Classic shot of a colorful consist. Under partly cloudy skies, this westbound oil train is approaching the east tunnel of Tunnel 1. It has been an exceptionally wet and cool spring, so the scenery is still very green. An incredibly welcome sight.
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This oil train is running on UP rails, with a Norfolk Southern leader, and a BNSF crew! Quite the interesting mix. The yellow hand rails on the lead unit really pop in the scene as the train curves toward Tunnel 1.
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Last week, UP officially wrapped up a majority of the construction on Big Ten and reopened the mainline between switches at Rocky. There is still some minor work happening, but all the speed restrictions have been lifted. This NS/BNSF oil train climbs the north edge at track speed.
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It seems that a business east of the Mississippi has a contract with the Wash oil loadout. The train originates on Norfolk Southern and is turned over to BNSF. However, most of the time, the train has been running with at least a few NS units all the way to the oil transloaded facility. On this particular day, an interesting NS/FXE/NS trio lead the train.
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Two NS units and a BNSF unit bring up the tail end of this eastbound unit oil train. The units are just passing by the old Chem Spur switch. Grass has reclaimed much of the short branch line. As always, the metal structure that was one part of a mining operation, stands tall along the tracks. The first body of water in the distance is Welton Reservoir. The second is Standley Lake. Both are sources of drinking water.
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NS 1221, NS 4753, and BNSF 9725 lead this eastbound loaded oil train through Barbara's Gulch. The campers in the background are now part of long term storage facility. BNSF 9725 is also a bit rare, one of only a handful of SD70MACes (rebuilt from SD70MACs).
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Since the start of the "PTC era" a few years ago, power shared units stopped leading on the Moffat. Leaders were pretty exclusively UP or BNSF (for those respective railroads). However, with PTC matured a bit now, and with PTC following a universal standard for all US railroads, an NS SD70ACe leads this eastbound BNSF manifest through Barbara's Gulch.
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While this BNSF oil train progresses east through Barbara's Gulch, we can see the sea of relatively new houses built in Candelas over the last decade as part of Arvada's most recent expansion.
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Two Norfolk Southern units and a BNSF SD70MAC lead this loaded oil train east through Barbara's Gulch. In the distance, you can see the intersection of Highway 93/72, and even west all the way to the case of Coal Creek Canyon.
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Lately, there have been quite a few Norfolk Southern units showing up on the Moffat, leased from NS for BNSF. Not sure why that is the case, but here is a (rebuilt) AC44C6M in the middle of two BNSF units, leading an oil train eastbound.
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Three Norfolk Southern units, an SD70ACe and two AC4400CWs, are currently working for BNSF. They units will be part of an eastbound oil load, once the train is ready. At the moment, they are sitting at the transload facility at Wash.
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In the yard at Provo, some power has been added to the BNSF Provo to Denver. The last unit is a Norfolk Southern AC4400CW, on lease to BNSF.
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Helping on this westbound coal load is a Norfolk Southern AC44C6M. I actually shot this exact unit about 24 hours earlier, when it was sitting near the BNSF Engine House in Denver, awaiting its next assignment. At the time, I would not have guessed its next assignment would take it west on the Moffat.
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A Norfolk Southern unit, whose paint has seen better days, sits near the BNSF Engine House in Denver. The unit was originally an AC4400CW, but has been rebuilt by NS and is now an AC44C6M.
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NS 7550 is the sole unit remaining on this eastbound covered hopper train after the crew took the lead two units to the east end of the siding. In the distance, you can see another eastbound pulling through the siding. The second unit from this train on Main 2 will be donated to the train in the siding as another one of its units failed.
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