I gotta say, I can think of worse jobs than working for the FRA, sitting in a track geometry car and watching the tracks zip by through a picture window on the back of the car! That is what two employees of the FRA are doing this morning as this FRA track geometry car, T-16, follows not too far behind the westbound Zephyr, just west of Tunnel 1.
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Two Federal Railroad Administration employees look out the picture window on the back of this FRA inspection car, checking out the track as the car, led by a UP AC4400CW, pulls west through the S-Curve on the approach to Blue Mountain Drive. This particular car is designated as the T-16, and is one of several cars the FRA has for track inspection.
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UP 6060 has a gondola and an FRA inspection car in tow just west of the west switch of Rocky, starting up toward Big Ten.
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Two UP units lead two FRA units south toward an approach (yellow) signal. The FRA inspection train is on the heals of a BNSF coal load, so running slow is going to be the order of the day. Note the red laser from underneath the last car, indicating the FRA is actively testing the track.
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A very short train, consisting of two cars belonging to the FRA (Federal Railroad Administration), crosses over the classic Santa Fe bridge on the south edge of Larkspur. Indeed, nearly 30 years after the end of Santa Fe, lettering and heralds for Santa Fe can still be made out, though very faded.
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The FRA (Federal Railroad Administration) has a handful of cars that it owns and can use for trips around the country. DOTX 220, which is part of the FRA Office of Safety, is paired with a gauge testing car on this particular day on the Joint Line. Note the lasers emanating from the bottom of the car, scanning for any defects that might require slow orders and repairs.
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Commissioned in 2004, the FRA sends its "Gage Restraint Measurement Vehicle" out and over railroads around the United States. Beyond testing the gauge of rails, I am not certain what other functions it provides. If you look, you can see a fifth axle a little over halfway back. This is the axle that tests the gauge, and can be raised when testing is not in progress.
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A roster shot of FRA (Federal Railroad Administration) track geometry car (DOTX 220). This car is used to check for defects in the rail that may lead to derailments. And it works well! Between Tabernash and Granby, the train found four significant defects, each requiring a slow order between 10 MPH and 25 MPH.
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