Photo ID: 111141 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, October 2, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Boulder (3,948ft) Boulder, CO 210 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Front Range (BNSF) BNSF This is a very interesting shot looking straight down on a truck that, prior to a derailment in August, had been on BNSF 4272. I say it is interesting because it really demonstrates some of the mechanics of GE's ES44C4. The unit is a A1A-A1A unit, meaning only four of the six axles are powered. As you can see here, a traction motor is attached to the axle on the left, but the center axle is a "dummy" axle. The axle on the right, were it still intact, would also have a traction motor attached. You can also see some of the hydraulics that GE uses to slightly lift the center axle up when necessary to provide more tractive effort, the weight resting more on the powered axles. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111140 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, October 2, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Boulder (3,948ft) Boulder, CO 146 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Front Range (BNSF) BNSF A look at one of the trucks that had been on BNSF 4272 until a derailment at Boulder smashed things up a bit. Two of the three axles are still attached to the truck. The third was lost to the derailment. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111139 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, October 2, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Boulder (3,948ft) Boulder, CO 207 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Front Range (BNSF) BNSF Unfortunately, derailments are a part of life for railroads. Most derailments are minor, with only a single axle or maybe a truck derailing with everything remaining upright. However, sometimes things are work. BNSF 4272 toppled onto its side when its train (a southbound intermodal train) struck cars that had rolled out onto the main track at the south switch of Boulder. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111138 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, October 2, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Boulder (3,948ft) Boulder, CO 162 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Front Range (BNSF) BNSF BNSF 267, an SD75M in New Image paint, is being used as power on a work/wreck train. BNSF 4272, which was involved in a derailment here at Boulder about five weeks earlier, will be transported away from the site tomorrow. The day was spent getting it off the ground and loaded on to the flat car. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111137 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, October 2, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Boulder (3,948ft) Boulder, CO 245 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Front Range (BNSF) BNSF A little over a month earlier, on August 22, 2024, cars that had been stored in the siding at Boulder rolled out on to the main track. A Southbound intermodal train struck the cars and derailed. BNSF 4272 was one of the units involved in the derailment, and the final piece of the equipment that has been waiting to be removed from the site. Today, BNSF worked with Hulcher to load the unit on a special flat car for transportation. The crew ran out of time, so the train was tied down in the siding for the night. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111136 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, September 26, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rocky (7,330ft) Arvada, CO 190 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF A very short BNSF manifest is tied down in the siding at Rocky, awaiting a recrew. Note that the derail is set at the east end. This is to protect against the possibility of the train rolling out onto the main track. Were the train to roll, it would be derailed away from the main track. Fortunately, the likelihood of that happening is near zero as the train has hand brakes applied on the train, and the engines are continually charging the brake line to keep the train brakes applied. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111135 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, September 26, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rocky (7,330ft) Arvada, CO 143 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF A pair of ES44ACs sit on the tail end of this eastbound BNSF manifest, currently tied down in the siding at Rocky. Like most BNSF manifests on the Moffat, the train is primarily comprised of tank cars. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111134 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, September 26, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rocky (7,330ft) Arvada, CO 163 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Canadian Pacific, BNSF A pair of ES44ACs, one Canadian Pacific and one BNSF, bring up the rear of BNSF's Provo to Denver manifest, currently tied down in the siding at Rocky. The train is actually quite short, at only 3,100 feet in the length, meaning the back half of the train is not wrapped around Little Ten Curve. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111133 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, September 26, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rocky (7,330ft) Arvada, CO 177 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Canadian Pacific, BNSF It was a nice surprise to find this Canadian Pacific ES44AC as one of two DPUs on the tail end of BNSF's Provo-Denver. Not that we see CP units in Denver particularly often, but knowing the lifespan of this paint scheme is officially limited with the creation of CPKC, it's always good to get some shots. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111132 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, September 26, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rocky (7,330ft) Arvada, CO 173 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF Last night at around 11:30pm, this BNSF Provo-Denver manifest showed up here at Rocky and tied down in the siding. 10 hours later and a relief crew has not yet show up to take the train the remainder of the way in to town. The train is actually quite short, too, compared to the average manifest BNSF runs on the Moffat. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111064 Date Shot Photo By Friday, September 13, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Crescent to Cliff (MP 31.8 to MP 36.7) Boulder County, CO 252 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF Just west of the siding of Crescent, deep in the middle of the Tunnel District, a westbound oil train curves toward the east portal of Tunnel 19, just out of view to the left. The train crosses one of dozens of fills in place to accommodate the rails here in the Colorado Rockies. Off in the distance, you can see the dam the creates Gross Reservoir. Indeed, the dam is currently undergoing a project to raise its height by 131 feet. If you look closely, you can see some climbing cranes on the scene, being used in the construction. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111063 Date Shot Photo By Friday, September 13, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) arvada, CO 262 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF Five GEs and a single SD70ACe climb the north edge of Big Ten Curve on the point of a westbound oil train. As always, a single buffer car is located between the power and the tank cars. On this day, the buffer car is a Santa Fe open hopper. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111062 Date Shot Photo By Friday, September 13, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS019 (West Rocky) Arvada, CO 158 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF In 2024, mainline locomotives almost universally have around 4,400 horsepower. As a result, fewer units are typically needed on the head end of trains. Whereas 5 or 6 units was not uncommon 40 years ago, 2 or 3 is often then case in 2024. So, it is rather cool to come across a train like this, with 6 units on the head end. These units will be distributed throughout this oil train for the trip east, when the (loaded) train is far heavier than the current empty. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111061 Date Shot Photo By Friday, September 13, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rocky (7,330ft) Arvada, CO 208 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF Following about 15 minutes behind the westbound Zephyr, a BNSF oil train charges west on the main at Rocky. The train has six units on the head end of the empty tanks. After filling at the transload facility in Wash, UT, the train will return east with the power distributed throughout the train. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111018 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, September 3, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rocky (7,330ft) Arvada, CO 141 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF BNSF's Valmy coal load consistently runs west in a 3x3 power configuration. The train is stopped in the siding at Rocky, waiting for the afternoon Rocky Mountaineer. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.

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