Photo ID: 113421 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, November 30, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Fountain Fountain, CO 62 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF Here at Fountain, south of Crews, the Santa Fe mainline once flew over the Rio Grande mainline via an artificial incline and a bridge. Rio Grande beat Santa Fe through the area, and as a result got the preferred grade and alignment between Denver and Pueblo. The tire tracks on the hill on the right used to carry the Santa Fe main up and over the Rio Grande tracks (behind the camera). That hasn't been the case in over 100 years. Now, a pair of DPUs bring up the rear of a southbound coal train on Main 1. Here at Fountain, technical ownership of Main 1 changes from Union Pacific to BNSF as trains continue south. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113420 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, November 30, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Fountain Fountain, CO 73 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF South of Colorado Springs, in the small town of Fountain, CO, the single track main end and two tracks continue south the rest of the way to Bragdon. A southbound coal load crosses Duckwood Road on Main 1. It was once here that the Santa Fe main crossed over the Rio Grande main prior to the Joint Line being operated as the Joint Line. You can still see evidence of the dirt embankment on either side of the tracks where the Santa Fe tracks existed over 100 years ago. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113419 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, November 30, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO 93 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF A southbound BNSF coal load rolls by the Colorado Springs depot on the main track. The Colorado Springs siding, which is almost four miles long, is on the far side of the main track. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113416 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, November 30, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Palmer Lake Palmer Lake, CO 82 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF The snow looks to really be coming down hard here at Palmer Lake on the last day of November as a southbound coal load rolls away from the camera. The telephoto shot is actually making it appear to be snowing a bit harder than it actually is, but it is good to see a little precipitation coming down. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113415 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, November 30, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Palmer Lake Palmer Lake, CO 62 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF A pair of relatively new ES44ACHs (or ES44AHs) bring up the tail end of a southbound coal load on the single track main just south of Palmer Lake. This is the closest to a winter scene we've had so far in the 2025-2026 winter season. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113414 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, November 30, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Palmer Lake Palmer Lake, CO 86 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF At the top of the Palmer Divide we find Palmer Lake at an elevation of roughly 7,200 feet above sea level. In the summer, the lake is a popular hang out for kids and family, using innertubes to play in the water. Things are significantly colder here at the end of November, the thermometer indicating 18°F (-8°C) outside. A BNSF coal load crests the top of the divide and gets ready to now head down grade to Pueblo and beyond. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113413 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, November 30, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Palmer Lake Palmer Lake, CO 76 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF Single track ahead! At Palmer Lake, two tracks come to an end and there is now a single track main for the next 32 miles. Snow is falling at a decent click here roughly 7,200 feet above sea level as a southbound coal load comes through the OS of Palmer Lake, right at MP 52. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113412 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, November 30, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Palmer Lake Palmer Lake, CO 66 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF BNSF 3297 is looking a green signal at the "top of the hill" at Palmer Lake. A bit of snow is falling here at elevation, although nothing is really sticking to the ground. The track next to the main was often used way back in the caboose era. Heave coal trains sometimes had rear (manned) helpers cut in ahead of the caboose. The caboose would be temporarily set out in the side track so the manned helpers could run around and then attach the caboose to the back of the train. These days, of course, there is no need for such things, so the tracks has fallen into disrepair. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113411 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, November 30, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Greenland to Palmer Lake Douglas County, CO 102 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF Like the thousands of coal trains over decades before it, another southbound wraps its way through the S-curves just south of "The Sag" on Main 1 on the approach the Palmer Lake and the top of the climb. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113410 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, November 30, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Larkspur, CO Douglas County, CO 72 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF I really liked to look of these two relatively new BNSF GEs right above the largely faded Santa Fe heralds and lettering on the bridge on the south side of Larkspur. The head end of the 120-car coal train is moving toward Greenland down Main 1. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113409 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, November 30, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Larkspur, CO Douglas County, CO 95 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF These ES44ACHs were both delivered in latter half of 2023 as Tier-4 credit units. the two are crossing over West Fox Farm Road, East Plum Creek, and Spruce Mountain Road on Main 1 on their journey south toward Palmer Lake and beyond. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113408 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, November 30, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Larkspur, CO Douglas County, CO 92 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF There might be no location on the Joint Line as recognizable as the old Santa Fe bridge on the south side of Larkspur! Two shiny ES44ACHs lead a southbound coal train across the bridge, which still sports a (highly faded) Santa Fe herald and lettering. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113407 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, November 30, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tomah Road to Larkspur Douglas County, CO 64 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF Exit 173 off of southbound I-25 is visible at the base of the shot, the exit used to get from the interstate to the town of Larkspur, CO. Main 1 follows this exit and the Main 1 continues through the eastern edge of Larkspur on the journey south. Two relatively new ES44ACHs (or ES44AHs) lead this southbound coal. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113406 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, November 30, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tomah Road to Larkspur Douglas County, CO 94 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF This particular spot at MP 41 along Main 1 north of Sedalia is great spot to get a little color in your shots, even at the end of December when most of the deciduous plants have lost their leaves. A southbound coal load is climbing up the 1.4% grade along I-25. Main 1 here is owned by BNSF while Main 2, on the other side of I-25, is owned by Union Pacific. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113405 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, November 30, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Sedalia Douglas County, CO 82 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF It has been an unusually temperate fall this year, with not appreciable snow seen through all of October and November. The first light dusting of snow came just 24 hours earlier along the Front Range. Here, on the final day of November, it is a frigid 17°F and overcast, but no real snow to be found as a southbound coal load comes through Sedalia. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.

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