Photo ID: 111609 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, December 31, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Arvada to Leyden (MP 7.5 to MP 11.9) Arvada, CO 151 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF After waiting for about 15 minutes at Arvada (CP DS007), this BNSF oil empty gets its turn on the single track main of the Moffat to head west. As is pretty common on BNSF oil trains, six units are on the head end of the train, though only three of the units are actually online and loading. The trailing three are currently just catching a ride. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111599 Date Shot Photo By Monday, December 30, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Sterling Sterling, CO 98 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Julesburg (UP) BNSF The sun is shining hard off the side of BNSF 4727. The main reason I included this shot is to take note of the fact that the nose of this C44-9W is blank. Or, more specifically, it is simply orange. No cigar band or herald is on the nose. It is also interesting that a C44-9W, with DC-traction motors, is leading a coal empty. The unit will be taken off the train in Alliance, NE. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111598 Date Shot Photo By Monday, December 30, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Sterling Sterling, CO 94 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Julesburg (UP) BNSF The sun is rapidly approaching the western horizon as a BNSF coal empty slowly pulls east toward a restricting signal at the west end of Sterling. Three units happen to lead this particular coal train this evening. The lead unit will be taken off the train in Alliance, NE. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111597 Date Shot Photo By Monday, December 30, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Sterling Sterling, CO 118 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Yard Shots BNSF The setup in Sterling is something of an interesting one. This is the south (west) end of BNSF's Angora Subdivision, which started to the north in Alliance, NE. BNSF does not own any trackage west out of Sterling. For 23 miles between Sterling and Union, BNSF trains run on UP's Julesburg Subdivision. Interestingly, UP does not own any track west of Union, and in fact does not operate any trains west of Sterling. BNSF now dispatches the UP-owned 23-mile stretch of track. UP's Julesburg Sub continues east from Sterling and meets with the UP Overland Route in Julesburg, CO, 60 miles to the northeast. In this shot, a BNSF coal load just had a crew change, and the outbound train is ready to depart west. The track(s) the coal train are on are still owned by BNSF. The track to the right is UP. The BNSF coal load will pull to the west end of Sterling to meet an eastbound coal empty before departing on the 23-mile of UP Julesburg track. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111596 Date Shot Photo By Monday, December 30, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Sterling Sterling, CO 88 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Angora (BNSF) BNSF A pair of SD70ACes, leading a westbound coal load, crosses over the US-138 as the sun quickly moves toward the western horizon. The train is now moving at about 15 MPH as it approaches the restricted limits of Sterling. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111595 Date Shot Photo By Monday, December 30, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Sterling, CO 103 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Angora (BNSF) BNSF At the east edge of Sterling, this training is coming to the end of the Angora Subdivision. Indeed, the crew is also coming to the end of their day. Sterling is an away terminal for crews coming from both directions. This crew will turn the train over to an outbound crew that will continue on to Denver. The crew on this train will stay the night in Sterling before returning home after the minimum 10 hours of rest. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111594 Date Shot Photo By Monday, December 30, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Buchanan to Sterling Logan County, CO 102 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Angora (BNSF) BNSF BNSF 9121 is moving along the south (west) end of the Angora Sub at track speed as the train approaches the grade crossing of Logan County Road 46. Just ahead, the train has an Approach Medium (flashing yellow) aspect, so the train will start to slow. Upon reaching Sterling, CTC comes to an end and the train will enter yard limits. It will have to do so at restricted speed, hence the aspects of the coming signals and the beginning of the reduction in speed at this point. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111593 Date Shot Photo By Monday, December 30, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Buchanan to Sterling Logan County, CO 104 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Angora (BNSF) BNSF After a day shooting the Nebraska, Kansas, and Colorado Railway, I was hoping to find a BNSF train headed for Denver for the chase home. I headed east on the Angora Sub and came across a westbound coal load between Buchanan and Sterling. The clouds had pretty much blown out by this afternoon, so the late afternoon winter lighting was fantastic! Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111523 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 22, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Pecos X-Over to C&S Jct (MP 4.0 to MP 4.8) Denver, CO 104 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF Sporting New Image paint and air conditioning for the cab, BNSF 1984 will be the power on the Golden Switch (local) for the upcoming week. Interestingly, the middle radiator fan (at the back of the long hood) appears to be slightly smaller than the other two. Almost like the mid-fan on an SD35. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111522 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 22, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Pecos X-Over to C&S Jct (MP 4.0 to MP 4.8) Denver, CO 146 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF BNSF has a local that runs out of Golden, heading east on the Golden Sub on weekdays. On Saturdays, the power for the local is taken to Denver for refueling and servicing (if needed). If necessary, the power is even swapped out. On Sunday, the local power returns to Golden on the Beer Run. Here, BNSF 1660 and BNSF 1984, both SD40-2s, have the duty for the upcoming week. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111521 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 22, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS004 (Pecos X-Over) Denver, CO 110 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF An eastbound UP coal load is coming up to an approach (yellow) signal at the Pecos crossover. At the same time, BNSF's Beer Run is headed west on Main 3 on a approach restricting (red of lunar) signal. The crew on the Beer Run has dimmed its headline to avoid blinding the UP crew, even though it is daylight. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111497 Date Shot Photo By Friday, December 20, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rocky (7,330ft) Arvada, CO 142 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF Not even 30 minutes after the sun crested the eastern horizon, BNSF's Provo-Denver is slowly rolling through the siding at Rocky. Interestingly, the train has a quintet of SD70ACes leading it east. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111496 Date Shot Photo By Friday, December 20, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Little Ten Curve (MP 18.7 to MP 18.9) Arvada, CO 214 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF Usually, BNSF's Provo-Denver runs with three units on the point and two units DPU'd on the back. This morning, however, the train is running with five units on the point and no DPUs. The train is winding through Little Ten Curve on the siding at Rocky to meet the Winter Park Express. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111472 Date Shot Photo By Monday, December 16, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Leyden to Rocky (MP 13.4 to MP 17.4) Arvada, CO 105 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Kansas City Southern de Mexico, BNSF Three units bring up the tail end of an eastbound loaded oil train. The final unit is a Kansas City Southern de Mexico Retro Belle. This unit, along with all of its brothers and sister, will eventually be repainted in the (predominantly red) paint scheme of the recently-formed CPKC. Born out of a merger between Canadian Pacific and KCS. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111471 Date Shot Photo By Monday, December 16, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Barbara's Gulch (MP 15.9 to MP 17.2) Arvada, CO 172 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF BNSF's strategy for powering their oil trains on the Moffat differs quite a bit from UP. UP will send westbound empty oil trains with anywhere from 2 to 6 units on the head end. When they come east, the power is usually 2 x something x something. BNSF, on the other hand, pretty consistently run trains west with six units on the head end, and returns east on loads with three on the point and three DPUs on the end. Such is the case here, as three units lead this oil train east through Barbara's Gulch. Note the covered hoppers, which is serving as a buffer car (protection car) between the power and the oil train. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.

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