal was loaded into this train. ©2020 Chip

Copyright 2020 Rocky Mountain Railroad Club.

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