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Photo ID: 109616
Date Shot
Photo By
Sunday, October 8, 2023 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Rolla (MP 10.6)
Commerce City, CO
260
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Greeley (UP) Union Pacific
UP 4419 is currently serving as the Rolla switcher. Rolla is a yard just north of Denver that serves as UP's main auto facility for the Denver area. If you purchased a new car in the Denver area, there is a chance it arrived via Union Pacific and was shuffled through Rolla.
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Photo ID: 109615
Date Shot
Photo By
Sunday, October 8, 2023 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Rolla (MP 10.6)
Commerce City, CO
295
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Greeley (UP) Union Pacific
A northbound manifest crosses 96th Avenue, just south of Hazeltine. It seems that AC4400CWs are making a bit of a come back. On this particularly afternoon, I saw far more of those than any ES44s. A trio leads this manifest as it heads out of Denver.
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Photo ID: 109405
Date Shot
Photo By
Tuesday, September 5, 2023 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Sand Creek
Commerce City, CO
405
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Brush (BNSF) Amtrak
It is exceptionally rare to be able to catch the eastbound Zephyr crossing through the diamond at Sand Creek in this type of lighting. Normally, the Zephyr would come through here around 7:45pm (when on time). However, it is 11:30am and the Zephyr is over 16 hours late due to flooding and an out of service track in Nevada the previous day. Here, the train is crossing over Sand Creek in the highly industrial town of Commerce City.
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Photo ID: 109404
Date Shot
Photo By
Tuesday, September 5, 2023 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
CP W005 (Sand Creek Junction)
Commerce City, CO
329
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Greeley (UP) Union Pacific
A southbound auto and intermodal mixed train crosses Sand Creek on UP's Greeley Sub. The train is crossing the BNSF Brush Sub right underneath (the extremely busy) I-270. The track above the UP power is BNSF's Brush Sub. Above that is a switching lead that BNSF can use to switch cars at the Suncor Oil Refinery.
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Photo ID: 109403
Date Shot
Photo By
Tuesday, September 5, 2023 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
CP W005 (Sand Creek Junction)
Commerce City, CO
243
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Greeley (UP) Union Pacific
A very short southbound UP intermodal train, consisting of two engines and 11 intermodal cars, pulls on to the inbound track at Sand Creek Jct in Commerce City.
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Photo ID: 109402
Date Shot
Photo By
Tuesday, September 5, 2023 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
CP W005 (Sand Creek Junction)
Commerce City, CO
279
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Greeley (UP) Union Pacific, BNSF
The Suncor Oil Refinery in Commerce City was built around and in between the BNSF Brush Sub and the UP Greeley Sub. A pretty smart way to build it, actually, as it give the refinery access to two railroads for moving product. Of course, when the refinery was built, what is now the BNSF Brush Sub was actually the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy (CB&Q) mainline to Denver from Chicago. Two mergers later (Burlington Northern, and then BNSF), and it is now the BNSF Brush Sub. The UP track, on the other hand, has been UP for all but 10 years of its life. It was originally built by the Denver Pacific Railway in 1870. Ten years later, in 1880, UP bought the Denver Pacific, gaining a direct line to Denver from Cheyenne.

In the shot here, a BNSF local sits on the Brush Sub (to the right) while a UP local sits on the Greeley Sub (to the left), both waiting their turn to cross the diamond where the two subdivisions intersect.
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Photo ID: 109401
Date Shot
Photo By
Tuesday, September 5, 2023 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
CP W005 (Sand Creek Junction)
Commerce City, CO
250
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Greeley (UP) Union Pacific
A northbound UP local sits patiently on the outbound track at Sand Creek, waiting for its turn to get a light across the diamond at which UP's Greeley Sub and BNSF's Brush Sub cross one another. However, the local will have to wait for four trains before it will get its turn to head north.
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Photo ID: 109328
Date Shot
Photo By
Friday, June 16, 2023 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Sand Creek
Commerce City, CO
442
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Brush (BNSF) Amtrak
A three hour late westbound Zephyr slowly rolls by the site of a (relatively) minor derailment at the Suncor oil refinery. A dozen or so empty tank cars went down the wrong track and derailed. Fortunately, it sounds as though there were no injuries. The derailment was quite a little ways away from the main, so the Zephyr had no problem getting through the site.
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Photo ID: 109325
Date Shot
Photo By
Friday, June 16, 2023 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Sand Creek
Commerce City, CO
401
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Brush (BNSF) BNSF
A shot looking down the yard track where a dozen or so (empty) tank cars derailed and fell on their sides. The track on the far right is the main, and fortunately was entirely unaffected by the derailment.
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Photo ID: 109324
Date Shot
Photo By
Friday, June 16, 2023 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Sand Creek
Commerce City, CO
341
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Brush (BNSF) BNSF
A dozen or so tank car, that fortunately were empty, derailed at the Suncor oil refinery. The track they are on stopped prior to the grade crossing, which has been out of service for years. Appears the cars may have rolled down the track for some unknown reason.
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Photo ID: 109323
Date Shot
Photo By
Friday, June 16, 2023 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Sand Creek
Commerce City, CO
392
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Brush (BNSF) BNSF
In the early morning hours of June 16, a BNSF local working at the Suncor oil refinery derailed about a dozen empty tank cars on a yard track a little bit off from the mainline.
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Photo ID: 109296
Date Shot
Photo By
Saturday, June 10, 2023 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Sand Creek
Commerce City, CO
397
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Brush (BNSF) BNSF
After meeting the morning westbound Zephyr at the east end of the 31st Street Yard, the hottest train in or out of Denver, BNSF's ZDENCHI, is rolling by the Suncor Oil Refinery toward the diamond at Sand Creek. BNSF's Brush Sub crosses over UP's Greeley Sub at the diamond (the track in the foreground) which takes UP from Denver to Cheyenne. A trio of elephant-style GEs lead the high priority east.
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Photo ID: 109295
Date Shot
Photo By
Saturday, June 10, 2023 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
West of Sand Creek
Commerce City, CO
299
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Brush (BNSF) Amtrak
Three private cars bring up the tail end of the westbound Zephyr as the train crosses over UP's Belt Industrial Lead and crosses underneath the Regional Transportation District's (RTD's) N-Line commuter rail, which connects Denver to the suburb of Thornton.
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Photo ID: 109294
Date Shot
Photo By
Saturday, June 10, 2023 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Sand Creek
Commerce City, CO
388
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Brush (BNSF) Amtrak
In the final miles on the approach to Denver from the east, the Zephyr must pass through the most industrial part of the Denver area through the city of Commerce City. Among the industries is the Suncor oil refinery, located on either side of the BNSF mainline.
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Photo ID: 109192
Date Shot
Photo By
Thursday, May 25, 2023 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
West of Sand Creek
Commerce City, CO
349
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Brush (BNSF) BNSF
A pair of BNSF GEs bring up the tail end of a westbound coal load. The DPUs are crossing over the former Rock Island line that led to North Yard. The line is now owned by the Denver Rock Island, a short line that operates a few miles of track in the Denver area. Also note the newest looking bridge in the distance. This bridge is indeed quite new, carrying RTD's N-Line commuter rail traffic from Denver Union Station out to the suburb of Thornton.
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