A timeless, classic shot of a southbound coming around the south edge of Palmer Lake on the single track. For the 108 miles of the Joint Line between Denver and Bragdon, roughly 76 miles has 2+ main tracks. However, the roughly 32 miles through Colorado Springs only has a single track with four sidings. The single track is frequently something of a bottleneck for trains.
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A slightly different perspective from Palmer Lake! A southbound coal load starts to pick up a little speed as it comes over the top of the hill. Decades ago, when there were still two tracks through Colorado Springs (Rio Grande and Santa Fe), the Santa Fe main (Main 2) would have been visible toward the top right of the picture, on the opposite side of the lake.
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It is a rather light day, traffic wise, on the Joint Line on this New Year's Eve. This southbound coal train is nearing the top of the hill at Palmer Lake and has a clear signal on to the single track and all the way through Colorado Springs. Much of the landscape is still covered in snow from a storm that hit three days earlier. Cold temperatures has kept the snow on the ground.
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A slightly different perspective on a classic bridge on the Joint Line. This old Santa Fe bridge spans both West Fox Farm Road (closer) and Spruce Mountain Road (further) on the south edge of Larkspur. These two units are the tail end DPUs bringing up the back of this southbound coal train in wonderful afternoon light.
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Long have I wanted to be able to get a good vantage point of the old Santa Fe bridge on Main 1 on the south edge of Larkspur. Thanks to the advent of drone photography, it was finally possible on New Year's Eve 2019! A pair of BNSF SD70ACes lead a coal train south across the impressive bridge.
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You could not ask for better lighting for this southbound coal train as it approaches the Sky View Lane grade crossing just a few miles north of Larkspur.
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An AC4400CW and an ES44AC bring up the tail end of this southbound coal load rolling along at about 15 MPH on Main 1. The train is climbing toward the top of the hill at Palmer Lake, and all four units on the train are in Run 8. In the distance, you can see one of Colorado's "14ers", Pikes Peak.
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Just south of Castle Rock (visible near the top left corner of the shot), a southbound BNSF coal load rumbles slowly along on Main 1, parallel to I-25. The Colorado Department of Transportation is undergoing a major project to add toll lanes to I-25 between Castle Rock and Monument. Main 2, currently unoccupied, is visible in the distance toward the top right of the shot.
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The SD70ACe was a pretty large success for EMD, at least up through the Tier 3 model. The Tier 4 model, known as the SD70ACe-T4, has not yet found much success. UP ordered 100 units, but those have largely been kept in storage so far, allegedly due to some technical difficulties. These BNSF SD70ACes are leading a southbound coal load in Castle Rock.
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On the north edge of Castle Rock, a pair of SD70ACes lead a southbound coal load on Main 1 along the seldom-used siding of Orsa. The train is approaches the relatively new North Meadows Drive underpass and will also pass by Castle View High School.
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Just north of Sedalia, a southbound BNSF coal load makes its way south on Main 1 of the Joint Line. Main 1 is now entirely CTC and is dispatched by BNSF. Main 2 is still ABS with track warrants and is dispatched by UP.
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A bit of snow remains on the ground as a westbound BNSF manifest charges west out of Leyden toward a clear intermediate signal. With a little luck, the train will make it to Grand Junction with a single crew.
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An ES44C4 and two C44-9Ws, both still in Heritage 2 paint, lead a westbound Denver-Provo manifest west of Leyden. The train held the main to wait for its counterpart, which took the siding and tied down.
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An aerial shot of a westbound BNSF Denver-Provo manifest coming west out of Leyden. The body of water in the immediate background is Welton Reservoir. The body of water further back is Stanley Lake. This general area of Arvada has been exploding in the last decade, and more development is likely to come.
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After a morning of mostly overcast skies, the clouds gave way as BNSF's Provo-Denver departed East Rocky. The sunlight nicely lit up the two DPUs brining up the rear of the train. The train is rolling through Barbara's Gulch, heading for the siding at Leyden.
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