A trio of four axle GEs bring a local south down Atwood Street in Longmont. The power is entirely B40-8s, with two being the wide cab variety. The train just finished switching in Loveland and, after switching a little bit more in Longmont, the train will tie up.
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Other than the still-flowing Boulder creek washout in Boulder, this was the most severe example of a washout I found along the BNSF Front Range Sub after the recent flooding. (Granted, this is actually the Lyons branch near milepost 39).
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The standard "W" sign, warning crews of the upcoming crossing at Sunset Street, has also fallen victim to severe flood erosion and fallen in to the newly-created pit beneath the BNSF Lyons branch.
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For any storm Colorado would typically get, this culvert and cement pipe would be capable of handling the water. When a "once in 1000 years" storm hits, though, things change. With nowhere else to go, the water build up and eroded away the earth and the ballast beneath the BNSF Lyons branch.
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Ballast that once extended out past the ends of these ties has now washed away. Plenty of new ballast is going to be needed to get this repaired.
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Major washing out of the Lyons Branch can be see here right near milepost 39. For safety, a temporary fence has even been erected across the tracks.
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The BNSF Lyons Branch runs from the Front Range Sub in Longmont eight miles west to a cement plant in Lyons, CO. This branch only sees two or three trains per week, but it really suffered significant damage. Most estimates say at least three weeks before the line will be open again.
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The tracks twist, curve and dive in to the mud at the south end of the Longmont washout. It appeared that crews were starting more or less in the middle of the washout and working north and south from the center. Obviously, they hadn't yet reached this stretch of track.
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The tracks have been uncovered and, for the most part, leveled out along this stretch. Ballast will be the next thing laid, followed by the process of tamping and regulating.
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It is amazing how quickly crews work to get a rail line reopened. While there is still a long way to go, you can clearly see that crews have been working to reshape the fill - using mud - along the right-of-way here.
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The tracks are nearly completely buried in the mud here in Longmont. You can clearly see some of the damage done to surrounding businesses too. The CAP trailer in the background collapsed (or rather, the ground beneath it). The garage door is also bent out and damaged.
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The rails are almost difficult to find in this shot as they are largely buried and well-camouflaged in the still-very-wet mud.
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A ballast regulator rests on a portion of the rails that are presently sticking out of the mud. You can see the earth sank a bit (or, perhaps more accurately, was washed away) here as the rails sink down a bit.
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A closeup look at the rail diving down in to the mud left behind from the flood. A lot of digging out will clearly be required to restore the tracks to service.
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The BNSF Front Range Sub is washed out and covered in thick mud here in Longmont where flood water destroyed a lot. You can see the trailer in the distance, fallen at an angle after the ground beneath partially washed away.
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