On the morning of Saturday, August 25, 2007, UP 844 led a passenger special down the joint line. It was the first (public) passenger train on the Joint Line since 1997. This is how the day started out for me. Steam rising up in front of Union Station.
Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster
or add a comment to the picture.
With thirty minutes remaining until departure, passengers and rail enthusiasts are both setting up on the platform to get into position for the departure of UP 844 down the Joint Line.
Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster
or add a comment to the picture.
Built over sixty years ago, UP 844 was the last steam engine delivered to Union Pacific and it is still going strong! Here, it "idles" at Union Station, awaiting departure time for a trip down the Joint Line.
Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster
or add a comment to the picture.
At the Evans Street overpass in Englewood, UP 844 is putting on quite a show! The train has a clear signal down Main 1 through the CTC as well as a warrant to continue south on Main 1 to Palmer Lake.
Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster
or add a comment to the picture.
UP 844 steams south, its smoke partially obscuring the Denver skyline in the background. The passenger train is headed for Pueblo for the Colorado State Fair. To the left of the train (to the right in the picture) is Main 2, Main 3, and two Light Rail tracks.
Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster
or add a comment to the picture.
At Greenland, UP 844 has the Colorado State Fair passenger special well in hand, UP 1989 idling and enjoying the ride. There had been some question as to whether the special would run on Main 1 or Main 2 between Littleton and Palmer Lake. The train ultimately took Main 1, as seen here.
Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster
or add a comment to the picture.
Just north of the Academy siding, the Colorado State Fair special is heading down the 1% grade. The train received preferential treatment by both UP dispatchers and BNSF dispatchers for the trip to Pueblo. There were no delays on the single track main between Palmer Lake and Crews.
Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster
or add a comment to the picture.
I took many photos of UP 844 on the Colorado State Fair special, but this one turned out to be my favorite shot. It is around 10am and the train is just about to pass underneath the road to the north entrance to the Air Force Academy.
Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster
or add a comment to the picture.
At Crews, the Colorado State Fair special left the single track mainline behind and again hit Main 1 for the duration of the trip to Pueblo. The double track started just to the north in this shot.
Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster
or add a comment to the picture.
It was an unusually hazy day in the Colorado Springs area the morning of the Colorado State Fair special. UP 844 has the train well in hand just south of Crews. Pikes Peak is just barely visible in the distance above UP 844. The northbound main is visible in the lower-right corner of the image.
Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster
or add a comment to the picture.
Nearly 109 miles south of Denver Union Station, the Colorado State Fair Express passes the famous triple-signals at Bragdon. Bragdon is where track warrants end and CTC starts (for trains headed south). The special is staying on Main 1 which is BNSF owned and dispatched. The next track over is the Bragdon siding, also owned by BNSF. The last track to the right crosses trains over between Main 1 and Main 2.
Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster
or add a comment to the picture.
The 120 mile trip from Denver to Pueblo is complete. UP 844 is stopped at the depot to allow its passenger to detrain and attend the Colorado State Fair.
Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster
or add a comment to the picture.
With all of its passenger off the train and headed for the Colorado State Fair, UP 844 and train head toward Pueblo Junction to get their train out of the way of freight traffic for the duration of the day.
Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster
or add a comment to the picture.
A look at the entire Colorado State Fair train as it heads for Pueblo Junction to get out of the way of freight traffic. To the right, an old lead that once served a now (mostly) defunct classification yard off to the right.
Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster
or add a comment to the picture.
The Colorado State Fair special back town toward the UP yard to clear up off the tracks for freight. In the distance, light BNSF power prepares to head toward Bragdon to pick up an empty coal train tied down on the Bragdon Siding.
Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster
or add a comment to the picture.
