Photo ID: 109644 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, October 15, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed South of Castle Rock Castle Rock, CO 148 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF BNSF coal trains are, by far, the most dominating type of train you'll find running on the Joint Line. These trains originate in the Powder River Basin in Wyoming and are destined for power plants in the south. The approaching train is no exception as it parallels the I-25 frontage road and I-25 itself, just south of Castle Rock, which is visible in the distance. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109643 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, October 15, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Palmer Lake Palmer Lake, CO 142 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF Three units bring up the end of this southbound coal load, which is now on the single track main at Palmer Lake. The train is sadly less than two hours away from disaster. Right around 3:30pm, the train will derail when crossing I-25 just south of Bragdon. No injuries to the crew, but sadly, a semitruck driver caught up in the derailment beneath the bridge will parish. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109642 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, October 15, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Palmer Lake Palmer Lake, CO 347 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF This southbound coal load has reached "the top of the hill" at Palmer Lake. Here, the Joint Line crests the Palmer Divide at 7,300 feet above sea level. This is now single track territory for the next 25 miles or so. The train will shifting in to dynamic brake mode now for the downgrade journey. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109641 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, October 15, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed The Sag Douglas County, CO 178 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF The head end of BNSF 9015 is descending down "The Sag" just north of Palmer Lake. On warm summer days when the traction motors on units are really hot, southbound coal loads will sometimes stop here at The Sag to allow the traction motors to cool before continuing south. On this October afternoon, the temperature is around 60°F, so the train will continue rolling south to Palmer Lake. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109640 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, October 15, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed The Sag Douglas County, CO 339 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF Prior to World War 1, when Rio Grande and Santa Fe operated their own mains separate from one another, there were several places where the two lines crossed one another. Few places are as apparent of this old artifact as at "The Sag" just north of Palmer Lake. Here, Santa Fe's main crossed over Rio Grande's main. The abutments of the bridge are still quite apparent, even though the bridge itself has been gone for over a century. with the creation of the joint line, the crossover were removed and the tracks of each railroad were connected to create the Joint Line. Here, the head end of this coal train is now on track owned by UP and the back end of the train is still on track owned by BNSF. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109639 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, October 15, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Spruce Douglas County, CO 285 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF A southbound BNSF coal train continues the journey south on Main 1 just north of Palmer Lake. A nice pod offers up a great scene on a Sunday afternoon. Between the train and the pond, you can see the rails for Main 2. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109638 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, October 15, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Greenland Greenland, CO 178 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF A BNSF coal load slowly grinds up the grade just south of Greenland. The train is just a few miles away from the "top of the hill" at Palmer Lake. There, the train will have successfully conquered Palmer Divide, and will continue downgrade on the single track main. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109637 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, October 15, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Larkspur Larkspur, CO 297 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF A pair of BNSF SD70ACes lead this southbound coal train across the old Santa Fe bridge on the south edge of Larkspur on a beautiful October morning. Unfortunately, this coal train had an ill-fated future as in 2 1/2 hours, it will derail just south of Bragdon when crossing over I-25. The crew on the train, thank God, will be okay. However, a semi truck driver, caught in the derailment, would not survive. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109636 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, October 15, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed South of Castle Rock Douglas County, CO 159 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF Along the I-25 frontage road, a southbound BNSF coal train passes by an intermediate signal at MP 38.6. The train is led by a pair of EMD SD70ACe. The train is heading almost directly into the sun, so both sides of the train are largely in the shadows. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109635 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, October 15, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed South of Castle Rock Castle Rock, CO 143 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) Union Pacific A northbound UP military train crosses over Bell Mountain Parkway a handful of miles south of downtown Castle Rock. Way off in the distance, you can see Pikes Peak. It is the tallest peak off in the distance. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109634 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, October 15, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed South of Castle Rock Castle Rock, CO 191 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) Union Pacific Just south of Castle Rock, a northbound military train has passed through a couple of slow orders and is back up to track speed. But not for much longer. The crew only has 11 minutes left to work before hitting their 12 hour limit. They'll stop ahead near the Safeway in Castle Rock to await a recrew. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109633 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, October 15, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Larkspur Larkspur, CO 133 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) Union Pacific A northbound UP military train passes through the north edge of Larkspur. Unfortunately, the crew on the train only have 22 minutes before they are "dead on the law", unable to operate their train further. They'll ultimately have to stop on Main 2 in Castle Rock and wait for a recrew. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109632 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, October 15, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Spruce Douglas County, CO 190 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) Union Pacific A northbound UP military train is approaching Greenland on Main 2, just north of Palmer Lake. The 14,115-foot Pikes Peak towers in the scene, about 25 miles to the south. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109631 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, October 15, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Spruce Douglas County, CO 165 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) Union Pacific I love the wide open lands between Greenland and Palmer Lake. A northbound UP military train sits stopped on Main 2 as the conductor is walking the train to look for dragging equipment after setting off a detector. A southbound BNSF coal load slowly rolls by on Main 1, with a trio of units serving as the rear DPU set on the train. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109630 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, October 15, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Spruce Douglas County, CO 153 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) Union Pacific Some US military tanks and other vehicles are being transported by rail from Fort Carson in Colorado Springs to Yermo, CA. They are being shipped on Union Pacific and, due to UP's network, the train will go north to Cheyenne before turning west and eventually south after reaching Salt Lake City. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.

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