Photo ID: 111464 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 15, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO 254 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF BNSF 6339 and train have just crossed over the Royer Street grade crossing and are now approaching a clear (green) signal at the south end of Colorado Springs. This is one of the higher priority trains on the Joint Line, so BNSF's Denver South dispatcher is going to do what he can to keep the train moving. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111463 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 15, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO 261 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF A northbound BNSF Q-Train, coming from Alliance, TX and headed for Portland, OR is approaching the south end of the Colorado Springs siding. The tracks here parallel Las Vegas Street on the south side of Colorado Springs. The train is all doublestacks up front, but actually has some general mixed freight cars at the back. A practice that has becoming more common on railroads in the last decade or so. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111462 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 15, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO 213 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) Union Pacific After dropping off a trio of lumber cars in the yard at Colorado Springs, UP 2692 is now pulling out of the yard on the siding. Once clear of the yard switch, the train will back up and put its train together before continuing south. The train is right at the Cimarron crossover, a little less than a mile from the south end of the siding. BNSF's Denver South dispatcher will inform the train that they will be at Colorado Springs for one northbound before it is their turn to continue south. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111461 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 15, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO 237 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) Union Pacific UP 2692 has come to a stop on the siding, just barely across Las Animas Street in Colorado Springs. The train is dropping off three cars in the Colorado Springs yard. The conductor is working on throwing a switch and, in just a moment, the train will back off the crossing and into the yard. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111460 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 15, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO 249 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) Union Pacific UP 2692 and train roll by the old Colorado Springs depot. No passenger trains have used this depot in decades, but the structure still stand and now, among other things, is home to Brakeman's Smashed Burger Bar. There is a push in the Colorado government to add rail along the Front Range between Fort Collins, CO and Pueblo, CO. Perhaps, one day, passengers will again use this depot. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111458 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 15, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO 355 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) Union Pacific, Rio Grande It is only a little past 2pm, yet it feels as though we are only minutes away from sunset, even though sunset is still several hours off. The short days of December along with the high Colorado Rockies to the west result in very short days. Basking in the afternoon sunlight is the UP Colorado Springs yard job, sitting just north of the Colorado Springs depot. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111457 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 15, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO 295 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) Rio Grande, Union Pacific A former Rio Grande caboose sits in the Colorado Springs yard, awaiting the next yard job and/or local assignment. I refer to this as a "former" caboose because it is now referred to on the railroad as a "shoving platform". The doors have been bolted and all the windows inside have been blacked out. Crews are not allowed inside. It is strictly used as a place for brakemen to ride when making switches moves so they do not have to hang off the sides of freight cars. This shoving platform has been assigned to Colorado Springs for over a decade. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111456 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 15, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO 220 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) Union Pacific BNSF by far runs the most trains over the Joint Line. Indeed, BNSF dispatches the single track mainline through Colorado Springs. However, the track is actually owned by Union Pacific. And UP handles the local switching of industries out of the yard in Colorado Springs. For decades, UP has consistently kept a single geep in the yard for switching. More often than not, it seems that unit has been of Rio Grande heritage! This day is no exception as UP 1359, formerly DRGW 3118, is sitting and idling in the yard. There are no yard jobs or locals on the weekends. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111455 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 15, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO 231 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF This BNSF Q-Train is rolling by a completely empty yard in Colorado Springs. It is also passing by the US Olympic and Paralympic Museum, located right in the downtown area. Construction on the museum started in 2018 and it officially open at the end of July in 2020. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111454 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 15, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Palmer Lake Palmer Lake, CO 215 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) Union Pacific A trio of GEs has the duty of handling UP's MNYPU this afternoon as the train rounds Palmer Lake on the single track at the top of the Palmer Divide. This train is almost always a "night owl", running over the Joint Line in the dark. It was a rare opportunity to be able to get shots of a UP manifest on the Joint Line in daylight! Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111453 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 15, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Palmer Lake Palmer Lake, CO 258 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) Union Pacific UP 2692 and train have reach "the top of the hill". Palmer Lake marks the top of the Palmer Divide for trains at an elevation of 7,297 feet (2,224 meters) above sea level. This southbound has left directional running and two mains behind in favor of the single mainline that runs between Palmer Lake and Crews through Colorado Springs. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111452 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 15, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Larkspur Larkspur, CO 236 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) Union Pacific UP's MNYPU manifest crosses over the classic Santa Fe bridge. The bridge takes the tracks over West Fox Farm Road, East Plum Creek, and Spruce Mountain Road. When Rio Grande and Santa Fe were competing to build lines between Denver and Pueblo, Rio Grande started first and, as a result, got the "more friendly" alignment. Here, Main 1 (the modern southbound main) was the original Santa Fe grade. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111451 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 15, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Sedalia Sedalia, CO 197 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) Union Pacific At Sedalia, both Main 1 and Main 2 run more east/west than they do north/south. Here, heading almost due east, this southbound UP manifest is moving along at roughly 35 MPH, trying to get to Pueblo as soon as it can! The crew, fortunately, is on duty until 7pm, so there should be plenty of time to make the trip. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111450 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 15, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Sedalia Sedalia, CO 203 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) Union Pacific UP's daily North Yard, CO to Pueblo, CO manifest is southbound on Main 1, just north of Sedalia. The train, which usually heads south overnight, made a rare daylight appearance on the Joint Line today. A broken rail south of Littleton further delayed the train, but it is now making track speed! The three lumber cars you see in the train are going to be set out in the yard at Colorado Springs to be delivered by a yard job to a local company. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111449 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 15, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Sedalia Sedalia, CO 215 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Colorado Springs (UP)/Pikes Peak (BNSF) BNSF It is still rather amazing to me that in 2024, almost 30 years after the BN/ATSF merger, that there are still Warbonnet-painted units that are in relatively good condition! BNSF 789 is a great example. the red and silver are both still quite strong. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.

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