At a location known as Inspiration Point, we have an amazing view of Colorado Springs and the plains off in the distance. We are descending toward timber line, and will soon be surrounded by pine trees once again. Timber line varies, but in generally somewhere around 11,500 feet (3,500 meters) above sea level.
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A look out the front of Unit #18. Engineer Trey is in control of the brakes, keeping the speed of our descent at 8 MPH or less. The wheel that looks like a steering wheel is actually a brake wheel. Turning it in one direction or another, increases or decreases the amount of brakes applied.
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We are coming down a 25% grade on a straightaway, facing an uphill train that will hold the main at Mountain View. We will run through the siding at Mountain View, which you can just barely see, to the right and slightly ahead of the uphill train.
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We are continuing the descent on the 25% grade, with only a mile or so remaining until reaching the depot at Manitou Springs. Much of the tracks on the railroad are on the north side of mountains, meaning much of the railroad had quite a bit of snow throughout all of the winter months.
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We are almost back to Track 1 at the depot in Manitou Springs. The snow plow that we met earlier when we were on our ascent has been placed on a storage track, its work complete for the day.
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We are nearly back at the depot in Manitou Springs. There is no occupancy on the main track (no CTC or ABS). However, there is some form of occupancy on the power switches to prevent them from throwing underneath a train. The signals show green when they are aligned for the main route and yellow when they are aligned for the secondary route. A red light appears when there is occupancy detected on the switch.
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Unit #18 was just the lead unit for a trip down the mountain. Now, the engineer has moved to the opposite unit and is taking the train away to be put in storage for the rest of the day.
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This two-car consist was only needed for a single run today. The other three units on the mountain will take care of the remaining demand and departures. The two-car consist is being put away for the rest of the day. The snow plow is also done for the day.
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