Photo ID: 111875 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, February 16, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Keensburg Curve Weld County, CO 69 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Brush (BNSF) BNSF, Canadian Pacific After chasing this unit grain train for about 3 1/2 hours on the Brush Sub, I was really hoping that there would be some direct sunlight available here at "Keensburg Curve". Alas, overcast skies prevent that. However, it's still hard to complain with a unique shot like this one, regardless of the lighting. CP 7007 (a former SD9043MAC, #9119, now an SD70ACu) and CP 8501 (an AC4400CW) leads this loaded grain train, headed for Guernsey, CA. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111874 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, February 16, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed West Keensburg Keensburg, CO 54 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Brush (BNSF) BNSF, Canadian Pacific I was hoping, along with several other railfans, to get a shot of this CP-led grain train in sunlight at the spot known colloquially among railfans as "Keensburg Curve". There was a sliver a sunlight between cloud layers that probably would have worked out perfect, if the train did not have to stop at Market Street in Keensburg. You might notice in this shot that the crossing gates are up. The conductor had to get off the train and protect the grade crossing as the engineer brought the train across the grade crossing. It had to stop again, of course, to let the conductor back on the train. I was able to get this shot at the grade crossing in some decent light. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111873 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, February 16, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed West Wiggins Morgan County, CO 59 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Brush (BNSF) BNSF, Canadian Pacific Unfortunately, after a sunny day with virtually no clouds anywhere in the sky, the later afternoon gave way to clouds quickly moving in from the mountains to the west, eliminating direct sunlight for the pair of CP units leading a grain train west on the Brush Sub. Indeed, overcast skies are found here at the west switch of Wiggins and the train continues toward Denver. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111872 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, February 16, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed West Bijou Morgan County, CO 60 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Brush (BNSF) BNSF, Canadian Pacific CP 7007 and CP 8501 just knocked down a clear (green) signal at the west end of Bijou on the BNSF Brush Sub. A half a dozen railfans (myself not included) came out here to the County Road 12 overpass to get a few shots of the visitors from the north. A pair of Canadian Pacific units is unusual enough, but the SD70ACu on the point, rebuilt from a SD9043MAC, is rare enough that it added even more motivation to get track side for a few shots. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111871 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, February 16, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed West Bijou Morgan County, CO 81 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Brush (BNSF) BNSF, Canadian Pacific Word of a pair of Canadian Pacific units leading a westbound grain train on the Brush Sub spread quickly to a lot of railfans. Six of them are gathered on the County Road 12 overpass at the west switch of Bijou, just west of Fort Morgan. The are getting their shots as the grain train slowly starts to accelerate after meeting a coal empty, which is visible in the distance. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111870 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, February 16, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed West Bijou Morgan County, CO 72 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Brush (BNSF) BNSF, Canadian Pacific A westbound BNSF grain train with a pair of CP units leading is stopped on the main near the west end of Bijou, just west of Fort Morgan on the Colorado plains. The train just met a coal empty and is waiting for a signal to proceed west. A pivot watering system sits in a farmer's field, waiting for spring time and seed planting. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111869 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, February 16, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Corona to Bijou Morgan County, CO 51 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Brush (BNSF) BNSF Between the sidings of Corona and Bijou, an eastbound BNSF coal empty is moving quickly along, but starting to slow as it will be taking the siding ahead at Bijou. You might not that the headlight has already been dimmed as the train is meeting a westbound grain train, already stopped and waiting on the main at Bijou. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111868 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, February 16, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Brush Brush, CO 71 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Brush (BNSF) BNSF, Canadian Pacific At first glance, you might expect that I made a little trip to somewhere along the Canadian Pacific in Canada! In reality, a bit of Canada came to Colorado, in Brush, CO specifically. A pair of CP units leads this loaded grain train west on the Brush Sub. The train was loaded in Canada and was turned over to BNSF, the CP units staying on the train, in Sweet Grass, MT. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111867 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, February 16, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Brush Brush, CO 70 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Brush (BNSF) BNSF, Canadian Pacific CP 7007 is on the Brush Sub, passing by the depot in Brush, CO, headed west. The track to the right is actually a completely different subdivision. That track is the very west end of the BNSF Akron Subdivision, which converges with the Brush Sub right here in Brush, CO. The Brush Sub east of Brush heads to Sterling, CO and eventually Alliance, NE. The Akron Sub east of Brush heads to McCook, NE and, eventually, all the way to Chicago, IL. 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 74 (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: 111865 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, February 16, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed New Hillrose to Union Morgan County, CO 83 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Brush (BNSF) BNSF, Canadian Pacific There are days when I do not really feel like going out and taking train pictures. Sometimes, there is a feeling of "it's all the same". Always UP and BNSF (here in Colorado). Then, there is a day like today that is somewhat reinvigorating! A pair of Canadian Pacific units lead a westbound loaded grain train across the South Platte River on the BNSF Brush Sub between Union and New Hillrose. The train originated in Canada and the CP power has stayed on for the trip in the US. The train is ultimately headed to Guernsey, CA. The lead unit is actually a former SD9043MAC (ex-CP 9119). The SD9043MACs were used for about 15 years by UP and CP before being retired. UP sold all of theirs, while CP rebuilt many of theirs. Specifically, CP rebuilt about 60 of them to be designated as an SD70ACu. Pretty great catching one in Colorado. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111864 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, February 16, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed West Sterling Sterling, CO 78 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Brush (BNSF) BNSF, Canadian Pacific CP 7007 and CP 8501 knock down a clear (green) signal at west Sterling. The train leaves restricted (yard) limits behind here and enters CTC for the trip to Denver. The AC4400CW is, as you can see, having some issues and the crew would receive permission from management to isolate the unit so it would stop loading and stop creating the smoke show. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111863 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, February 16, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Sterling Sterling, CO 83 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Brush (BNSF) BNSF, Canadian Pacific I got a great tip about a westbound BNSF loaded grain train that was tied down in Sterling, but had a crew called for 12:30pm. The train actually originated in Canada on the Canadian Pacific and was turned over to BNSF at Sweet Grass, MT. The CP power was left on the train for its trip to Guernsey, CA. I made my way out to Sterling and found the train as it was departing from the yard shortly after 1:30pm. The second CP unit, AC4400CW #8501, was putting on a smoke show like it was a C30-7 from 1975! Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111862 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, February 16, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed New Hillrose Morgan County, CO 59 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Brush (BNSF) BNSF A westbound loaded coal train is tied down in the siding at New Hillrose, waiting on a fresh crew to come untie it and continue the journey west to Denver and then south on the Joint Line. The train is sitting across the grade crossing at County Road X.5 about halfway through the siding. Fortunately, there is a detour for locals to get around the blocked crossing about a half mile away. 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 77 (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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