Photo ID: 111868 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, February 16, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Brush Brush, CO 182 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Brush (BNSF) BNSF, Canadian Pacific At first glance, you might expect that I made a little trip to somewhere along the Canadian Pacific in Canada! In reality, a bit of Canada came to Colorado, in Brush, CO specifically. A pair of CP units leads this loaded grain train west on the Brush Sub. The train was loaded in Canada and was turned over to BNSF, the CP units staying on the train, in Sweet Grass, MT. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111867 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, February 16, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Brush Brush, CO 146 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Brush (BNSF) BNSF, Canadian Pacific CP 7007 is on the Brush Sub, passing by the depot in Brush, CO, headed west. The track to the right is actually a completely different subdivision. That track is the very west end of the BNSF Akron Subdivision, which converges with the Brush Sub right here in Brush, CO. The Brush Sub east of Brush heads to Sterling, CO and eventually Alliance, NE. The Akron Sub east of Brush heads to McCook, NE and, eventually, all the way to Chicago, IL. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111866 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, February 16, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Brush Brush, CO 155 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Brush (BNSF) BNSF, Montana Rail Link As I have mentioned in previous pictures take in the past year, now that Montana Rail Link is owned by BNSF, the MRL SD70ACes have entered into the general BNSF locomotive pool and have been scattered to the system. Many of them run in coal service and, as a result, come through Colorado on the way from the Powder River Basin in Wyoming to the plants in Texas. MRL 4305 was a DPU on a westbound coal load, tied down at Brush. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111865 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, February 16, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed New Hillrose to Union Morgan County, CO 203 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Brush (BNSF) BNSF, Canadian Pacific There are days when I do not really feel like going out and taking train pictures. Sometimes, there is a feeling of "it's all the same". Always UP and BNSF (here in Colorado). Then, there is a day like today that is somewhat reinvigorating! A pair of Canadian Pacific units lead a westbound loaded grain train across the South Platte River on the BNSF Brush Sub between Union and New Hillrose. The train originated in Canada and the CP power has stayed on for the trip in the US. The train is ultimately headed to Guernsey, CA. The lead unit is actually a former SD9043MAC (ex-CP 9119). The SD9043MACs were used for about 15 years by UP and CP before being retired. UP sold all of theirs, while CP rebuilt many of theirs. Specifically, CP rebuilt about 60 of them to be designated as an SD70ACu. Pretty great catching one in Colorado. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111864 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, February 16, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed West Sterling Sterling, CO 167 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Brush (BNSF) BNSF, Canadian Pacific CP 7007 and CP 8501 knock down a clear (green) signal at west Sterling. The train leaves restricted (yard) limits behind here and enters CTC for the trip to Denver. The AC4400CW is, as you can see, having some issues and the crew would receive permission from management to isolate the unit so it would stop loading and stop creating the smoke show. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111863 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, February 16, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Sterling Sterling, CO 167 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Brush (BNSF) BNSF, Canadian Pacific I got a great tip about a westbound BNSF loaded grain train that was tied down in Sterling, but had a crew called for 12:30pm. The train actually originated in Canada on the Canadian Pacific and was turned over to BNSF at Sweet Grass, MT. The CP power was left on the train for its trip to Guernsey, CA. I made my way out to Sterling and found the train as it was departing from the yard shortly after 1:30pm. The second CP unit, AC4400CW #8501, was putting on a smoke show like it was a C30-7 from 1975! Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111862 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, February 16, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed New Hillrose Morgan County, CO 113 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Brush (BNSF) BNSF A westbound loaded coal train is tied down in the siding at New Hillrose, waiting on a fresh crew to come untie it and continue the journey west to Denver and then south on the Joint Line. The train is sitting across the grade crossing at County Road X.5 about halfway through the siding. Fortunately, there is a detour for locals to get around the blocked crossing about a half mile away. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111329 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, November 17, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Irondale Commerce City, CO 114 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Brush (BNSF) Montana Rail Link, BNSF While I was very sad when MRL (Montana Rail Link) ceased to exist at the start of 2024 after BNSF took it over, the one possible benefit is that all the MRL power is now owned by BNSF. And, as a result, MRL units are now roaming BNSF's system, offering greater opportunities to get shots of units outside of Montana. Such is the case here as an MRL SD70ACe is the second unit on an eastbound coal empty headed for the Powder River Basin. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111328 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, November 17, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Irondale Commerce City, CO 130 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Brush (BNSF) BNSF Something of a rare pair of units lead an eastbound coal empty on the siding at Irondale. A Heritage AC4400CW and an MRL SD70ACe are the power today. Interestingly, the SD70ACe (and possibly the AC4400CW) were put on the train in Denver. Not sure if the power was swapped out, or simply needed servicing before continuing east. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111327 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, November 17, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Irondale to Barr Commerce City, CO 109 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Brush (BNSF) BNSF After a westbound coal load overtook this Lincoln, NE to Denver, CO manifest at Tonville, the manifest got its turn to continue east toward Denver. The train is slowing as it has an Approach (yellow) signal at the east end of Irondale. It will be meeting an eastbound coal empty there. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111326 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, November 17, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Irondale to Barr Commerce City, CO 113 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Brush (BNSF) BNSF While the plains are, obviously, significantly flatter than the mountain, that is not to suggest that they are entirely flat. As you can see here, there is a hill east of Denver on the Brush Sub that this westbound coal load has just climbed over. This train was loaded at the Rawhide coal mine in the Powder River Basin in Wyoming and is headed for Smithers, TX. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111325 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, November 17, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed West Tonville Weld County, CO 154 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Brush (BNSF) BNSF BNSF 9208 leads a westbound coal load through the west end of Tonville and across a bridge over a small pond. The train has green signals the rest of the trip in to Denver. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111324 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, November 17, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tonville Weld County, CO 143 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Brush (BNSF) Montana Rail Link, BNSF One of the 29 MRL SD70ACes is the second unit on this westbound Lincoln, NE to Denver, CO manifest sitting in the siding at Tonville. All 29 SD70ACes, as well as the rest of MRLs power, transferred over to BNSF ownership at the start of 2024 after BNSF bought out the contract with MRL. The contract was formed in 1987 and was originally signed for 60 years, set to expire in 2047. With increasing traffic on BNSF's norther Transcon, BNSF wanted to reclaim possession of the MRL. Both railroads came to agreement on the terms, and the STB approved the early contract termination in March 2023. On January 1, 2024, the MRL ceases to exist, with all assets absorbed by BNSF. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111323 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, November 17, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tonville Weld County, CO 122 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Brush (BNSF) BNSF BNSF 9256 and MRL 4319 sit in the siding at Tonville, waiting to head west to BNSF's 31st Street Yard. It is not entirely clear why the train is currently stopped. In the distance, you can see the headlight of an approaching westbound coal load that will overtake the manifest. That alone does not seem like the reason for the manifest to be held. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111251 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, November 3, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Irondale Adams County, CO 132 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Brush (BNSF) BNSF Four ES44s (a mix of ES44ACs and ES44C4s) lead an extremely long intermodal train that is actually originating from the Logistics Center Hudson, about 30 miles northeast of Denver. The massive train is headed for the piers in Long Beach, CA. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.

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