Photo ID: 104634 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, March 8, 2014 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed The Sag Spruce, CO 2129 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF This location, just north of Palmer Lake at Spruce, is where the Santa Fe once crossed over the Rio Grande. During World War 1, when the Federal Government took over the railroads, it was decided it would be more efficient to "combine" the two railroad lines into direction tracks between Denver and Pueblo. The crossovers were all removed and the two competing lines connection. The arrangement remains today as this BNSF coal empty crosses from BNSF-owned rails to UP-owned rails on Main 2. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 104633 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, March 8, 2014 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Palmer Lake Palmer Lake, CO 2187 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF Even when BNSF started buying exclusively from GE, they still had a fleet of nearly 800 SD70MACs that could be found on every coal train on the Joint Line. Then, over time, GE started moving in a bit with the ES44AC. For this EMD fan, it is great to catch a pair of SD70MACs on the point of a coal train every once in awhile! Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 104632 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, March 8, 2014 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Palmer Lake Palmer Lake, CO 2160 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF The sun has shifted to the western sky, offering up some great light on the S-Curve just south of Palmer Lake for this northbound. The temperature is 46 degrees Fahrenheit but somehow feels warmer! The pine tree to the right is threatening to encroach on this shot in the future. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 104631 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, March 8, 2014 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Palmer Lake Palmer Lake, CO 1938 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) Union Pacific At elevation just under 7,300 ft, there is still plenty of snow on the ground at Palmer Lake after a blizzard the night before! In addition to the snow, there is also some coal on the ground from a minor derailment. A UP crew has a "Form B" and red boards in place, allowing them to occupy the track between trains. The truck they are using is essentially a gigantic vacuum cleaner! Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 104630 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, March 8, 2014 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Winding Oaks Drive Colorado Springs, CO 2323 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF Tucked away at the north end of Colorado Springs is a very pleasant, quiet neighborhood. The serenity being disturbed briefly for the passing of a southbound coal train. Fortunately, since it is headed downgrade, it is in dynamics and thus not nearly as loud as it could otherwise be. On the other side of the train is the "New Santa Fe Hiking Trail", a public trail open to anyone that wishes to hike along it. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 104629 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, March 8, 2014 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Winding Oaks Drive Colorado Springs, CO 1953 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF This coal train is not too far south of the southern border to the grounds of the Air Force Academy. One of the sidings along the single track main, aptly named "Academy", is entirely located on the grounds of the Air Force Academy itself. I'm not sure if crews have to go through any headaches if they have to get to the siding for a crew change! Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 104628 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, March 8, 2014 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Woodmen Road Colorado Springs, CO 2073 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF The snow that blanketed the ground the night before has almost totally melted on this fantastic Spring-like day. A southbound BNSF manifest, running in dynamics as it descends the grade, approaches the underpass at Woodmen Road in north Colorado Springs. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 104627 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, March 8, 2014 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO 2092 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF A busy morning in Colorado Springs on this Saturday! UP's Drake coal train is on the Drake Lead to the left, slowly pulling in to the power plant to deliver the "black gold" that helps power Colorado Springs. A UP crew van drive by, just coming back from the switch to the Drake Lead. A crew member in the van realigned the switch for the main track. While all this happens, a BNSF manifest passes the action (and the Colorado Springs depot) on the siding. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 104626 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, March 8, 2014 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO 1923 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF The second BNSF manifest for the morning passes slowly through Colorado Springs on the siding. At the time the train was approaching the Springs, UP's Drake coal train was still hanging off the Drake Lead on the main track. Consequently, the dispatcher aligned this southbound through the siding. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 104625 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, March 8, 2014 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO 2289 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) Union Pacific, Rio Grande More often than not, the engine assigned as the Colorado Springs switcher is a GP40-2. Indeed, a lot of the time, it is not only a GP40-2, but a former Rio Grande GP40-2! Such is the case on this day as UP 1349 (ex-DRGW 3128) sits idling near the Colorado Springs depot. I'm not sure where the time goes, but it has been nearly seven years since UP 1349 received a full repaint! UP's Drake coal train, with "CSUX" hoppers, slowly enters the grounds of the power plant in the distance. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 104624 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, March 8, 2014 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO 2125 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) Rio Grande UP runs a local out of Colorado Springs and the local will take a "shoving platform" (as it is known on the railroad these days...also known as a boarded up caboose!) with it. The shoving platform in the Springs used to be this nicely maintained Rio Grande caboose. However, it has since been retired by UP and time will tell where it will end up. Hopefully, not beneath a cutting torch! Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 104623 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, March 8, 2014 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO 1864 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) Union Pacific The Cimarron Street overpass offers up a nice view of the tracks...although both sides of the bridge have tight chain link fencing, making it difficult to shoot through! I decided to use the chain link to frame this shot of UP's Drake coal train heading directly for the power plant. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 104622 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, March 8, 2014 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO 1914 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) Union Pacific I was out chasing for about seven hours along the Joint Line on this Saturday and this ended up being the only UP train that I saw! UP supplies the coal for both the Drake power plant in Colorado Springs and the Nixon power plant just south of Colorado Springs. Here, the Drake train has left the mainline (concrete ties to the right) and is now on the Drake lead. The switch to the lead is back near the crossover at Bijou, just around the corner in the distance. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 104621 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, March 8, 2014 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Palmer Lake Palmer Lake, CO 2311 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF With the explosion in oil lately, BNSF has been suffering from a bit of a power shortage. As a result, they have been leasing a lot of power as well as activating power that has been in storage. Such is the case with the Warbonnet-painted SD75Ms. To make space on the roster, BNSF has moved the units from their 8200-series numbers back to their ATSF-original 200-series numbers. As you can see, it has been done a bit hastily, too! Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 104620 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, March 8, 2014 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Palmer Lake Palmer Lake, CO 2261 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF At Palmer Lake, this southbound has left the double track behind. It is now on the UP-owned, BNSF-dispatched single main track. The single track runs for roughly 30 miles through Colorado Springs. At Crews (near Fountain, CO), double track starts again. There are only four sidings over this 30 mile stretch, so it can become something of a bottleneck for the dispatcher! Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.

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