Photo ID: 113190 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, October 5, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tabernash (9,830 ft) Tabernash, CO 32 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Montana Rail Link, BNSF MRL 4310 made an appearance as the third unit on the Provo-Denver. It is very unlikely we will ever see a MRL-painted SD70ACe leading a train outside of (former) MRL territory as they are not PTC equipment. PTC will most likely be added when BNSF repaints each unit to BNSF colors, and each disappears into the sea of the orange. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113069 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, September 14, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed North Yard Denver, CO 254 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Yard Shots MRLX, Union Pacific A close up shot of MRLX 1659 sitting in North Yard. The car was originally built in 1950 by Pullman-Standard for the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway. The C&O ordered 284 streamlined cars from Pullman-Standard in 1946 (later reduced to 185 cars), and this was part of that order. After the C&O, the car spent time on the rosters of the Seaboard Coast Line, Chicago & North Western, Southern Pacific, and Nacionales de Mexico, before landing on the roster of Mid America Rail Car Leasing. It is rumored that it is now headed for a museum in Illinois. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113068 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, September 14, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed North Yard Denver, CO 227 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Yard Shots MRLX, Union Pacific Earlier in the day, I got a shot of this Mid America Rail Car Leasing (MRLX) passenger car in North Yard. Later in the day, the sun had moved to the west side, so I decided to go back for some better shots. The car is sitting on Track 22, waiting to be taken to North Platte, NE, and eventually, a railroad museum in Illinois. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113050 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, September 14, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed North Yard Denver, CO 245 (1 Comment Posted) Subdivision Railroad Yard Shots MRLX, Union Pacific Found this interesting-looking coach car sitting in North Yard. It is numbered MRLX 1659, and it supposedly came from Alamosa, CO. It is headed for a railroad museum in Illinois. It will catch a ride on the back of UP's MNYNP (to North Platte), and be forwarded further east from there. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112719 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, July 2, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rocky (7,330ft) Arvada, CO 213 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Montana Rail Link, BNSF An MRL SD70ACe, now owned by BNSF, sits as the second unit on an eastbound coal empty. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that an MRL unit will ever lead on a train in Colorado, as the MRL units are not equipped with PTC. MRL never installed PTC on its mainlines. The units will likely eventually get PTC installed, but that will likely happen at the same time as a repaint into standard BNSF colors. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112271 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, April 22, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed BNSF Engine House Denver, CO 240 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Yard Shots Montana Rail Link, BNSF A number of colorful units were hanging out around BNSF's engine house this morning. Among them was this MRL SD70ACe. Now owned by BNSF after the acquisition of MRL at the start of 2024, MRL units are showing up in Denver relatively frequently. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111927 Date Shot Photo By Monday, March 10, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Eisele (Clay) (5,780 ft) Arvada, CO 180 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Montana Rail Link, BNSF With MRL units now owned by BNSF and, consequently, in the general power pool, they are rolling through the Denver more often. This makes me happy as it is allowing me to get more pictures of them before they are inevitably repainted BNSF orange at some point. This shot makes the 12th MRL SD70ACe I've been able to shoot. It is the third unit on the head end of an eastbound oil train on the main at Eisele (Clay). Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111866 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, February 16, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Brush Brush, CO 322 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Brush (BNSF) BNSF, Montana Rail Link As I have mentioned in previous pictures take in the past year, now that Montana Rail Link is owned by BNSF, the MRL SD70ACes have entered into the general BNSF locomotive pool and have been scattered to the system. Many of them run in coal service and, as a result, come through Colorado on the way from the Powder River Basin in Wyoming to the plants in Texas. MRL 4305 was a DPU on a westbound coal load, tied down at Brush. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111439 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 15, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed North Yard Denver, CO 208 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Yard Shots Montana Rail Link Now that MRL is owned by BNSF, and the MRL power has started to be distributed throughout the BNSF system, I have seen a couple MRL SD70ACes come through Denver. Another example was MRL 4317, which was in UP's North Yard on this Sunday morning. UP is working to add this unit, and the BNSF unit with it, on a transfer train that will return them to BNSF. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111438 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 15, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed North Yard Denver, CO 169 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Yard Shots Montana Rail Link, Union Pacific A pair of UP units back down the inbound lead at the south end of North Yard with a BNSF ES44AC and an MRL SD70ACe. This is part of a yard transfer that will move a block of cars from UP over to BNSF to facilitate customer needs. The BNSF and MRL units are being returned to BNSF after some power sharing on UP. The train on the outbound lead on the next track over is UP's daily MNYPU, which runs from North Yard to Pueblo, CO. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111387 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 1, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Leyden (7,020ft) Arvada, CO 202 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Montana Rail Link, BNSF The Montana Rail Link paint scheme is probably my favorite paint scheme in existence today. Full disclosure, my favorite color is indeed blue, so that certainly creates a bias for me. It is unfortunate that this scheme will soon fade into history as BNSF took ownership of MRL (and all its assets) 11 months ago, at the start of 2024. MRL 4319 will eventually be repainted in BNSF orange. It will also, eventually, have PTC installed as the MRL did not get around to implementing PTC across its system. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111381 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 1, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Coal Creek (MP 23) Arvada, CO 184 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Montana Rail Link, BNSF MRL 4319 brings up the tail end of BNSF's Provo-Denver at the base of Coal Creek Canyon. I was excited when I got the tip about the MRL unit, but was a little disappointed to find it facing into the train. Still, anything different is welcome on the Moffat, or in the railroad world in general! When almost everything in Colorado is either UP yellow or BNSF orange, an MRL blue SD70ACe is very welcome. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111380 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 1, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Eisele to Plain (MP 21.8 to MP 24.0) Arvada, CO 158 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF, Montana Rail Link While I've never been a fan of EMD's latest nose, which includes the "notch" on either side for visibility, I will say that the ubiquitousness of SD70ACes in railroad today has allowed me to get used to the nose. While not at the top of my list of favorite diesel locomotives, I do not mind the look of the SD70ACe at this point. A BNSF SD70Ace and an MRL SD70ACe bring up the tail end of this Provo-Denver manifest. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111376 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 1, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tolland (9,356 ft) Gilpin County, CO 206 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF, Montana Rail Link A nice surprise on the tail end of BNSF's Provo-Denver was an MRL SD70ACe. As you are probably aware, and perhaps have even read here on the site, MRL units have becoming easier to catch outside Montana since BNSF's took over Montana Rail Link at the start of 2024. With the MRL power now officially owned by BNSF, the power has been scattered across the BNSF system. Eventually, it will be repainted in BNSF colors. In the meantime, it is a great splash of color have MRL blue in the Colorado High Country! Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111329 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, November 17, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Irondale Commerce City, CO 218 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Brush (BNSF) Montana Rail Link, BNSF While I was very sad when MRL (Montana Rail Link) ceased to exist at the start of 2024 after BNSF took it over, the one possible benefit is that all the MRL power is now owned by BNSF. And, as a result, MRL units are now roaming BNSF's system, offering greater opportunities to get shots of units outside of Montana. Such is the case here as an MRL SD70ACe is the second unit on an eastbound coal empty headed for the Powder River Basin. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.

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