Photo ID: 103623 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 5, 2010 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed MP 539 Commerce City, CO 2015 (1 Comment Posted) Subdivision Railroad Brush (BNSF) BNSF A westbound coal load approaches the east end of BNSF's 31st Street Yard in Denver. While some coal trains stop in the yard for a crew change, this coal load is going to be taken south to the Lodo Siding (near Kalamath Street) to be tied down. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 103624 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 5, 2010 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed MP 5 (CP W005 - Sand Creek) Commerce City, CO 1987 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Greeley (UP) Union Pacific UP's daily Green River, WY to Denver, CO manifest is coming up on a diverging approach signal at the diamond at Sand Creek. On this particular afternoon, the train is being led by a pair of SD70Ms. The leader is a Phase 3 SD70M and the second is a Phase 1 SD70M. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 103625 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 5, 2010 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed MP 538 Commerce City 1970 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Brush (BNSF) BNSF Now here is a fantastic sight (despite the rather horrible backlit conditions)! During the economic downturn, there was a period of about a year when BNSF shut down and stored all of its SD60M's. With a bit of a pickup in business, the SD60M's have been brought back out. Case-in-point is this Denver, CO to Edgemont, SD manifest that has three of them (along with an SD70MAC). The train here is slowing as they have a red at the Riverside hold signal. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 103626 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 5, 2010 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed MP 537 Commerce City, CO 1954 (1 Comment Posted) Subdivision Railroad Brush (BNSF) BNSF A freshly painted BNSF SD40-2 (in the New Image Scheme) sits at the Suncor Refinery in Commerce City. After a few mainline trains get through, the crew will request to come out on the main and pickup some tank cars to take back to town. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 103627 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 5, 2010 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed MP 537 (Sand Creek) Commerce City, CO 2377 (3 Comments Posted) Subdivision Railroad Brush (BNSF) BNSF BNSF's Denver, CO to Edgemont, SD manifest is approaching the diamond at Sand Creek with some really nice power on the point. BNSF's Brush Sub (the track the train is on) and UP's Greeley Sub) track in the foreground) intersect here. On days when the California Zephyr detours through Wyoming, it arrives in Denver in mornings on the Brush Sub heading left (in this shot) and the departs Denver on the Greeley Sub heading right. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 103628 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 5, 2010 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed MP 534 (Irondale) Commerce City, CO 1867 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Brush (BNSF) BNSF While this overcast day did allow for "good" light, here is a non-backlit look at the power on the Denver-Edgemont train. The quartet of EMD's are currently pulling the train into the siding at Irondale to meet a couple of westbounds. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 103629 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 5, 2010 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed MP 533 Brighton, CO 1788 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Brush (BNSF) BNSF A westbound coal load with an SD70ACe and an ES44AC for power pulls over a slight hill on the approach to the east switch of Irondale. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 103630 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 5, 2010 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed MP 534 (Irondale) Brighton, CO 2623 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Brush (BNSF) BNSF So with three SD60M's and an SD70MAC, what were the odds that the MAC may have led? Turns out it's not a 25% chance. In fact, the odds are next to zero that the MAC was in the lead. BNSF has a policy that if there are AC and DC units mixed on a train, a DC unit must be on the point. If the AC unit was on the point, the engineer could actually burn out the traction motors on the DC units without realizing it from the AC unit on the point. With the DC unit leading, the risk of burning out the traction motors is greatly reduced. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 103631 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 5, 2010 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed MP 534 (Irondale) Brighton, CO 2422 (2 Comments Posted) Subdivision Railroad Brush (BNSF) BNSF Even though the lighting is horrible here, I included the shot because I was intrigued by the nose of this SD60M. For whatever reason, the white face is gone and instead it is a green face! Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 103632 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 5, 2010 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed MP 532 Brighton, CO 1962 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Brush (BNSF) BNSF The Hudson Turn, carrying a string of tanks, heads back west toward Denver in between Barr and Irondale. The train will meet a Denver-Edgemont manifest that is waiting in the siding at Irondale. I had wanted to get some shots of the manifest from this overpass (as it was led by a trio of SD60M's), but alas I was unable to. The brakes on the fifth car back on the Hudson Turn are sticking! The train stopped to inspect just east of Irondale, blocking the Denver-Edgemont. By the time the Hudson Turn moved out of the way, the manifest was held for a Z-Train and the sun set with it sitting at Irondale. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 103633 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 5, 2010 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed MP 532 Brighton, CO 2161 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Brush (BNSF) BNSF Despite a very cloudy sky on this evening, there was a nice break in the clouds as the Hudson Turn heads west toward Denver. A nice shot to close out the day... Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.