|
|
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.
Click here to return to
the home page
Please remember that the photos are copyrighted and neither the pictures or text can be used without
permission of the owner.
On the Moffat Sub
Above Tunnel 7 2020 Erik Lindgren
Disappearing semaphore signals in New Mexico
 |
 |
| BNSF semaphores model T2 upper quadrant were being replaced with new tri-light signals at Colmor, New Mexico, September 17, 2020. BNSFs Raton Subdivision normally only sees Amtraks Southwest Chief, trains 3 and 4, every day of the week (daily service-!). Amtrak long distance trains were planned to be reduced to only three times a week (tri-weekly service) effective October 1, 2020 due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic reducing rail passenger travel. 2020 Chip |
Casey (pointing) had job briefing with
fellow signal maintainer as new signals were undergoing tests at
Colmor, NM. 2020 Chip
|
On the Joint Line
 |
 |
| BNSF 6993 leads a Warbonnet and a long string of wind power flats south through Larkspur, CO. Note the Warbonnet trailing, too bad it wasn't leading. 2020 Chris Paulhamus | BNSF 5433 rolls through the Greenland Open Space in Greenland, CO with a northbound rolling ethanol pipeline. 2020 Chris Paulhamus |
An FRA Inspection train
 |
 |
| Bob Thiele found the Inspection train on the Joint line near Palmer Lake. 2020 Bob Thiele | |
Snow on the Moffat Sub.
 |
 |
| Winter's early arrival on September 8 left a glorious scene near Crescent on the Moffat Road. On the 7th temps were close to 80 here and smoky from the forest fires, this snow is a blessing. Wednesday September 9, 2020. 2020 Erik Lindgren | An early Winter storm ravaged the front range for 2 days between September 7-9. A pleasant surprise on the morning of the 10th both that the large amounts of sticky snow stuck around for an amazing 24 more hours; but also to have a beautiful Amtrak heritage unit lead the California Zephyr through this winter wonderland high above the picturesque Eldorado Canyon State Park. The revenants of the storm can be seen with the low ceiling still in place and just clear. With an hour as I write this the is rapidly evaporating the snow from all the trees. 2020 Erik Lindgren |
On the Joint Line
 |
 |
| Last Wednesday ( Sept 2) Chris was heading home on I-25N and saw at the PPL 2 returning to Pueblo. 2020 Chris Paulhamus | BNSF 9156 leads a southbound coal train down the Palmer Divide as it accelerates out of Palmer Lake, CO 2020 Chris Paulhamus |
BNSF's heritage locomotive along the Front Range
 |
 |
| Tim Tonge caught the BNSF Heritage locomotive at Spruce and Lark Spur 2020 Tim Tonge | |
 |
 |
| BNSF #6017 is hustling across the Larkspur ATSF with BKMSLP110B which proudly still wearing the logo, with the new heritage 25th Anniversary motor up front 2020 Erik Lindgren | BNSF #6017 is leading the CBKMSLP110 west of Roggen, CO in the early morning sun. 2020 Erik Lindgren |
A UP Local
 |
 |
| Mike Harriman took these pictures and confirms that this is the local which switches a scrap yard and lumber reload just west of Santa Fe.a remnant of the Ft. Logan spur. 2020 Mike Harriman | |
On the Moffat Sub
On Friday 4 Sept., Erik Lindgren caught the Zephyr
at Tunnel 6. Erik Lindgren 2020
Video of Cheyenne Steam Shop Tour with Ed Dickens
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tw50srOCai0&feature=youtu.be
On the KP
Union Pacific 7448 handled westbound Vestas empty wind
support cars at Strasburg, CO, August 22, 2020. UPs Limon Subdivision (AKA
Kansas Pacific line) was reopened by UP in July 2020 after stored empty auto
racks were removed from west of Sharon Springs, Kansas. 2020 Chip
On the Joint Line
 |
 |
| The MNYPU with an ACe leader 2020 Wesley Greer | Southbound grain with KCS leader: 2020 Wesley Greer |
 |
 |
| Northbound rail train with UP 1989 trailing 2020 Wesley Greer | Q train-MNYPU meet at Monument: 2020 Wesley Greer |
Along the Royal Gorge route
The Royal Gorge Route continues operating weekdays
with three trips per day; 9:15 AM Caon City, CO, departures, 12:30 PM and 3:30
PM. Trips have had decent passenger loadings considering the pandemic. The 3:30
PM trips surprisingly have had the best loadings mid-week. Parkdale, CO, Monday,
August 17, 2020. The car behind CRRX 3104 is a generator / cab car. 2020 Chip
Signal changes
 |
 |
| BNSF was doing signal(s) replacements around NA Junction East of Boone, CO, August 24, 2020. Appears Colorado Pacific will get a west end connection with BNSF later this year . Photo by Chip | |
White Pass locomotive arrives in Durango
 |
 |
| White Pass 107 arrives in Durango | |
 |
 |
| WP&Y 107 in service in 2018. 2020 Walter Weart |
BNSF M-O-W gang on the Beer Line
 |
 |
 |
 |
| The BNSF has
assembled a very large M-O-W gang with an extensive array of
sophisticated equipment on the Beer line west of the Ward Road crossing.
Looks like they replaced jointed rail with welded rail. 2020
Walter Weart
Two trains at the same time
BNSF's Denver to Provo, Utah, and Provo to Denver (UP trackage rights trains) were rerouted via Union Pacific's Wyoming line account Colorado wildfires closing down Glenwood Canyon for several days. 2020 Photo by Chip |
|
Visiting power
On August 12, after sitting near the Evans Ave.
Light Rail station for most of the day, the NS led coal train is ready to
depart 2020 Mike
Harriman
In Wyoming
August 15 East Tie Siding 2020 Erik
Lindgren
Amtrak Number 6, the "California Zephyr"
rolls through the Harriman Cutoff past the iconic mountain at Dale Junction on
Main 3 destined for the Boris Cutoff then Speer, WY on the Union Pacific,
Overland Route . Here at Dale Creek Junction on the Overland Route so much
history fills my imagination as these P42's dash by at track speed; just the
same I could imagine it being 1939 or 1950 and seeing the Overland Limited, City
of Los Angeles, City of San Francisco, or City of Portland Streamliners just the
same. It's been since 1982 when this venerable route saw intercity passenger
service with the Amtrak San Francisco Zephyr. A great privilege to record this
rare series of days on the iconic Transcontinental Railroad. August 17, 2020. 2020 Erik
Lindgren
On the Moffat Sub
 |
 |
| California Zephyr and the grandstands of the Great Plains. I looked out the window and saw the break at Big Ten from an ongoing thundershower in Arvada; looked at ATCS and saw Amtrak was eminent in the next 30 minutes and headed over the Plainview for an attempted rainbow shot. Got lucky this time, it stayed for a better part of an hour as this storm made its way East. Crazy but true before 6 was out of this frame a shadow from a cloud to my west dropped the rainbow and shadowed the area in front of me. 30-45 seconds I'm thanking the one above for saving this one. 8/6/20 Plainview, CO 2020 Erik Lindgren | Winter has left an overnight treat on this late Fall day on the Moffat Road near the Great Divide. A classic shot taken as low as possible to avoid obscuring my early morning eastbound MGJNY with Flag Units and 5617 on the point. The crisp cold air is briefly warmed by the rush of wind from the train and its motors. Within hours not a trace of snow remained down here in the Tolland Brothers valley but the majestic Rocky Mountains stayed white until early June the following year. October 2019 2020 Erik Lindgren |
RGS 20 Weekend at the Colorado Railroad Museum
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
| A series of picture by Eric Lindgren taken during the RGS 20 Celebration weekend August 1 and 2 All pictures 2020 Erik Lindgren | |
 |
 |
| Dennis Haefele shot these pictures during the RGS 20 Celebration weekend 2020 Dennis Haefele | |
Action on the UP
 |
 |
| Union Pacific hustles PCBDV 27 with number 4222 on the point at Lasalle, CO on July 27th 2020. 92 degrees and dry fields and sunflowers are a stark contrast from the Colorado high country this train will travel tomorrow. 2020 Erik Lindgren | PCBDV 27 near Fort Luptin 7/28/20. 2020 Erik Lindgren |
 |
|
| Maintenance train works eastbound out of tunnel 9 through daylighted tunnel 8 on a vibrant summer morning deep in the tunnel district of the Moffat Road. 2020 Erik Lindgren |
On the Joint Line
 |
 |
| On 18 July, 2020 Another
eastern visitor in the form of CSXT 712 leads a southbound tube empty
through the s-curve in Monument., CO. 2020 Chris Paulhamus
|
On 15 July 2020, BNSF 5787
descends off the Palmer Divide in Palmer Lake, CO with a short geometry
train bound for El Paso,,.2020 Chris Paulhamus
|
 |
|
| On 19 July, 2020 BNSF 9239 leads a light power move south as seen from the North Gate Bridge on the U.S. Air Force Academy, CO. 2020 Chris Paulhamus |
Scroll down for video of RGS 20 on a shakedown run
RGS 20 at the museum
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Engine #20 has been under restoration for more than a decade. Celebration weekend at the Colorado RR Museum is on August 1-2 in Golden, Colorado. This locomotive was purchased from the Rio Grande Southern by the Rocky Mountain RR Club in 1952 at a court-administered sale. 2020 Images by Dave Schaaf | |
|
Copyright 2020 Rocky Mountain Railroad Club. You are the to our virtual page |
