Photo ID: 105377 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, July 18, 2015 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Swan Ranch Industrial Park Laramie County, WY 2071 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Yard Shots WAMX A colorful pair of units being used by the Swan Ranch Railroad south of Cheyenne. WAMX 4200 was originally an SD40, but has been upgraded (internally) to an SD40-2. The Wisconsin & Southern unit is an SD40-2 without dynamic brakes. They are both working at the Swan Ranch Industrial Park, switching out cars and interchanging with UP and BNSF as needed. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 105376 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, July 18, 2015 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Swan Ranch Industrial Park Laramie County, WY 2325 (2 Comments Posted) Subdivision Railroad Yard Shots WAMX A new industrial park, called "Swan Ranch Industrial Park", opened south of Cheyenne in 2011. The industrial park has access to both UP and BNSF, as well as I-25 and I-80. The industrial park will have its own shortline railroad, called the Swan Ranch Railroad. Currently, they have a couple of leased units. This SD40T-2 is one of the leasors. The shortened fuel tank indicates that it was clearly, at one point, a Rio Grande Tunnel Motor! Indeed that is correct. This was originally DRGW 5395. It went to UP 4018 on March 26, 1999. Just over a year later, it then was renumbered UP 8588 on April 10, 2000. Next up, on January 30, 2007, it went to UP 9869. This occurred shortly before being retired by UP. Good to see it has found new life in leasing service. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 105326 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, July 11, 2015 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Leadville Leadville, CO 2577 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Yard Shots CSRR The Colorado and Southern once had a narrow gauge line that ran from Denver to Leadville. The line was too steep and narrow to be converted to standard gauge and it was ultimately abandoned. However, roughly a ten mile stretch of the line was converted to standard gauge between Leadville and the Molybdenum mine at Climax. The C&S handled all the mine traffic and then interchanged with the Rio Grande. This was one of the last holdouts for steam on the C&S as the engine used for switching was the steam engine seen here, used well into the 1950s. As you can see, the engine was preserved and donated to the town of Leadville. It is no longer operable, but sits outside of the Leadville depot. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 105312 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, July 11, 2015 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed West of Buena Vista Buena Vista, CO 3171 (1 Comment Posted) Subdivision Railroad Yard Shots CMR This picture was taken along County Road 371 west (geographically north) of Buena Vista. These tunnels were not created for the road. This is actually part of the original grade of the Colorado Midland Railway. The "Midland" started in Colorado Springs and departed west, climbing over Hayden Divide and Trout Creek Pass before arriving in Buena Vista alongside the Rio Grande. At Crystal Lake, the Midland turned west and went over the Continental Divide at Hagerman Pass. The three passes and the steep grades (in excess of 4% in places) ultimately led to the downfall of the Midland. It was abandoned in 1918 and the tracks were ripped out in 1920. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 105277 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, July 11, 2015 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Cañon City Yard Canon City, CO 2600 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Yard Shots Canon City and Royal Gorge The Royal Gorge Route Railroad has managed to acquire this Missouri Pacific caboose #13554. Other than some graffiti, the caboose appears to be in pretty good condition! Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 105276 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, July 11, 2015 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Cañon City Yard Canon City, CO 2446 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Yard Shots Canon City and Royal Gorge I believe these commuter passenger cars came from the Chicago area. They actually sat for years in Union Pacific's North Yard in Denver. Finally, after being purchased by the Royal Gorge Route Railroad, they were moved down to Canon City. They are now sitting in the yard at Canon City, waiting to possibly be refurbished at some date in the future. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 105275 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, July 11, 2015 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Cañon City Yard Canon City, CO 2442 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Yard Shots Canon City and Royal Gorge Former Rio Grande caboose #01516 sits in the yard in Canon City. There is a fair amount of various debris laying along the tracks. The caboose is coupled to a pair of old and rather dilapidated passenger cars. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 105274 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, July 11, 2015 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Cañon City Yard Canon City, CO 2797 (2 Comments Posted) Subdivision Railroad Yard Shots Canon City and Royal Gorge Sitting a few hundred feet away from each other, the Royal Gorge Route's pair of F7As sit idle in the yard in Canon City. It is pretty cool that the Royal Gorge Route decided to honor Rio Grande by painting the F-units in a replica of the "one stripe" scheme that Rio Grande units wore decades ago. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 105273 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, July 11, 2015 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Cañon City Yard Canon City, CO 2266 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Yard Shots Canon City and Royal Gorge The second of two F7As (and the sole F7B) on The Royal Gorge Route's roster sits in the small yard in Canon City. Not entirely sure how long they have been sitting here, but most like they have some mechanical issues that must be tended to prior to the old covered wagons be used on the train again. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 105272 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, July 11, 2015 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Cañon City Yard Canon City, CO 3157 (1 Comment Posted) Subdivision Railroad Yard Shots Canon City and Royal Gorge The Royal Gorge Route Railroad owns three F7s (to F7As and an F7B). All three are of Chicago Northwestern heritage. The three are not currently running, perhaps due to mechanical issues. Here, F7A #402 sits with a pair of passengers cars east of the depot. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 105271 Date Shot Photo By Friday, July 10, 2015 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Dent Branch Thornton, CO 1728 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Yard Shots Union Pacific, Regional Transportation District Looking south from the 88th Avenue grade crossing, you can see that the UP tracks on the Dent Branch have been completed removed. The ties are gone and some regrading has started. Note that a Union Pacific "1/2 mile marker" still stands off to the left of the right of way. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 105270 Date Shot Photo By Friday, July 10, 2015 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Dent Branch Thornton, CO 1598 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Yard Shots Union Pacific, Regional Transportation District Even though it has only been a short time since Union Pacific sold the Dent Branch to RTD, the signage along the right of way has already been replaced to reflect the new ownership! The sign shows that RTD is now the owner of the line. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 105269 Date Shot Photo By Friday, July 10, 2015 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Dent Branch Thornton, CO 1790 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Yard Shots Union Pacific, Regional Transportation District The old grade crossing here at 88th Avenue will most likely be replaced by a new one that will include crossing arms when commuter rail comes through here over the next three years. As of the date of this photo, RTD's Thornton commuter line is set to open in 2018. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 105268 Date Shot Photo By Friday, July 10, 2015 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Dent Branch Thornton, CO 1630 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Yard Shots Union Pacific, Regional Transportation District The remnants of Union Pacific's "Dent Branch" are visible along the right of way in Thornton just north of 88th Avenue along Welby Road. UP sold the line to RTD so commuter rail could be built in to Thornton from Denver. Along this stretch of the branch, most of the former UP infrastructure (including rails and ties) have been collected. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 105267 Date Shot Photo By Friday, July 10, 2015 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Dent Branch Thornton, CO 1707 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Yard Shots Union Pacific, Regional Transportation District Some nice apartments are found along the side of what used to be the Union Pacific "Dent Branch" in Thornton. Prior to its sale, I believe Union Pacific ran a single weekly local on the line. And that local didn't run too far north, either. In about three years, residents here will have an RTD commuter line available to them. The line will run from north Thornton to Union Station in Denver. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.

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