Photo ID: 111455 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 15, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO 102 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF This BNSF Q-Train is rolling by a completely empty yard in Colorado Springs. It is also passing by the US Olympic and Paralympic Museum, located right in the downtown area. Construction on the museum started in 2018 and it officially open at the end of July in 2020. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111456 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 15, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO 90 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) Union Pacific BNSF by far runs the most trains over the Joint Line. Indeed, BNSF dispatches the single track mainline through Colorado Springs. However, the track is actually owned by Union Pacific. And UP handles the local switching of industries out of the yard in Colorado Springs. For decades, UP has consistently kept a single geep in the yard for switching. More often than not, it seems that unit has been of Rio Grande heritage! This day is no exception as UP 1359, formerly DRGW 3118, is sitting and idling in the yard. There are no yard jobs or locals on the weekends. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111457 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 15, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO 92 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) Rio Grande, Union Pacific A former Rio Grande caboose sits in the Colorado Springs yard, awaiting the next yard job and/or local assignment. I refer to this as a "former" caboose because it is now referred to on the railroad as a "shoving platform". The doors have been bolted and all the windows inside have been blacked out. Crews are not allowed inside. It is strictly used as a place for brakemen to ride when making switches moves so they do not have to hang off the sides of freight cars. This shoving platform has been assigned to Colorado Springs for over a decade. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111458 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 15, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO 136 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) Union Pacific, Rio Grande It is only a little past 2pm, yet it feels as though we are only minutes away from sunset, even though sunset is still several hours off. The short days of December along with the high Colorado Rockies to the west result in very short days. Basking in the afternoon sunlight is the UP Colorado Springs yard job, sitting just north of the Colorado Springs depot. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111459 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 15, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Coal Creek Canyon (MP 22.8 to MP 23.4) Colorado Springs, CO 103 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific UP 2692 is headed south in the siding at Colorado Springs. The siding is a massive 20,286 feet long, nearly four miles. In fact there are two crossovers in the siding. One at Bijou (see in the distance, here), and one at Cimarron. This allows for multiple trains to use the siding simultaneously. There is roughly two miles of siding north of Bijou. Cimarron, on the other had, is less than a mile from the south end of the siding. This UP manifest will be dropping off three cars in the yard here in Colorado Springs. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111460 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 15, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO 116 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) Union Pacific UP 2692 and train roll by the old Colorado Springs depot. No passenger trains have used this depot in decades, but the structure still stand and now, among other things, is home to Brakeman's Smashed Burger Bar. There is a push in the Colorado government to add rail along the Front Range between Fort Collins, CO and Pueblo, CO. Perhaps, one day, passengers will again use this depot. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111461 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 15, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO 115 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) Union Pacific UP 2692 has come to a stop on the siding, just barely across Las Animas Street in Colorado Springs. The train is dropping off three cars in the Colorado Springs yard. The conductor is working on throwing a switch and, in just a moment, the train will back off the crossing and into the yard. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111462 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 15, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO 102 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) Union Pacific After dropping off a trio of lumber cars in the yard at Colorado Springs, UP 2692 is now pulling out of the yard on the siding. Once clear of the yard switch, the train will back up and put its train together before continuing south. The train is right at the Cimarron crossover, a little less than a mile from the south end of the siding. BNSF's Denver South dispatcher will inform the train that they will be at Colorado Springs for one northbound before it is their turn to continue south. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111463 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 15, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO 104 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF A northbound BNSF Q-Train, coming from Alliance, TX and headed for Portland, OR is approaching the south end of the Colorado Springs siding. The tracks here parallel Las Vegas Street on the south side of Colorado Springs. The train is all doublestacks up front, but actually has some general mixed freight cars at the back. A practice that has becoming more common on railroads in the last decade or so. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111464 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 15, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO 133 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF BNSF 6339 and train have just crossed over the Royer Street grade crossing and are now approaching a clear (green) signal at the south end of Colorado Springs. This is one of the higher priority trains on the Joint Line, so BNSF's Denver South dispatcher is going to do what he can to keep the train moving. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111465 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 15, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Colorado Springs Palmer Lake, CO 73 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) Union Pacific, BNSF Official sunset is still about 20 minutes off, but the sun is well-hidden by the mountains on the west side of Palmer Lake. As we look north, we see a diverging clear signal, indicating a northbound is coming and will take the usual route onto Main 2. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111466 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 15, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Colorado Springs Palmer Lake, CO 126 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF BNSF's Q-Train that runs from Alliance, TX to Portland, OR is approaching Palmer Lake and the top of Palmer Divide. The sun has set and the light is fading rapidly here at 4:35pm, ten days before Christmas. The first half of the train consists of doublestacks, the second half of the train is essentially a general manifest. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111467 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 15, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Palmer Lake Palmer Lake, CO 120 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF 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. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111468 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 15, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed The Sag Douglas County, CO 90 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF A southbound BNSF manifest sits at "The Sag" on Main 1, waiting for its turn to head south over the top of the hill at Palmer Lake. Meanwhile, a northbound Q-Train zips by on Main 2 in the background. With the Q-Train now in the clear of the single track main ahead, BNSF 4098 has a clear (green) intermediate on the approach to Palmer Lake, and the manifest will start rolling south soon. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111469 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 15, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed The Sag Douglas County, CO 90 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF BNSF 4098 and two additional units are on the point of a southbound manifest on Main 1. The train has come to a stop at "The Sag", a location where southbounds frequently stop to cool off traction motors before continuing over Palmer Lake, and while waiting for northbound to come by. You can see a northbound that just came by on Main 2 in the distance. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.

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