Photo ID: 104691 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, March 18, 2014 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Ridge Road Arvada, CO 1494 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Golden (BNSF) BNSF This unit started life as an SD45-2 (note the length of the long hood). Not long ago, it went through a rebuild program and is now designated as an SD45-2R. The unit is essentially an SD40-2 (20-cylinder prime mover has been replaced with a 16-cylinder prime mover). Mote that the radiator fans have been replaced and no longer have the tell-tale gaps of the SD45-2. The radiator grill sill maintains its original length, giving the back of the unit a bit of an interesting look. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 104690 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, March 18, 2014 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Ridge Road Arvada, CO 1558 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Golden (BNSF) BNSF Depending on who you ask, you can definitely hear a lot of different opinions regarding BNSF's "New Image" or "Swoosh" scheme. Some will say they love. Others will say they hate it. Personally, while it isn't my favorite scheme by a long shot, it has grown on me over the last ten years. I can at least say that I do prefer it to the Heritage 2 scheme. Here, a sharp looking SD40-2, which has been repainted in the New Image scheme, crosses Miller Street along Ridge Road. The grade crossing here was just installed about eight months earlier. Prior to that, the crossing only had cross bucks! Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 104689 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, March 18, 2014 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Ridge Road Arvada, CO 1951 (2 Comments Posted) Subdivision Railroad Golden (BNSF) BNSF BNSF's Golden Switch sits just west of Miller Street, waiting for clearance to proceed east through a Form B. Two new bridges are being constructed over Kipling Pkwy as part of the RTD Gold Line Commuter Rail project. In fact, you may notice the train swing to the right in the distance (toward the left side of the frame). The train is temporarily using a future commuter track while BNSFs tracks are shifted. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 104557 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, February 23, 2014 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Golden Golden, CO 1566 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Golden (BNSF) Santa Fe Cabooses...once a dime a dozen. On the end of every freight train you could find on the rails. Now, if you can find them, more often then not they are used as "shoving platforms". Such is the case with this ATSF caboose. Note that it is all boarded up and, when used, crews stay on the outside. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 104556 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, February 23, 2014 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Golden Golden, CO 1482 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Golden (BNSF) BNSF I have always been a fan of both the GP30 and the GP35. The smaller center radiator fan always made both of them a little different and fun to shoot. Ironically, GP35s seemed to disappear faster than GP30s (from the Class 1's). BNSF rebuilt a lot of them, creating GP30u's and GP35u's. One such example is GP35u 2572, sitting in the upper yard at Golden. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 104555 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, February 23, 2014 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Golden Golden, CO 1476 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Golden (BNSF) BNSF The power for the "Golden Switch" for the past week has included a very sharp looking GP35u and an SD40-2. It is the first time that I can specifically recall in which a four axle unit has served on the local. For many years, the local has always run with a pair of SD40-2s. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 104554 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, February 18, 2014 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Ridge Road Arvada, CO 1478 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Golden (BNSF) BNSF With its switching duties for the day complete, the Golden Switch wobbles west down the Golden Sub back toward Golden at the foot of the Colorado Rockies. You can clearly see in this picture that the branch line has jointed rail and the max speed on the line is 20 MPH. If you are a beer drinker and enjoy Coors' products, then there is a pretty good chance your beer once rolled down these exact rails! Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 104553 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, February 18, 2014 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Ridge Road Arvada, CO 1451 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Golden (BNSF) BNSF For many years now, the Golden Switch has always utilized a pair of SD40-2s to perform all its switching duties. About three weeks ago, that changed as on of the SD40-2s was swapped for BNSF 2572, a GP35u. While it has been rebuilt, it still retains the standard GP35 car body, complete with a smaller center radiator fan! Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 104552 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, February 18, 2014 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Ridge Road Arvada, CO 1946 (1 Comment Posted) Subdivision Railroad Golden (BNSF) BNSF Considering the fact that it is a branch line, the Golden Sub is still fairly busy during the course of a 24 hour period. There are four "Beer Run" trains: two from Denver to Golden and two from Golden to Denver. The Beer Run primarily serves the Coors Brewing plant in Golden. However, the westbound Beer Run also brings cars for industries along the line. Those cars are dropped and sorted in a small yard in Golden. Then, five days a week, BNSF's Golden Switch runs east out of the yard in Golden and switches industries all along the track. In this scene, the Golden Switch is headed back for the yard in Golden. Its switching duties done for the day. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 104551 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, February 18, 2014 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Ridge Road Arvada, CO 1845 (2 Comments Posted) Subdivision Railroad Golden (BNSF) BNSF On the way home after work, I was driving on Ridge Road and spied headlights on an approaching westbound on BNSF's Golden Sub. The headlights belonged to the Golden Switch, a local headed back to the yard at Golden. Note the tracks to the left. These tracks will ultimately serve as the commuter rail for the "Gold Line". This is a part of the FasTracks project that was started after a voter-approved tax increase in 2004. The line is scheduled to open in 2016. Tracks are being laid early here as BNSF will actually use the tracks temporarily (as a shoofly) so the existing tracks the local is on can be moved south (to the right). BNSF requires 25 feet of separation between their tracks and the commuter tracks. Otherwise, a retaining wall must be built (to protect the BNSF tracks from a possible commuter train derailment). To avoid that expense, BNSFs tracks will be shifted. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 104361 Date Shot Photo By Monday, February 25, 2013 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Arvada, CO 1630 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Golden (BNSF) BNSF A pair of great looking SD40-2s switch out the industries located near Miller Street in Arvada along the Golden Sub. These industries include some metal fabricators and packing supplies and a gympsum, fiberboard and lumber plant. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 104360 Date Shot Photo By Monday, February 25, 2013 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Horton Arvada, CO 1585 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Golden (BNSF) BNSF To handle switching out the industries located along BNSF's Golden Sub, a local runs east out of Golden. On this particular day, the local was running with a pair of matched (Heritage) SD40-2s. Looked great in the morning sun and fresh, crisp snow. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 104258 Date Shot Photo By Friday, May 11, 2012 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Arvada, CO 1812 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Golden (BNSF) BNSF Looking underneath the Sheridan Blvd overpass, we see this eastbound Beer Run on the Golden Sub headed toward C&S Junction. Next to the Golden Sub is the new Arvada Siding. Further to the left is Main 2 (with the coal empty on it) and Main 1 beyond that. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 104242 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, April 1, 2012 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Arvada, CO 1755 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Golden (BNSF) BNSF, Union Pacific With the UP work zone (Form B) behind, this BNSF Beer Run can continue on to Golden. Here at the Sheridan Blvd overpass, the UP track foreman in charge sits in his truck talking to an eastbound train that will be coming on the Moffat. That train has to get talked past a red board (think stop sign) into the track limits. Why? So the foreman can ensure all the track workers (seen to the right) are in the clear, know about the train, and won't get hit. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 104241 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, April 1, 2012 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Denver, CO 1810 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Golden (BNSF) BNSF Now this looks pretty good! Cascade green is quickly becoming a thing of the past, but it was nice to see a pair of class SD40-2s. BNSF 1652 has undergone a rebuild as is evident from the air conditioner on the cab. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.

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