A busy few minutes at Rocky! The West Local slowly descends down the 8% grade of the Rocky Spur. It has completed is switching and will be returning North Yard with a single covered hopper. Meanwhile, a westbound BNSF sand train slowly charges by on the main track.
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A pair of GEs bring up the tail end of a westbound BNSF sand train. The units pass by the ominous steel structure which has stood for decades. Its exact purpose...not entirely clear. The most common theory seems to be that it has something to do with coal mining that once took place in the area.
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A majority of BNSF's 790 SD70MACs have spent their lives wearing the "Heritage 2" paint scheme. This scheme was the primary scheme for about five years (between 2000 and 2005). It was in 2005 when BNSF changed their name from "Burlington Northern Santa Fe" to simply "BNSF". In an effort to create a new identity, the railroad largely shed it heritage ties.
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Throughout much of the 1990s and early 2000s, the SD70MACs were the coal work horses on BNSF. Many of these units were delivered in the "Grinstein" paint scheme (seen here). Burlington Northern was moving toward this scheme (named after Gerald Grinstein, CEO of BN from 1985 to 1995) when the BNSF merger happened.
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It was about ten years ago that many railfans got excited as BNSF ordered their first batch of SD70ACes. It was a relative big deal because, for nearly ten years prior, BNSF had sworn off EMD and had only purchased from GE. Now, ten years later, BNSF has 810 SD70ACes on the roster, including BNSF 9193 seen here.
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A trio of SD70s (an SD70ACe and two SD70MACs) run elephant style on the point of a westbound sand train. The paint schemes offer a nice "through the years" look at some of BNSF's more common schemes over the last twenty years.
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Despite the (relative) short length of this sand train, it is crawling along at only around 12 MPH. It is a loaded train and, as such, a heavy load for the five units in charge. The lake to the right, just above the DPUs, is Stanley Lake in Arvada and Westminster.
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A westbound loaded BNSF sand train (used for fracking) slowly pulls west near the east end of Barbara's Gulch on a beautiful November afternoon.
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I really like CSX's Dark Future paint scheme. And I think the blue looks mighty fine on the Moffat as a trio of Dark Future CSX units lead a westbound empty toward Tunnel 1 on a beautiful October morning.
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For the first time in years, a spartan cab (SD40-2) leads a non-local train on the Moffat! It is a beautiful morning as this westbound UP (interchanged from CSX) coal empty works hard to climb the roughly 2% grade on the approach to Tunnel 1.
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On a beautiful Thursday morning, a westbound coal empty climbs toward the east portal of Tunnel 1. This coal empty originated east of Mississippi (on CSX) and the CSX power has remained with the train the entire journey west. It was believed the power would likely be swapped out in Denver, but clearly that didn't happen.
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A trio of CSX units leads a westbound coal empty on the approach to Tunnel 1. It was so strange seeing an SD40-2 on the point of this empty. Particularly when compared to the ES44AHs behind it.
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A timeless image of a westbound train crossing over CO-72 at the mouth of Coal Creek Canyon. 40 years ago, this same shot was replicated many times with the Rio Grande Zephyr and other Rio Grande traffic. Today, the scene contains some eastern visitors. This coal train originated east of the Mississippi River in CSX land, and the CSX power has stayed with the train the entire way to Colorado.
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This westbound coal empty has power that spans decades as an SD40-2 leads and a pair of ES44AHs trail. It is incredible enough to see a solid set of CSX units on the Moffat, but it's even more incredible to catch an SD40-2 leading!
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On a crystal clear Colorado morning, a westbound coal empty leaves Eisele on the approach to the Blue Mountain Road crossing. Unlike so many other coal empties, this particular train had quite a surprise in store with an SD40-2 on the point! Not only is it a DC unit instead of an AC unit, but a spartan cab!
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