Mother nature decided to mess with the citizens of the Front Range by letting a couple inches of snow fall overnight, halfway through May! UP 1989 has earned the nickname the "Vampire Unit" as it typically runs between Denver and Pueblo overnight. However, the Vampire Unit is out playing in the snow on this morning, making a trip on the Moffat to rescue an MRONY stalled out at Tabernash.
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Leave it to Colorado to always keep you on your toes when it comes to the weather! Less than three weeks away from JUNE and there is more than an inch of snow on the ground! UP 1989 and UP 5894 charge west through the white stuff at Leyden on their way to Tabernash. There, they will rescue a train that has stalled out and can't make it east over the divide.
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The night prior to this shot, the MRONY stalled out on the climb between Tabernash and Winter Park. The rails were slick with snow and the two units on the train couldn't quite get the 4,100-ton train up the 2% grade. So, the train backed into Tabernash and this light power (which includes UP 1989) was sent west out of Denver to rescue the stalled train!
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The westbound MNYRO heads into the siding at Leyden on a snowy April morning. Three inches of the white stuff fell overnight. The manifest is clearing the main to let the Zephyr run around on its journey west.
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This is the way I hope we all remember Grande power. Full light package lashed up on the front of a coal train…..
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My favorite tunnel motor on Rio Grande's post-merger roster was DRGW 5355. It will had a complete light package and the horn was located above the cab, not the long hood. Unfortunately, this picture was taken about six month before 5355 was repainted in armor yellow. When it was repainted, the MARS and class lights were removed.
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DRGW 5354 and two fellow tunnel motors are being taken in to Burnham for standard inspections.
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For several years up until early 2000, three or four tunnel motors ran between Ute, CO and Axial, CO as part of a shuttle train of workers. Here, the power for the shuttle train (DRGW 5344, 5354, and 5355) are headed east to Burnham for an inspection.
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