A pair of GEs bring up the tail end of a westbound BNSF sand train. The units pass by the ominous steel structure which has stood for decades. Its exact purpose...not entirely clear. The most common theory seems to be that it has something to do with coal mining that once took place in the area.
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A majority of BNSF's 790 SD70MACs have spent their lives wearing the "Heritage 2" paint scheme. This scheme was the primary scheme for about five years (between 2000 and 2005). It was in 2005 when BNSF changed their name from "Burlington Northern Santa Fe" to simply "BNSF". In an effort to create a new identity, the railroad largely shed it heritage ties.
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Throughout much of the 1990s and early 2000s, the SD70MACs were the coal work horses on BNSF. Many of these units were delivered in the "Grinstein" paint scheme (seen here). Burlington Northern was moving toward this scheme (named after Gerald Grinstein, CEO of BN from 1985 to 1995) when the BNSF merger happened.
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It was about ten years ago that many railfans got excited as BNSF ordered their first batch of SD70ACes. It was a relative big deal because, for nearly ten years prior, BNSF had sworn off EMD and had only purchased from GE. Now, ten years later, BNSF has 810 SD70ACes on the roster, including BNSF 9193 seen here.
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A trio of SD70s (an SD70ACe and two SD70MACs) run elephant style on the point of a westbound sand train. The paint schemes offer a nice "through the years" look at some of BNSF's more common schemes over the last twenty years.
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Despite the (relative) short length of this sand train, it is crawling along at only around 12 MPH. It is a loaded train and, as such, a heavy load for the five units in charge. The lake to the right, just above the DPUs, is Stanley Lake in Arvada and Westminster.
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A westbound loaded BNSF sand train (used for fracking) slowly pulls west near the east end of Barbara's Gulch on a beautiful November afternoon.
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In early morning light, a westbound coal empty works its way into and through Barbara's Gulch just east of Rocky. The train has some exceptionally unusual power as it is CSX and the lead unit is an SD40-2!
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A very rare occurrence on this particular morning as a CSX SD40-2 leads a westbound coal empty headed for the West Elk Mine on the North Fork Branch. Something else I noticed that I found even more interesting is that the trucks are originally from an SD40, not an SD40-2.
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This is the second coal train within a few weeks to arrive in Denver with a solid set of CSX power. The truly amazing part of this is that the SD40-2 that led was not removed or replaced when it arrived. Here, the train is headed west through Barbara's Gulch.
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Do not attempt to adjust your monitor! Here, in 2017, an SD40-2 is leading a westbound coal empty on the Moffat. Not only is it an SD40-2, but it is a Dark Future CSX SD40-2. Unheard of!
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Rail trains are actually quite cool as they transport welded rail. For those that are unaware, each rail that you see on this train is a single piece of steel about a quarter of a mile long. Each rail runs the length of the entire rail train. The rail simply bends around curves as the train moves down the track.
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A pair of SD70Ms lead a westbound rail train in Barbara's Gulch. The train is about to pass underneath CO-93 whose bridge was replaced about 15 years ago. The old bridge did not have a chain link fence along the road and allowed for photos from above the bridge.
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At the west end of Barbara's Gulch, a westbound rail train grinds up the grade toward a Diverging Approach (red over yellow) signal at the east end of Rocky.
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On a beautiful February day (that set a new record high in the Denver area at 72°F), an eastbound BNSF manifest glides past the old Mesa Oil plant located off CO-72. Mesa Oil moved to a new location in Denver over a year ago, removing a customer for UP's West Local to service. The plant has stood abandoned since Mesa Oil left.
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