Personal Projects, Photography, and Pointless Pontifications
Action Around Colorado – July 2001
Unlike other trip reports, which typically focus around trips (big surprise there, eh?), this one focuses more around just a random collection of trips throughout the Front Range area in the last couple weeks, and my adventures in getting used to my new camera, a Canon EOS D30. After the Tennessee Pass trip, I became agitated enough with my Olympus C-3000 (not having adequate zoom functionality) and dropped the money for a D30. However, as with any complex tool, it’s taking some time to get used to and to understand all the quirks. The photos are steadily getting better, but not quite up to my standards yet in terms of getting the right shot most of the time. As I said, though, it’s mainly photographer error, not the machine… Either way, in the first section we’ll be checking out Denver’s South Local on 6-July-2001, and then seeing it again (a week later) in part two, along with an MDVPU with 5413/5407 on the front. In the final part, I’ve included just a few photos and bits from a trip up to the Moffat on Sunday, 15-July-2001.
Denver’s South Local – July 6, 2001
I was actually on my way to LaSalle, but when I saw the three Grande GP40-2s on the front of Denver’s South Local, I couldn’t resist sticking around. Seen here switching along Oxford Street near Englewood, CO, and Sheridan, CO, we’re just west of US 85 and yes, the hill really is that steep.
After the engineer and brakeman return from eating, the local headed out back onto the Joint Line for points further south. Fortunately, the conductor (one from the extra board, the regular was on vacation) had stayed with the train, and had given me a bit of a heads-up on where he’d be switching.
Near the city center of Littleton, CO, the local rejoins the mainlines headed south for a trip out to the Blakeland lumber yard (just behind the Chatfield Reservoir) and then eventually to Sedalia.
The line down to the lumber yard is quite steep, and passes through the middle of some sort of automotive junk yard/repo lot. I’m not exactly sure, but regardless there are large gates the crew had to stop and unlock.
Tied on to the empties, the crew gets ready to haul them back up the hill and replace them with today’s loads.
On the way to Sedalia, running down along Plum Creek below US Hwy 85.
Pulled off the train and ready to run around at Sedalia in preparation for the return trip back to North Yard.
The first photo that convinced me that the camera might be a keeper…
Seen looking down from US Hwy 85, this southbound coal drag was slowly creeping up behind the local…
Such ugly weather in the afternoons on the Front Range this time of the year – monsoon rains every afternoon. As an excellent example of when not to go railfanning, UP 8105 rolls south into the storm at Palmer Lake, CO, on 3-July-2001. *Ouch – was that hail?*
While it may look the same as Part 1, it isn’t. This is Friday, 13-July-2001’s south local, again sitting along Oxford Street while the crew went for beans…
…though this time they got back and underway much faster than last week.
More of that really nasty weather mentioned in Photo 10, though a completely different storm. After this, I was off to Greeley, where I’d find myself pushing about 8-12 inches of water on the road with the truck… Should really have stayed home, but what fun is that?
Out and Around Colorado – July 6-15, 2001
Seen here at Blue Mountain Road, just west of Denver, on 4-July-2001 is an eastbound coal train with DRGW 5361 buried in the consist. When I left that morning, I thought it was on the front of a work train – oh well.
Same train, other end. Just happen to like the shot…
Saturday, 14-July-2001’s MDVPU, lead by Rio Grande power for the first time in some weeks. Seen here passing the one of the parks here in Colorado Springs just south of Uintah Street (and only a few blocks from home).
The usual (mandatory?) shot of MDVPU-14 switching the yard here in Colo Sprgs.
After only a few minutes setting out cars in the yard, MDVPU headed out. This quick switching provided enough light to follow the train on down towards Pueblo. Seen here just south of Pikes Peak International Raceway, it’s clear that the light isn’t holding up that well.
Getting down closer to Pueblo, the light is really starting to go due to a cloud bank moving in from over the mountains. One question – headlights?
We both arrived in Pueblo with plenty of decent light yet remaining, but for some reason the DS held him at Pueblo Junction for a BNSF train, consuming probably half an hour. By the time he was finally lined through, light was all but gone and ISO 1600-equivalent operation was definitely my friend. I’ve done a little post-processing to clean up the grain, and thought the photo didn’t come out that badly…
A very rare sight at North Yard – D&RGW power lined up next to each other…
Fun with overhead shots while they ready 5361 for the southbound lead on MDVPU-15.
Just another shot of the MDVPU’s power sitting and being readied. Note the Ski Train bike car in the background – it had been moved here after mysteriously suffering a fire the week before.
The first (moving) train of the day – a westbound empty coal passing over the crossing at East East Portal and shortly into the Tunnel itself.
Some shots are just worth the wait… Shot from the old D&SL right-of-way high on the hillside above East East Portal, an eastbound coal load’s trailing DPU units snake through the S-curve. I love DPU somedays – provides shots from both ends!
The next thing to come along, nearly an hour later, was the eastbound Zephyr, seen here passing East East Portal right on time.
As usual, everything’s pulled over for Amtrak, and this coal empty at Tolland is no exception…
And of course Rollins is full as well, this time with the loaded coal we’d seen earlier.
And the westbound MDVRO-15 in Cliff. All in all, a good day.
This work is copyright 2022 by Nathan D. Holmes, but all text and images are licensed and reusable under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license. Basically you’re welcome to use any of this as long as it’s not for commercial purposes, you credit me as the source, and you share any derivative works under the same license. I’d encourage others to consider similar licenses for their works.
