Grande Finale – Rio Grandes Depart Colorado

There’s not really that much to say – I just wanted to start a visual log of the lines of dead Rio Grande power leaving Denver. UP has been allowing inoperable Rio Grande power to build up at Burnham for some time, and we all knew the end would eventually come. It looks as if the final exit for most of these units has now come as they leave in small blocks, mainly carried north on the North Yard – North Platte manifests (MNYNP), to destinations like National Railway Equipment in Silvis, IL, Larry’s Truck Electric in Ohio, and other unknown buyers. On Apr 6, 2002, DRGW 3060 and 3084 left Denver around 1800h on MNYNP for eventual interchange with the IAIS in Des Moines, IA, and their final trip to Silvis, IL, to be cut up. Two weeks later, again on MNYNP, DRGW 5353, 5386, and 5406 departed, spliced by a UP SD40-2, bound to North Platte and then points unknown. Within a few more weeks, most of the inoperable Rio Grande power will have vanished from home rails for good, and with it goes the source of parts that helps feed the remaining fleet. Their days, too, are now numbered.


All shots in this trip report were taken with a Canon EOS D30 with a Tamron 28-300mm F3.5-6.3.

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