BNSF 933014 is one of three special tank cars that contain (non potable) water. The tank cars are interconnected with hoses, and this third tank car is equipped with pumps that allows the water to be sprayed out. The hoses between cars allows all the water to flow between the three cars.
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The exact cause of the fire here alongside Big Lift (and further south) is not known for sure, but it seems fairly likely that a passing train was throwing up some sparks and accidentally start a few brush fires. Here, BNSF's fire train is working to make sure the flames are done.
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BNSF's fire train spent several minutes at this particular spot, spraying water. Not sure if there was a specific concern of fire flaring up here, or if there was some other reason for the focus.
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It is very fascinating to me how some brush fires can actually leave quite a bit of unburned foliage behind. That appears to be the case here, as BNSF's fire train sprays water along the right-of-way. Although there are clouds building up, there would not be any rain to offer relief from the heat today.
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You can very clearly see the areas where a brush far has burned away foliage on both sides of Main 1 along the Joint Line. High temperatures this July have contributed to the fires, as all but three days (so far) have been 90ºF (33ºC).
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BNSF's "fire train" is making a reverse move on Main 1 (in CTC limits) as firefights unleash water on a few smoldering hot spots from a small brush fire that started earlier in the day.
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Several firefighters spray water, pumped through these special tank cars, on hot spots from a brush fire that started alongside the tracks. The train is actually making a slow reverse move here, making multiple applications to the hotspots.
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Did you know that BNSF actually has a firefighting train that is based in Denver? I've seen it many, many times, sitting at the yard in Denver. However, this is the first time I've actually seen it in action! A few small brush fires along Main 1 south of Littleton.
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This is a spot that I have thought about shooting at, but I never got around to it until today! Love the wall of trees that this southbound unit coal train is passing as it cuts into the 1.2% grade. Uncountable thousands of coal trains have passed this way since the Powder River Basin really started mining in the mid-to-late 1980s.
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A southbound coal load parallels I-25 just north of Larkspur. Main 1 sticks pretty close to I-25 from Castle Rock to the I-25 exit for Larkspur. There, the highway continues over the ridge to Greenland, while the tracks cut through Larkspur, keeping the grade to roughly 1.2%.
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Cresting the top the Palmer Divide at Palmer Lake, BNSF 6574 heads south on the single track main. Numerous people are enjoying the warm day, taking paddle boards out onto Palmer Lake itself.
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As this southbound manifest approaches Palmer Lake on Main 1, take not of the abandoned track to the right. Back in the days of cabooses and manned helpers on coal trains, the manned helpers would sometimes be cut in ahead of the caboose. In those situations, the helpers would cut off the train and enter this track, leaving the caboose on Main 1 for the coal train to back up to, connect to, and continue south.
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Three GEs lead this southbound manifest on Main 1, just north of Palmer Lake. The train has a clear (green) signal and is ready to head onto the single main track between Palmer Lake at Crews.
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Although there are a few other cars on this Denver-Amarillo manifest, most of the train is composed of alternating strings of tank cars and covered hoppers. The train has a clear (green) signal at the top of the hill at Palmer Lake to continue south onto the single main track.
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A pair of SD70ACes lead an empty oil train on Main 2 at Greenland. The mountain peak furthest off in the distance toward the left, is Pikes Peak. One of the 53 mountain peaks in Colorado that exceed 14,000-feet (4,268-meters) in elevation.
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