Right around milepost 4, there is a long straight away. About halfway through the straightaway is the siding of Mountain View. We have increased our elevation by a total of 3,500 feet and we are now at an elevation of 10,012 feet (3,050 meters) above sea level.
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On the ascent, we pass by a stub track has a three car trainset, currently being stored and is not needed. Unit #27 is on the uphill end.
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A single Manitou unit is in charge of taking the Manitou cog railway snow plow back down the hill, it's job completed for today. A three car passenger train is just ahead of the snow plow, entering back onto the main after a meet.
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Unit #29 is the tailing unit on a downhill train that we met at the siding at Minnehaha. It was actually a three-way meet, as the Manitou plow is following the train down toward the depot.
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The first siding on the climb from Manitou Springs to the top of Pikes Peak is Minnehaha. We are roughly two miles from the depot and have come up 1,800 feet, and are now at 8,330 feet (2,540 meters) above sea level. We are meeting a downhill train, as well as the plow. At this time of year, the plow makes daily runs to the peak.
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Departing from Track 1 at the depot in Manitou Springs, the cog railway is starting up on a roughly 5% grade straight away. My seat offers a view straight out the back for the journey up the mountain. We are currently at 6,530 feet (1,990 meters) above sea level.
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A two-car cog train is in the depot on Track 1 in Manitou Springs, CO. Unit #18 was built in 1975 by Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works. It is a diesel-hydraulic unit that can seat 214 passengers and has Cummins big cam 855s for power.
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A look west from the Manitou Springs depot. Track 1 is to the right and Track 2 is to the left. The railway is a cog railway, with a third rail with cogs in the center of the standard gauge line. Track 1 also leads to the storage sheds for the train sets.
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The last bit of sunlight shines off the peak of the mountain above Coal Creek Canyon as an eastbound coal load approaches the grade crossing at Blue Mountain.
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A look at the Heritage Units on the wye track in Salt Lake City from the back. Man that Jenks Blue looks wonderful on the back of UP 1982. Really makes me wish I could have been around to shoot the Missouri Pacific back in the 70's and 80's!
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This shot just seemed appropriate! Looking up at the nose of the Missouri Pacific Heritage Unit.
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A look at the engineers side of UP 1982, the Missouri Pacific Heritage Unit.
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I believe that the transition between Power Blue and Jenks Blue (using the Screaming Eagle) is one of the better transitions amongst the six Heritage Units.
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The Screaming Eagle really screams loud at night! The eagle is highlighted along with the rest of the decals by a flash around 1am.
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Sitting in the dark just after midnight, the Missouri Pacific Heritage Unit sits amongst its colleagues west of Salt Lake City.
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