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Wednesday, October 2, 2024
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Kevin Morgan
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Boulder (3,948ft)
Boulder, CO
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339 (Add a Comment)
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Front Range (BNSF)
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BNSF
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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.
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Thursday, September 26, 2024
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Kevin Morgan
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Rocky (7,330ft)
Arvada, CO
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221 (Add a Comment)
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Moffat Tunnel (UP)
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BNSF
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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.
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Thursday, September 26, 2024
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Kevin Morgan
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Rocky (7,330ft)
Arvada, CO
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198 (Add a Comment)
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Moffat Tunnel (UP)
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Canadian Pacific, BNSF
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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.
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Friday, September 13, 2024
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Kevin Morgan
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Crescent to Cliff (MP 31.8 to MP 36.7)
Boulder County, CO
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290 (Add a Comment)
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Moffat Tunnel (UP)
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BNSF
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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.
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Friday, September 13, 2024
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Kevin Morgan
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CP DS019 (West Rocky)
Arvada, CO
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181 (Add a Comment)
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Moffat Tunnel (UP)
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BNSF
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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.
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Tuesday, September 3, 2024
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Kevin Morgan
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Little Ten Curve (MP 18.7 to MP 18.9)
Arvada, CO
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200 (Add a Comment)
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Moffat Tunnel (UP)
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BNSF
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Perhaps the coal train that most common coal train to make appearances on the Moffat in 2024 is this westbound BNSF coal load. BNSF has a contract with the Valmy power plant in northern Nevada. The coal train loads in the Power River Basin, and then runs over the former Grande from Denver to Salt Lake City. Five years ago, I certainly never thought I'd see a westbound coal load on the Moffat once, let alone on a regular basis!
On this afternoon, the coal load stalled out climbing Big Ten due to a power issue. The train backed down into the siding at Rocky. The issue has been resolved, but the train has to wait for the Rocky Mountaineer before continuing west.
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