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News & Current Events
Please remember that the photos are copyrighted and neither the pictures or text should not be used without permission of the owner.This page shows interesting railroad happenings as well as breaking railroad news. Check it often as you may learn the location or schedule of some interesting equipment in time to go out and get some great photographs! If you do go photo 'fanning, please share your pictures with us. Please contact News Page Webmaster Wally Weart.
Photo specs: 640 X 480, max of 800 X 600 72 dpi or ppi is standard for the web. GIF or TIF is preferred as these are considered lossless versus lossy (A lossy compression (JPG) method is one where compressing data and then decompressing it retrieves data that may well be different from the original). I reduce some pictures to 550 x 350 if I put them side by side.
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September 1, 2010
Some fascinating history
| Ron thought our members might enjoy seeing these photos he processed in the early 1950's to show what a couple of the areas that Chip just shot used to look like "Back in the day." Thanks, Ron! |
Chip's in the air
View from Stinson L5 Sentinel Army observation plane built in 1942 piloted by Mark Beam. September 1, 2010.©2010 Chip
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BNSF Rennick Yard where BNSF has their
Denver intermodal yard and Union Pacific's North Yard at lower right
with view looking south towards Pikes Peak. Denver skyline at left.
©2010 Chip
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©2010 Chip |
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©2010 Chip |
3985 in Denver?
The below schedule is thought to be covered by the 3985 according to railfan chat groups.
Missouri River Eagle
| Sept. 28 | Cheyenne - Speer - Denver |
| Sept. 29: | Denver - Sharon Springs |
| Sept. 30 | Sharon Springs - Salina |
| Oct. 1 | Salina |
| Oct. 2 | Salina - Kansas City |
| Oct. 3 | Kansas City |
| Oct. 4 | Kansas City - Jefferson City (via River Sub) |
| Oct. 5 | Jefferson City |
| Oct. 6 | Jefferson City - St. Louis |
| Oct. 7 | St. Louis Gorham - St. Louis |
| Oct. 8 | St. Louis |
| Oct. 9 | St. Louis - Sedalia |
| Oct. 10 | Sedalia - Kansas City |
| Oct. 11 | Kansas City |
| Oct. 12 | Kansas City - Maryville |
| Oct. 13 | Marysville - North Platte |
| Oct. 14 | North Platte - Cheyenne |
Stay tuned
Some Nebraska action
Larry Dilts was kind enough share some pictures of short line action in Nebraska.
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NKC (Railnet) GP30 5003, (HLCX) SD40 5001
were pulling a 42 car eastbound loaded grain train through Stamford,
Nebraska August 23, 2010. The train was creeping along at 10mph on this
lightly used former BN/CB&Q Saint Francis branch.
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Near the end of its run the train was crossing the Republican River at milepost 1.28 west of Orleans, Nebraska. The western end of the branch traverses the high plains while the eastern end follows along Beaver Creek which flows into the Republican River near Orleans. |
An Historic Event
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| West Corridor Historical Rail Cooperative board member
Bruce Vincent (center by microphone) presides over the Denver &
Intermountain Railroad interurban trolley car No. 25 transfer ceremony
from the Rocky Mountain Historical Foundation to the Cooperative. The
Cooperative is a new 501(c)3 non-profit organization that is managed
jointly by the City of Lakewood and the Denver Rail Heritage Society. It
was created for the purpose of purchasing No. 25 to complete the
restoration and preserve and operate the 1911 car in Lakewood and in
Denver. Foundation board members joined the event August 14, 2010. Left to
right; Don Hulse, John Charles, Roger Sherman, Bruce Vincent, Pat Mauro
and Andy Dell (behind Mr. Vincent), Michael Tinetti, Dave Schaaf Rocky
Mountain Railroad Club president, and Keith Jensen. Denver Federal Center,
Lakewood, CO.
The Rocky Mountain Railroad Historical Foundation, was founded in 1990 by the Rocky Mountain Railroad Club for the purpose of preserving historic railroad equipment. It is is a non-profit, 501(c)3 corporation. The foundations' focus was the Denver & Intermountain Railroad car No. 25. ©2010 Chip.
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Ed Peterson (right) was at the controller along with Bruce Vincent (center) and Darrell Arndt during the August 14, 2010 Car 25 outing. Note the ticket punch worn by Darrell. |
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| Car 25 passenger Syney Koop rang the bell after trip with Platte Valley Trolley operator Elizabeth Cohan during the August 14, 2010 event at the Denver Federal Center. West Corridor Historical Rail Cooperative helped organize the event. ©2010 Chip. |
The Rocky Mountain Historical Foundation and Syney Koop bid farewell to Car 25 as the West Corridor Historical Rail Cooperative takes over its operation. Denver Federal Center, Lakewood, CO, August 14, 2010. ©2010 Chip |
A Rocky Club group picture
The Colorado Railroad Museum debuted the restored
Rio Grande Southern business car Rico on July 23 and those members who
attended the this event gathered for group picture.
Black Hills Central steam
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| Your editor recently visited the Black Hills Central and got an opportunity to tour the shop in Hill City. Three fantastically maintained steam engines and and several ex Oregon Electric cars including this just completed combine. I rode the round trip to Keystone and back behind 110, a Baldwin 2-6-6-2 over on an old BN branch. Great ride, lots of steam action as they have grades of up to 6 percent | |
Some Colorado action
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BNSF's Denver to Provo, Utah, train H
DENPVO1 18a, was wound around Union Pacific's Big Ten August 18, 2010.
Up front were three units; BNSF 5439, 1100 and 5132 followed by Abrams
tanks on DODX 40151 flatcar. Rear distributed power unit was BNSF 5020
in center of photo. ©2010 Chip.
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Two Army Abrams tanks, model M1A2, headed for Herlong, CA, behind BNSF 5439, 1100 and 5132 on the Denver, CO, to Provo, Utah, train August 18, 2010 at Coal Creek Canyon, CO. Train had met Amtrak train 6 at Rocky Siding. ©2010 Chip. |
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BNSF ES44DC 7438 led an 8-car passenger
special out of Denver towards Grand Junction, CO, over Union Pacific's
Moffat Tunnel line August 18, 2010. Train was at Leyden Siding,
Arvada, CO, with Denver skyline fading in the distance. Cars
included dining car Lake Superior, sleeper Mountain View is a
club/lounge, ex-BNA 10 once named Como and full length dome with
theatre style seating inspection car Glacier View - BNSF 30. ©2010
Chip.
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BNSF's dining car Lake Superior - BNSF 10
provided riders with meal as train crossed the Colorado Rockies on Union
Pacific rails. Mountain View - BNSF 28 club lounge was ahead of Glacier
View - BNSF 30 full length dome lounge inspection car. Train was winding
up the Front Range at Coal Creek Canyon west of Arvada, CO, August 18,
2010. ©2010 Chip.
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Vista Dome diner lounge Silver Splendor, ex-Chicago,
Burlington & Quincy car 4735, was built in 1956 for Denver Zephyr service. She
was on 6-hour late Amtrak California Zephyr, train 5, backing into Denver
Union Station on the Buck Main in front of BNSF 4875 with Amarillo, Texas to
Denver train at 23rd Street Xing, Denver, Colorado, August 13, 2010. Owner
John and Heidi Caesteckers were traveling with family and friends back to Los
Angeles, CA. ©2010 Chip.
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| Three hours and 30-minutes late Amtrak California Zephyr, train 5, with sleepers 38046 and 32070 were on the South Platte River Bridge, Denver, CO. In the distance on BNSF's balloon track, UP 5674 North and three other UP units moved from UP's Denver Locomotive Shop to UP's North Yard, Denver, CO, August 11, 2010. ©2010 Chip | PV's City of Angels, ex-Southern Pacific sleeper lounge, and Pacific Union were on three hour late Amtrak train 5, the westbound California Zephyr August 11, 2010. Train was backing across BNSF's 23rd Street Xing into Denver Union Station about 10:00 AM. ©2010 Chip |
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| BNSF's Provo, Utah, to Denver, CO, trackage rights train over the Union Pacific's Moffat Tunnel line was finishing her run. BNSF 5405 East was stopped getting crossed over at Utah Junction, north of Denver, August 8, 2010. Signal bridge was installed by Denver & Rio Grande Western RR. Thunderstorm was approaching. ©2010 Chip. | An impressive show of lightning over Denver. ©2010 Chip |
Action in the Colorado Springs area
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| Jeffrey Govin caught this GP40-2 in action and followed it all the way till it made its drop off in Colorado Springs. | |
RTD buys property from the Union Pacific
Officials from the Regional Transportation District of Denver (RTD) and Union Pacific Railroad recently finalized agreements for RTD’s purchase of railroad property and the construction and relocation of UP facilities needed for the FasTracks transit expansion program.
Specifically, the $78 million agreements provide the property needed to build the East Corridor from Denver Union Station to Airport Boulevard, the Gold Line from Pecos Junction to Ralston Road, and the West Corridor, which requires the relocation of UP's Burnham Yard.
The deal marks the second FasTracks-related property transaction between RTD and UP. Totaling $118 million, the first transaction took place in 2009 to purchase the right-of-way to build the North Metro Corridor.
The Golden Local
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| Interesting power combination on the Golden local on August 5. ©2010 Walter Weart | A caboose, no it's a switching platform covered with graffiti. ©2010 Walter Weart |
American Railway Explorer project has been canceled as of
August 2, 2010. American Railway Explorer is an affiliate of Greenwood
Village-based Xanterra Parks and Resorts, which is privately held by the
Anschutz Company, acquired in 2008. Six to eight cars may have been painted
into the American Railway Explorer scheme which included full length dome
Yellowstone (formerly New Orleans) and Bryce Canyon sleeper (formerly named
Portland). Cars will be moved from Denver to Hudson, CO, late summer
2010.
©2010 Chip
A dead diesel
On August 1, Jeffrey Govin found
this train at the siding in Rollinsville with a load of Abrams tanks
with the engine having one of its traction motors burnt out. It sat there
quite awhile until help was available
A Canadian visitor
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| Dave Goss was down near the BNSF yards on August 2 and caught this Canadian National unit in what must be pool power. | |
Five Private Cars pass through Colorado
Rare opportunity - five privately owned cars on 6-hour,
23-minute late Amtrak California Zephyr. Cars were dome with rear platform
Warren R. Henry, dome Northern Sky, sleeper Evelyn Henry, dome Bella Vista and
sleeper Northern Dreams caught at Arvada, CO August 1, 2010. Drumhead read
"Family Vacation 2010." ©2010 Chip
A 1:1 scale Lionel train
Lionel Lines lettered Union Pacific 844 smoked it up
through Terry Ranch with UP 6936 DDA-40X on line working up the 1.2% grade
towards Speer, Wyoming, July 26, 2010. Lionel Collectors Club of America was
holding their 40th Convention in Denver that week. ©2010 Chip.
The restored Rico debuts at Colorado Railroad Museum
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| The Colorado Railroad Museum debuted the restored Rio Grande Southern business car Rico on July 23. They operated a special train and the Rico never looked better. ©2010 Walter Weart (L) and Dave Schaaf (R) | |
844 on the move
Union Pacific RR's 844 was smoking coming up the 1.2% grade
between Carr, CO, and Speer, Wyoming, with Lionel Collectors passenger special
July 26, 2010. UP Centennial 6936 was on line (working) handling the 24-car
train:
Union Pacific Northern #844 Steam Locomotive UPP 814 Joe Jordan Water Car UP 6936 Helper Diesel Locomotive Art Lockman (UP Maintenance Tool Car) Howard Fogg (UP Boiler Car) UP Power Car 2066 (the big roof bulge power car) Kenefick (Business Observation) Lone Star (Business Observation) Colorado Eagle (Dome / Diner) Missouri River Eagle (Dome / Diner) City of Los Angeles (Diner) City of Salina (Coach) Portland Rose (Coach) Sunshine Special (Coach) Challenger (Dome / Coach) Council Bluffs (Dance Car) Reed Jackson (UP Souvenir Car) Katy Flyer (Coach) Texas Eagle (Coach) Columbine (Dome / Coach) City of Denver (Diner) City of Portland (Dome / Diner) UPP 208 Power Car Walter Dean (Dome / Lounge) City of San Francisco (Dome / Lounge) Cheyenne (Business Observation) ©2010 Chip
The Boreas Pass boxcar
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| Ron Parkhurst was at Boreas Pass on June 26 before the official opening on July 2nd and although there were volunteers there on when I took the photos. Funny thing! The car was not opened to see the inside because no one could remember the combination to the lock placed on the door last fall! It really needs some help. | |
A Boston Trolley goes Pueblo
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| Boston trolley 3499B and 3520B arrived Union Pacific's North Yard, Denver, CO, on the North Platte, NE, to North Yard, Denver train M NPNY 18, July 18, 2010. The original LRV cars were built by Boeing-Vertol. They were delivered originally in 1976 with a second and smaller order in 1983. The cars were identical to the 1200 class cars delivered for San Francisco's MUNI system and were plagued by a number of mechanical issues including braking. Some of the original cars were not accepted by the Authority and shipped to San Francisco. The additional cars in 1983 were around 20 and were delivered because of the need to replace the then existing PCC car fleet. On 16 March, 2007 the last of the Boeing cars were withdrawn from service as the new Breda Low Floor cars were delivered. Some of the Boeing cars were still on the property (Boston, MA) as noted in October 2007. A group of Boeing cars were extensively rebuilt by Amerail in New York State and are distinguished by their white doors. A few are also in "active" non-revenue service as service cars. Cars will continue south to the Transportation Technology Center near Pueblo, CO, likely leaving Denver on July 19, 2010. ©2010 Chip | Boston Transit Authority Green Line trolley 3499 on XTTX 142419 flatcar arrived Union Pacific's North Yard on the North Platte, NE, to North Yard, Denver, train. Two trolley cars arrived July 18, 2010. ©2010 Chip. |
A private car in Colorado
Amtrak's California Zephyr, train 6, had former Chicago,
Burlington & Quincy dome car Silver Splendor (used on the Denver Zephyr)
behind the baggage car emerging from tunnel 40 in Little Gore Canyon west of
Kremmling, CO, July 7, 2010. ©2010 Chip
UP's "Boy Scout" Locomotive in action
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Union Pacific's 2010 - Boy Scouts of America Locomotive - a tribute to the
organization's centennial celebration - with UP 5152 and unit pipe train
departed the distinctive rock cut at Rawlins, Wyoming, June 24, 2010. The
pipe train came from Memphis, TN, headed for Perez, CA, with 58-loads.
UP 2010 was unveiled March 31, 2010 at Houston, TX. "Union Pacific and the Boy Scouts of America have played leadership roles in shaping America's history. With the UP No. 2010, we are proud to celebrate 100 years of Scouting, progress and patriotism," said Robert W. Turner, Union Pacific senior vice president-Corporate Relations. The unit was built at the General Electric plant in Erie, Pa., and delivered to North Little Rock, Ark., as UP No. 7469. In the process of having graphics applied in honor of the Boy Scouts of America’s 100th Anniversary celebration, the locomotive was renumbered to UP No. 2010. 100 Years of Scouting is displayed on the radiator bulge. ©2010 Chip |
Storming past the three track signal bridge west of Rawlins, WY, June 24, 2010 was UP 2010 - Boy Scouts of America (BSA) anniversary unit. Unit pipe train started on UP at Memphis, Tennessee, headed for Perez, CA, (Lake Railway interchange - power stayed with train) for journey on Modoc line to Alturas, CA. where the pipe was unloaded. Telephone pole removal has opened up this view. ©2010 Chip |
An Amtrak detour
On June 17, the eastbound (geographic southbound) Zephyr is
accelerating on the main at Carr. The train is meeting a coal load on the
siding behind the photographer. The Zephyr will shortly reached speeds near 75
MPH on its trip south to Denver. ©2010
Kevin Mogan
Action on the Royal Gorge Scenic RR
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| The Arkansas River is running fast attracting rafters from around the nation. The Royal Gorge Scenic Railroad 12:30 PM lunch train had CRRX 403 F-7A on the west end as it passed the rapids east of the Suspension Bridge June 18, 2010. One dome is lettered Royal Gorge Route. ©2010 Chip. | The Royal Gorge Scenic RR offers cab rides for $99 along the Arkansas River between Canon City and Parkdale, CO. Join the engineer for a ride! No air conditioning but the vistas are wonderful. West of Canon City the rails follow the Arkansas River where rafters are enjoying an awesome spring run off. ©2010 Chip June 18, 2010. |
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2010 Rocky Mountain Railroad Club.