Photo ID: 106545 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, April 2, 2017 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed South of Castle Rock Castle Rock, CO 1966 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF A southbound BNSF manifest heads south on Main 1 on the Joint Line, running on yellow signals. The train is following a slow-moving coal train just a few miles ahead. On the far right is I-25, with two crowded lanes of traffic in both directions. To left of that is the I-25 Frontage Road, which many cars utilize between Tomah Road and Castle Rock. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 106543 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, April 2, 2017 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Castle Rock Castle Rock, CO 1900 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF The "newest of the new" leads this southbound manifest on Main 1 at Castle Rock. BNSF 3881 is a Tier-4 compliant ET44C4. A pair of ES44C4s follow up behind. Fourth out is a Utah Railway MK50-3 which is Dead In Consist (DIC), being transported to the KYLE Railroad by BNSF. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 106542 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, April 2, 2017 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Castle Rock Castle Rock, CO 1886 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF This scene has changed somewhat in the last seven years or so. As Castle Rock has continued to grow, the city wanted to connect the west side with the east side. The solution was to build Plum Creek Parkway. Prior to 2010, the bridge in this shot did not exist. It was simply hillside! Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 106541 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, April 2, 2017 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Castle Rock Castle Rock, CO 2001 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF A southbound BNSF manifest pulls up the grade on Main 1 over Plum Creek Parkway. The fourth unit is Utah Railway 5005, an MK50-3, which is being sent to the KYLE Railroad in eastern Colorado. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 106540 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, April 1, 2017 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Brush Brush, CO 1842 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Brush (BNSF) BNSF After a rainy few days, a nice, reflective puddle of water pooled up near the tracks at the signal at Brush Center. Train headed the opposite direction here can either continue on the Brush Sub to the north, or the Akron Sub to the east. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 106539 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, April 1, 2017 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Brush Brush, CO 1853 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Brush (BNSF) BNSF At the location known as "Brush Center" (in Brush, CO), this BNSF coal load joins with the Akron Sub to continue west on the Brush Sub toward Denver. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 106538 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, April 1, 2017 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Union Morgan County, CO 1517 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Julesburg (UP) Union Pacific, BNSF Once upon a time (about 30 years ago), there would have been a switch in this shot. This is where the UP Julesburg Sub continue on to La Salle and the BN line (now the BNSF Brush Sub) broke away to head to Brush and Denver. Now, there is simply a signal on their side. The track beyond the signal is in TWC/ABS limits and is owned by Union Pacific (although dispatched by BNSF). The track on the photographer's side of the signal is in CTC limits and is owned by BNSF. There is no train currently coming from behind the photographer. The signal is green because it is an automatic block signal. Since there is no track occupancy beyond the signal (or in the block beyond that), the signal is green. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 106537 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, April 1, 2017 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Union Morgan County, CO 2024 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Brush (BNSF) BNSF At Union, this westbound BNSF coal load is now back on CTC as the DPU crosses County Road 34.2. The tracks leave the road here and cross the South Platte River before going through Hillrose, CO on the way to Brush. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 106536 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, April 1, 2017 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Merino Merino, CO 1487 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Julesburg (UP) BNSF Just southwest of Merino, CO, US-6 crosses over from the north side of the tracks to the south side. A little elevation offers a nice shot of this westbound BNSF coal train, running at close to track speed (50 MPH). Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 106535 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, April 1, 2017 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed MP 65.2 Atwood, CO 1592 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Julesburg (UP) BNSF BNSF's operation in northeast Colorado is something of an interesting one. BNSF's tracks stop in Sterling with the end of the Angora Sub to the north. BNSF's tracks do not start again until Union, CO, roughly 23 miles southwest of Sterling. Between Sterling and Union, BNSF trains operate on UP's Julesburg Sub. This UP line once ran from the Overland Route in Julesburg, CO to La Salle, CO. However, UP abandoned the tracks between Union and Greeley about 30 years ago. As a result, UP has no traffic at all between Sterling and Union. So even though UP owns the track, BNSF dispatches it! The 23 miles of track is governed by Track Warrants and Automatic Block Signals (ABS). There is a single siding over that 23 mile stretch...the siding of Messex which is 6,910 feet long. But because it is Track Warrants (and, thus, hand throws), very few meets actually take place there. Here, a westbound BNSF coal load passes by classic UP signals at Atwood. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 106534 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, April 1, 2017 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed MP 65.2 Atwood, CO 1462 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Julesburg (UP) BNSF After leaving Sterling, I was able to get quite a ways ahead of this westbound BNSF coal train. I had some time to kill on the shoulder of US-6 and decided to setup for an "artsy" shot utilizing the rearview mirror! Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 106533 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, April 1, 2017 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Sterling Sterling, CO 1603 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Yard Shots BNSF After a quick crew change at the BNSF yard office a few blocks to the northeast, this westbound coal train is ready to continue toward Denver. The train had been a southbound on the Angora Sub, but has now switched to a westbound for the journey on the Brush Sub. The train is passing UP's yard office. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 106531 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, April 1, 2017 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Sterling Sterling, CO 1783 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Yard Shots BNSF This southbound is coming off the south end of the BNSF Angora Sub and is entering Restricted Limits at Sterling, leaving CTC bhind. The track way off to the far right is UP's track which runs to Julesburg, CO and the Overland Route. That track only sees about a train a week, when a local runs from Julesburg to Sterling and back. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 106530 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, April 1, 2017 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Buchanan, CO Logan County, CO 1686 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Angora (BNSF) BNSF This southbound coal load is pulling up a hill on the main at Buchanan, about 14 miles north of Sterling, CO. This is the last siding north of Sterling and the last CTC siding roughly 40 miles! The next CTC siding is New Hillrose on the Brush Sub. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 106529 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, April 1, 2017 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed MP 87.2 Logan County, CO 1594 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Angora (BNSF) BNSF My personal favorite shot of this rather crummy, overcast day! The DPU on this southbound BNSF coal load passes by the iconic "Welcome to Colorful Colorado" sign that you can find along all (or at least most) of the road border crossings into Colorado. This crossing is on CO-131 between Peetz, CO and Lorenzo, NE. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.

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