The westbound Zephyr is running six hours late this morning as it heads west out of Leyden on a sunny afternoon. The first Superliner behind the baggage car is the crew car (the transition sleeper). Looks like a crew member is catching a bit of fresh air.
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A final look at this Amtrak special as it rolls south on the single track main between Palmer Lake and Monument. I had to get back up to Denver, so I was unable to chase the special any further south.
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On the south side of Palmer Lake, AMTK 22 and AMTK 134 are leading this Amtrak special south on the now-single track mainline on the Joint Line. The train is headed for the Transportation Technology Center just east of Pueblo, CO.
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At the "top of the hill", a reference to the highest point on the Palmer Divide at 7,297 feet (2,225 meters) above sea level, this Amtrak special is now on the single main track as it passes by Palmer Lake. As you can see, many people are out and enjoying the beautiful clear skies on this Friday morning, most likely unaware of the rare move passing by them.
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This Amtrak Cascade's AIRO train set was built by Siemens in California. It is currently being taken by Amtrak to the TTC near Pueblo for testing. Of note, the Amtrak crew on this train are accompanied by a BNSF "pilot" crew. The Amtrak crew is, of course, not familiar with the Joint Line, so the BNSF crew goes with them to ensure the Amtrak crew knows everything they need to know about the route.
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Amtrak Cascade's AIRO train set rolls by Carpenter Creek on Main 1, just north of "The Sag" on the Joint Line. The train is about four miles away from the top of Palmer Divide at Palmer Lake. The train set is headed for the Transportation Technology Center near Pueblo, CO for testing.
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AMTK 22 and AMTK 134 lead an Amtrak Special southbound on Main 1 on the Joint Line, passes by a small pond that is part of Carpenter Creek, just a few miles north of Palmer Lake. Amtrak running on the Joint Line is exceptionally rare. Indeed, I believe this is the first time I've ever shot Amtrak equipment on the Joint Line.
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Amtrak's P42DCs belch out a bit of exhaust as they throttle up to continue rolling south on Main 1 at Greenland. The train has been running on yellow (technically, flashing yellow, or Advance Approach) signals since just north of Larkspur, as the Amtrak special is following a southbound BNSF coal load.
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Amtrak Cascades AIRO train set crosses over the classic Santa Fe bridge on Main 1, just on the south edge of Larkspur. The bridge crosses over West Fox Farm Road (out of view below the shot), East Plum Creek, and Spruce Mountain Road.
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Amtrak's AIRO special crosses over the classic Santa Fe bridge on the south side of Larkspur on Main 1. Being summer, the sun is high and and the lighting is not great, but it is still pretty cool to see Amtrak equipment crossing the bridge. An extremely rare site to see, to be sure.
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Amtrak's AIRO special crosses over East Plum Creek on Main 1 of the Joint Line. A very rare site indeed, an Amtrak train set on the Joint Line. The AIRO train set, for Amtrak Cascades, is being taken to the Transportation Technology Center (TTC) near Pueblo.
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AMTK 22 and AMTK 134 heads south on Main 1 of the Joint Line, just south of Acequia. Unfortunately, a few traffic lights through Littleton hemmed me up long enough to prevent the shot I wanted to get...but this one isn't too bad with the Front Range visible in the background.
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Amtrak AIRO train set heads south on the Joint Line on Main 2, running alongside I-25. As you can probably infer from the pictures, I-25 is an extremely busy freeway. Indeed, it is the busiest freeway in the state of Colorado, with congestion throughout the Denver Metro area a regular fixture to the freeway on a daily basis.
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This is not something you see particularly often! A pair of Amtrak P42DCs leading an Amtrak Special train south on Main 1 by the siding of Hogan's Alley.
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AMTK 22 and AMTK 134 back up on the Coal Lead and onto the main track at BNSF's 31st Street Yard. Once clear of the crossovers, the crossover will be aligned for Main 2, and the train will depart toward the Joint Line.
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