Tuesday, May 9, 2006 - This past weekend was a wonderful one around Denver. Between Saturday and Sunday, I took a total of 29 pictures without using even a half a tank of gas! Between Saturday and Sunday, I came across power from several foreign roads (many that I hadn't seen in person before) including an Illinois Central SD40-2R, a Canadian National SD75I, a pair of , and a Wisconsin Central SD45!
Sunday morning, Damian and I finally went the pedestrian overpass just north of Fox Junction. This is a spot we've wanted to visit for a long time and finally made it down on Sunday. The overpass offers a wonderful view of the Denver Skyline and Fox Junction (looking down toward Prospect Junction). Even better is the view to the north (although I didn't snap any as we didn't encounter any southbounds). After watching Amtrak and BNSF's Denver-Laurel pass under us, we chased the Beer Run from Denver to Golden. I finally got the picture in Mount Olivet Cementary that I have had in my minds eye for several weeks.
Later in the day, we came across an interesting shot in BNSF's yard in Denver. You may recall back in the 1980's when Santa Fe and Southern Pacific attempted to merge to form SPSF. When the ICC rejected the merger and forced one of the railroads to be sold, Rio Grande wound up with Southern Pacific, which fell into the Union Pacific melting pot. Likewise, Santa Fe of course married with Burlington Northern to form BNSF. In the yard on Sunday was a Southern Pacific AC4400CW (patched UP) and a Santa Fe B40-8 (patched BNSF). Can you only imagine what the world would be like today if the ICC had approved that merger twenty years ago....
Finally, Damian and I spent some time touring the Denver RTD (Regional Transportation District) Light Rail system. Relative to other cities, Denver's Light Rail system is still in its infancy, particularly considering how it is going to expand over the next 15 years. The total line probably measures around 15 miles right now. In November, a new branch opens along I-25, more than doubling the size of the system. And, in 2004, voters approved the "FasTracks" proposal that will expand the Light Rail system by tens (if not more than 100) miles. While Light Rail is not my favorite rail system out there, we felt it would be worthwhile to cover the system as it stands today.
Have a great week and stay safe. Here is a link to all 29 pictures taken over the weekend. Enjoy!
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