Three GEs lead this southbound manifest on Main 1, just north of Palmer Lake. The train has a clear (green) signal and is ready to head onto the single main track between Palmer Lake at Crews.
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Although there are a few other cars on this Denver-Amarillo manifest, most of the train is composed of alternating strings of tank cars and covered hoppers. The train has a clear (green) signal at the top of the hill at Palmer Lake to continue south onto the single main track.
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This oil empty received a diverging clear (red over green) signal at Palmer Lake and is continuing north on Main 2. If you look very closely, you might notice a grass-covered filled to the left of the train. That is part of the north leg of a wye that once existed on Main 2, decades ago.
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A northbound empty oil train is stopped, looking at a double red signal at Palmer Lake. The train is getting a track warrant from the Union Pacific dispatcher to head north on Main 2.
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We are deep into "blue hour" as the light is quickly fading after sunset. The weather has been quite nice and it is still around 40°F (4°C) here at Palmer Lake as a northbound BNSF Q-Train leaves the single track behind and enters into the Track Warrant Control (TWC) limits of Main 2, dispatched by UP.
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A trio of GEs has the duty of handling UP's MNYPU this afternoon as the train rounds Palmer Lake on the single track at the top of the Palmer Divide. This train is almost always a "night owl", running over the Joint Line in the dark. It was a rare opportunity to be able to get shots of a UP manifest on the Joint Line in daylight!
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UP 2692 and train have reach "the top of the hill". Palmer Lake marks the top of the Palmer Divide for trains at an elevation of 7,297 feet (2,224 meters) above sea level. This southbound has left directional running and two mains behind in favor of the single mainline that runs between Palmer Lake and Crews through Colorado Springs.
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At just shy of 7,200 feet above sea level, this colorful southbound unit ethanol train has reached the top of Palmer Divide. The CSX/CP mix of power rolls by several folks out fishing in Palmer Lake while enjoying the absolutely beautiful October morning.
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BNSF 3890, a Tier-4 compliant ET44C4, leads the northbound HKCKDEN. BNSF often refers to this as the "Kick Den", which runs between Kansas City and Denver. The train is about to wrap around Palmer Lake and move on the Main 2 for the trip to Denver.
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Colorado Highway 105, runs between Palmer Lake and Monument and (more or less) parallels to the single track main. A trio of GEs lead BNSF's Kansas City to Denver manifest.
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Just about a half mile south of Palmer Lake, BNSF's northbound Kansas City to Denver is rolling through the S-curves on the single track main. An ET44C4 is on the point of the train.
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Three units bring up the end of this southbound coal load, which is now on the single track main at Palmer Lake. The train is sadly less than two hours away from disaster. Right around 3:30pm, the train will derail when crossing I-25 just south of Bragdon. No injuries to the crew, but sadly, a semitruck driver caught up in the derailment beneath the bridge will parish.
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This southbound coal load has reached "the top of the hill" at Palmer Lake. Here, the Joint Line crests the Palmer Divide at 7,300 feet above sea level. This is now single track territory for the next 25 miles or so. The train will shifting in to dynamic brake mode now for the downgrade journey.
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Southbound coal train will often stop in "The Sag", just north of Palmer Lake, in order to cool their traction motors after the long climb up from Denver. However, with no opposing northbound traffic, this coal load got the green signal to continue snaking right through The Sag and head past Palmer Lake on to the single track main through Colorado Springs.
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Southbound coal train will often stop in "The Sag", just north of Palmer Lake, in order to cool their traction motors after the long climb up from Denver. However, with no opposing northbound traffic, this coal load got the green signal to continue snaking right through The Sag and head past Palmer Lake on to the single track main through Colorado Springs.
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