Photo ID: 110876 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, August 7, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP W005 (Sand Creek Junction) Commerce City, CO 42 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Greeley (UP) Union Pacific UP 6230 leads an ES44AC and an SD70ACe across the diamond at Sand Creek as it crosses over the diamonds namesake (Sand Creek). UP 6230 was delivered in May 1995 as SP 150. The train is also passing by the Suncor oil refineries. There are technically two refineries on the property, capable of processing close to 100,000 barrels of oil each day. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 110875 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, August 7, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP W005 (Sand Creek Junction) Commerce City, CO 39 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Greeley (UP) Union Pacific A trio of elephant-style units provide the sole power on a long manifest that consists mainly of covered hoppers. No DPUs on the train today, suggesting the train probably consists of empties more so than loads. The train is passing through the Suncor oil refinery on its way north on the Greeley sub. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 110874 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, August 7, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP W005 (Sand Creek Junction) Commerce City, CO 41 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Greeley (UP) Union Pacific A UP manifest, with a very long string of covered hoppers, passes a diverging clear signal at Sand Creek (CP W005), moving from the Inbound Lead to the main track. The train was assembled in North Yard and will head north on the Greeley Sub to Speer, WY before turning west to head to Green River, WY. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 110745 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, July 21, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP W005 (Sand Creek Junction) Commerce City, CO 57 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Greeley (UP) Union Pacific This southbound intermodal train is passing underneath I-270 and crossing over BNSF's Brush Sub at Sand Creek Jct. Indeed, the train is crossing the junction's namesake, Sand Creek, on its way south. The train is actually quite short, as you can clearly see the end of the train on the right side of the frame. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 110744 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, July 21, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP W005 (Sand Creek Junction) Commerce City, CO 51 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Greeley (UP) Union Pacific A southbound UP intermodal train approaches the diamond that crosses BNSF's Brush Sub at Sand Creek. An ET44AC and an AC4400CW are power for this relatively short train. There are plenty of puddles in the area after several inches of rail fell through the area the night before. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109966 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 31, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP W005 (Sand Creek Junction) Commerce City, CO 133 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Greeley (UP) Union Pacific A trio of C44s leads a northbound UP manifest off the Inbound track and across Sand Creek at Sand Creek Jct. The train is passing through Suncor's oil refinery in Commerce City and is about to cross the BNSF Brush Sub. The line was built in to Denver by the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, reaching Denver in 1882. The line would become Burlington Northern's in 1971 after its creation (and absorption of the CB&Q), and finally BNSF in 1995. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109901 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 10, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP W005 (Sand Creek Junction) Commerce City, CO 199 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Greeley (UP) Union Pacific It is hard to believe, but it has been five years (almost to the day) since UP ran a regular freight over the Moffat between Denver and Salt Lake City. The final MRONY (Manifest, Roper, UT to North Yard, CO) ran on December 8, 2018. Any freight traffic running from Denver to Salt Lake on UP now travels on this train. The MNYGR (Manifest, North Yard, CO to Green River, WY). From there, cars are placed on a new train, the MGRRO (Manifest, Green River, WY to Roper, UT). The train is just getting underway out of Denver, passing through Commerce City and crossing Sand Creek by the Suncor refinery. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109900 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 10, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP W005 (Sand Creek Junction) Denver, CO 140 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Greeley (UP) Union Pacific UP's North Yard to Green River manifest is passing by the Suncor refinery in Commerce City, ready to start its journey north on the Greeley Sub. The train occasionally has work that needs to be done between Denver and Speer along the Greeley. But not today! It will be a straight shot for the crew. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109404 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, September 5, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP W005 (Sand Creek Junction) Commerce City, CO 206 (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. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109403 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, September 5, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP W005 (Sand Creek Junction) Commerce City, CO 149 (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. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109402 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, September 5, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP W005 (Sand Creek Junction) Commerce City, CO 194 (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. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109401 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, September 5, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP W005 (Sand Creek Junction) Commerce City, CO 161 (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. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109191 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, May 25, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP W005 (Sand Creek Junction) Commerce City, CO 214 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Greeley (UP) Union Pacific, BNSF A northbound UP local slows to a stop at a red signal at Sand Creek. It's path is currently blocked by a westbound BNSF coal load, crossing over the diamond at Sand Creek on the BNSF Brush Sub, underneath the I-270 overpass. Once the coal load clear, the local will still have to wait a bit as a southbound UP manifest switches some cars out at an industry off in the distance. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 106156 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, July 24, 2016 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP W005 (Sand Creek Junction) Commerce City, CO 2013 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Greeley (UP) Union Pacific, Rio Grande I couldn't resist a final roster shot of UP 1989 as it departs with UP 844 north toward Cheyenne. It had been five years (and five days) since I last shot it and who knows how long it'll be before it finds its way through town again. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 106155 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, July 24, 2016 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP W005 (Sand Creek Junction) Commerce City, CO 1794 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Greeley (UP) Union Pacific A final shot of UP 844 and crew as they depart Denver for the journey north to Cheyenne, passing by the Suncor Oil Refinery in Commerce City. Here's hoping that, post-rebuild, the 8-4-8 will have many excursions in the not-too-distant future. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.