Photo ID: 111344 Date Shot Photo By Monday, November 18, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rocky (7,330ft) Arvada, CO 205 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF This is railroad equivalent of AAA coming out to do a roadside tire change! A bad traction motor had to be removed from under the unit before the unit could be moved. I suspect the traction motor seized, meaning the wheels were not freely rotating. A dummy wheel set will be placed under the unit so it can be transported (on the rails) to the shop for further repairs. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111343 Date Shot Photo By Monday, November 18, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rocky (7,330ft) Arvada, CO 172 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF This BNSF crew has successfully raised the front half of BNSF 5767 off the rails and removed the wheel set with a bad traction motor. A dummy wheel set has been placed on the rails and will be slid under the unit and used until it can get to a shop and have a new traction motor wheel set added. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111342 Date Shot Photo By Monday, November 18, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rocky (7,330ft) Arvada, CO 218 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF You cannot quite see if from this angle, but the front loader has a dummy wheel set attached and it is positioning itself on the house track. The dummy wheel set (meaning it has no traction motor) will temporarily replace the wheel set currently under the unit (that has a traction motor) until the unit can make it to the shop. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111341 Date Shot Photo By Monday, November 18, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rocky (7,330ft) Arvada, CO 173 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF About 36 hours ago, this ES44AC was set out in the house track here at Rocky. Typically, an engine is only set out if there is something wrong with the wheels and/or traction motors. Indeed, that appears to be the case here as a crew prepares to remove what is most likely a bad (seized?) traction motor. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111340 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, November 17, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Hogan's Alley Denver, CO 143 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF It is really impressive to see a "blade train" as it rolls down the tracks. Those blades are the length of roughly three flat cars. The ends of the blades are supported by frames that can slide along the flatcar to accommodate turns as the train moves. These blades are starting the journey on the Joint Line just before sunset after coming south on the Front Range Sub earlier in the day. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111339 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, November 17, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Hogan's Alley Denver, CO 168 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF A C44-9W, still sporting Heritage 2 paint, leads a windmill blade train south on Main 1 at Hogan's Alley. A northbound coal empty is stopped next to it on Main 2. Off in the distance, you can see a snowy Longs Peak. It is only about 15 minutes before sunset. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111338 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, November 17, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Hogan's Alley Denver, CO 129 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF A pair of ES44ACs, but in pretty fresh and good looking paint, bring up the tail end of a northbound coal empty that has come to a stop on Main 2 along Hogan's Alley. Not sure if the train is waiting for a recrew or for some other reason before continuing north. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111337 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, November 17, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Hogan's Alley Denver, CO 146 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF A northbound BNSF coal empty runs alongside I-25 and Hogan's Alley on the south side of Denver. Both units on the point of the train are recently painted and look very good leading. BNSF 3315 is a Tier-3 "credit" unit, while BNSF 3637 is a brand new ET44AC, delivered earlier this year. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111336 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, November 17, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rennicks Yard Denver, CO 164 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Yard Shots BNSF After nearly an hour of nothing moving, I was about ready to call it a day and head home when I noticed a blade train coming off the Front Range Sub! The train was instructed to pull through Rennicks and continue south on the Joint Line. A new crew was waiting at Walnut Street. Here, the train is coming through Rennicks Yard. 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 139 (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 159 (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 134 (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 135 (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 181 (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 167 (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. 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