JAMIE'S RANDOM AMERICAN RAILWAY PHOTOS.

[jamie92208]

Good afternoon from Yorkshire.   Posting times may vary as grandparenting duties are being undertaken as we have a lot of catching up to do.  Anyway it's still 8th August in Wyoming and I am about to cross the grade crossing just east of Dale Junction. I turned right to follow the tracks on what I thought was a public road and then got down towards the No 3 track when I was confronted by a lady in a pick up, with a rifle in the rack behind her head.  It turned out that she was from the ranch at Dale and she told me that the road wasn't public.  I grovelled for England in my best accent.  She accepted my apology and allowed me to carry on. I thanked her as graciously as I could. The road ran through the ranch and then alongside No 3 track towards the junction and Dale Creek. This was the view across No 3 track towards the junction.

I then carried on to the junction and UP obliged me by sending an eastbound manifest behind 9108 and an NS unit.

This went past and headed for Sherman on No 2 track.

And you can see how the 1901 route curves away round and in front of the hill above the locos.

And here you can see the train snaking round the curves.

Then it was down and across Dale Creek and up onto the land above Hermosa tunnels as I crossed another watershed from Dale Creek into the Laramie valley that drains into the N0rth Platte River.

My memory is that the track was rather dusty and I had to push the bike quite a way.  However with the sight of the valley in front of me, I finally understood the geography and the choice of route, picking the conjunction of three valleys and picking it's way round the watersheds.  Much like the way the Settle and Carlisle does with it's progress from the Ribble Valley to Dentdale, then over Aisgill to the Eden valley.

 

Jamie

 

 

Edited April 12, 2022 by jamie92208

[jamie92208]

Good morning from a rather wet part of Yorkshire.  It seems strange that exactly 16 years ago I was up near the 8000' line in Wyoming. After going past Hermosa I went down the track to Tie Siding and then had a fast run down to Laramie.  I had been lucky as the prevailing wind which comes from the west had dropped that day and I actually had some tailwinds on the ride.  Anyway I booked into my motel then wandered around town and of course took photos from the footbridge.  Here an eastbound train of hoppers comes through.

It seemed to go on forever.  140 cars in total.

The next morning it was back onto the footbridge and another eastbound manifest.

The wings emblem looks good on the loco noses. Here at 11.55 5481 and 9693 head east with a manifest.

Meanwhile I did see an SD40-2, with 3209 the resident yard shunter.

There was some smaller motive power with what I think is a trackmobile by the stocks of rail for the welding depot.

Here some new rail is being delivered.

Jamie

 

Edited April 12, 2022 by jamie92208

[jamie92208]

Good moaning, it's sunny up her in the broad acres.  It was also still sunny in Laramie WY 16 years ago, 9th August 2005.  

That footbridge is a great vantage point.  Around the rail welding plant there were some retired passenger cars, still giving good service.

The plant was fascinating to watch as the rails were welded into long strings 

Then fed onto the waiting rail trains whilst here a westbound intermodal was passing.

You can also see the depot.  Sadly no longer a stop for passenger trains.  It was 27 years since I'd climbed down from that SDP40F there.

 

It was being looked after though and there were some historical artifacts  around such as this baggage cart.

And of course the badge on the wall.

It's still in good condition and in 2019 was in use for a graduation party when we stopped.

 

Jamie

 

 

Edited April 13, 2022 by jamie92208

[Dr Gerbil-Fritters]

On 08/08/2021 at 08:53, jamie92208 said:

The wings emblem looks good on the loco noses. Here at 11.55 5481 and 9693 head east with a manifest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

If we accept EMC E2A as the first of the UPs continuous diesel fleet, then the UP livery of Armor Yellow, grey and red trim has been in constant use for 84 years without significant change.  In fact, the only change was mandated by the FRA who forced the UP to abandon the red sill stripe and replace it with reflective yellow - much to the UP's annoyance.  I remember their PR lady being really quite cross about it!

 

I'm not a big UP fan, but I really like the Flags n Wings livery.  Much better that the stripy headache inducing scheme of BNSF.

 

84 years... 

[jamie92208]

1 hour ago, Dr Gerbil-Fritters said:

 

If we accept EMC E2A as the first of the UPs continuous diesel fleet, then the UP livery of Armor Yellow, grey and red trim has been in constant use for 84 years without significant change.  In fact, the only change was mandated by the FRA who forced the UP to abandon the red sill stripe and replace it with reflective yellow - much to the UP's annoyance.  I remember their PR lady being really quite cross about it!

 

I'm not a big UP fan, but I really like the Flags n Wings livery.  Much better that the stripy headache inducing scheme of BNSF.

 

84 years... 

IIRC the colour, Armour Yellow was a standard Dupont colour when it was chosen and is still used.  I believe that it's the longest lived diesel livery in the world.  However I have seen pictures of lash ups of SD40'S where they all look different from Orange to pale yellow.

 

Jamie

[PhilJ W]

35 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

IIRC the colour, Armour Yellow was a standard Dupont colour when it was chosen and is still used.  I believe that it's the longest lived diesel livery in the world.  However I have seen pictures of lash ups of SD40'S where they all look different from Orange to pale yellow.

 

Jamie

All colours weather, yellow can weather to an ivory colour.

[pH]

9 hours ago, Dr Gerbil-Fritters said:

… Flags n Wings …

The Reverend Spooner’s description of the private lives of some overpaid footballers?

[jamie92208]

Good morning again from the broad acres.   The tardis however is still in Laramie WY on the 9th August 2005.  By a quirk of Geography Laramie is in Albany County and Cheyenne is in Laramie County. I spent most of the day on or around the footbridge watching a ceaseless parade of trains. At 17.00 5401, along with 8370 came through on a doublestack.

Someone I talked to told me about a better cycling route south and kindly drew me a little map in my notebook,   The next morning, 16 years ago today I headed south on Soldier Springs Road towards Tie Siding.  I stopped to take this photo of a westbound headed by 5825. 

I then managed to let my camera fall out of my bar bag whilst changing lenses and the light meter stopped working. I carried on however and later crossed the other track from Hermosa to Laramie.  I can't remember which one was built first.

Then over another 8000' summit looking forward to a long descent to Fort Collins. No such luck, a headwind against me and I had to pedal all the way down to Ted's place, population 0.

I got to Fort Collins and booked into a hotel but felt quite tired so didn't go out spotting.  The next day I headed down to Boulder via Loveland where a helpful camera repair guy pronounced my camera as deceased.  So ended my 1977 bought OM1.  In Boulder I bought a simple point and shoot Pentax.   However in the restaurant that night I got into conversation with an expat English guy who said he'd been to school in Ackworth but didn't think that I would have heard of it.   Obviously I had and it turned out that he was a volunteer at the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden.   We arranged to meet on the Saturday for a guided tour.   

Armed with my new camera I set off south on the 12th heading for Golden.  I had totally missed the fact that my route would cross the Moffatt Pass line and I was quite surprised to hear a hard working train about to pass beneath me.  Obviously I stopped and this was the view of the front range and the Big Ten curves.

I headed down towards the tracks and found that the train that I'd heard was a local heading into the rocky Flatts nuclear disposal site. Here it is parked up ready to reverse up the branch. UP 1203 plus DRGW 3121, SP 7840 and SP 7954.

 

 

Jamie

 

Edited April 13, 2022 by jamie92208

[jamie92208]

Good afternoon from the place By the Water.  However the tardis is still at Rocky Flatts, CO on 12th August 2005.  Here are the units on the spoil train.

Meanwhile on the hill above trains started to appear in various places. At the top a BNSF run through is ready to descend, whilst a train of coal empties was waiting to go up with 6265 and 8224 on the rear.  on the point were 7209, 8354, 8024 and SP 174.  

Here is the read unit of the spoil train.  One of the crew was down on the ballast searching for a lost padlock key and she stopped and chatted whilst the dispatcher sorted the hill out. Here's SP 7954

The other SP unit , 7640 was almost anonymous.

DRGW 3121 loked smart.

As usual all the units seemed to have an ownership plate attached,

Meanwhile the coal train had now been allowed up the hill with the trailing unit just clearing the grounded hoppers full of ballast that act a a windbreak on the Big Ten curves.

Jamie

Edited April 13, 2022 by jamie92208

[F-UnitMad]

17 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

One of the crew was down on the ballast searching for a lost padlock key

The perils of real railroading!! Sounds like the sort of operational 'mishap' that Lance Mindheim would include on his Downtown Spur switching layout...

[jamie92208]

Good moaning from Yorkshire.  The Tardis however is still in Colorado 16 years ago today 12th August 2005. As I chatted to the lass from the spoil train I watched as the dispatcher played around with rather large trains.   Having got to today's photos I now realise that the westbound empties were still parked with the rear locos near me and the two seen on the big ten were on the point of a loaded eastbound that was descending very carefully. Here the lead locos of the eastbound can be seen passing the rear pushers on the westbound.

6015 and 6671 were on the point.  The eastbound did then set off up the hill and can be seen here rounding the Big Ten.

Meanwhile, while the despatcher played with 10,000 plus ton trains the crew of the spoil train waited.

Next the eastbound set off slowly.

The mid train helpers appeared, SP 6331, SP 352 AND UP 7353. 

Finally 6559 brought up the rear.

The BNSF manifest was also moving down slowly from loop to loop as the coal trains were sorted.

 

Jamie

 

Edited April 13, 2022 by jamie92208

[pH]

Jamie, I’m confused (a not too unusual state!). I thought westbounds went uphill through the big ten curve and eastbounds downhill through it. Also, at that time, coal empties would likely be going uphill, westbound to the Craig branch and coal loads would be going eastbound downhill. I can’t fit all that in with what you’ve written.

 

Am I wrong in what I’ve previously understood?

Edited August 12, 2021 by pH
Grammar.

[jamie92208]

2 hours ago, pH said:

Jamie, I’m confused (a not too unusual state!). I thought westbounds went uphill through the big ten curve and eastbounds downhill through it. Also, at that time, coal empties would likely be going uphill, westbound to the Craig branch and coal loads would be going eastbound downhill. I can’t fit all that in with what you’ve written.

 

Am I wrong in what I’ve previously understood?

Thanks Pete, I was obviously confused this morning as well.  I've gone back and corrected the geography.  Indeed the westbounds were empties headed for Craig or Grand Junction and the eastbounds were the loads.  

 

Jamie

[Oldddudders]

Those four Geeps are an interesting mix. I think all are GP40-2s but only the SP and Cotton Belt locos are on the expected Blomberg M trucks, the others being on Blomberg Bs, which were probably off trade-ins.  

[jamie92208]

Good moaning from Yorkshire.  After watching them play trains on the Big Ten, I pedalled on to Golden and booked into a B & B.  16 years ago today I set off to find the Colorado railroad Museum and meet my acquaintance from 2 days before for a guided tour.  En route I passed the Coors brewery which is rail served and had a fleet of switchers.

Then into the museum to be confronted by this lovely beast a CB&Q 4-8-4 .

1

Then a lovely little 4-6-0 from the Rio Grande Southern.

And  preserved coach from the same line.

There ws some switching going on near the roundhouse with a diminutive switcher moving a rod driven loco.

For some reason it was weird to see the pistons moving up and down as it was towed.  The the penny dropped, There's no clutch.

Jamie

 

Edited April 13, 2022 by jamie92208

[Johann Marsbar]

The Coors switchers didn't seem to have changed much from my visits to Colorado in the 1980's, though I never thought that the company that operated them would go onto World domination in the brewing industry in later years, as I'd never even heard of them the first time I visited Denver!

 

1983...

 

 

1987  (taken whilst on one of the Public brewery tours...)

 

 

Thankfully the US beer scene has advanced considerably since the days when I drank Coors products !!

[PaulRhB]

59 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

a diminutive switcher moving a rod driven loco.

 

It’s a Shay  They refer to them as geared locos usually, due to the gears transferring the side mounted shaft drive to the trucks, along with Climax’s (inclined cylinders either side to central shaft) and Heisler (V cylinder arrangement like a combustion engine to central shaft)

Edited August 13, 2021 by PaulRhB

[pH]

2 hours ago, PaulRhB said:

It’s a Shay  They refer to them as geared locos usually, due to the gears transferring the side mounted shaft drive to the trucks, along with Climax’s (inclined cylinders either side to central shaft) and Heisler (V cylinder arrangement like a combustion engine to central shaft)

Those were definitely the most common geared locomotives, but there were several other manufacturers:

 

http://www.gearedsteam.com/index.html

Edited August 13, 2021 by pH
Missing word

[jamie92208]

Good evening from Yorkshire.   However the Tardis is still in Golden Colorado on the 13th August 2005. The dual gauge turntable was interesting.

And a narrow gauge diesel appeared. 

I then bought Claud some lunch in Boulder then went into Denver on the bus. I had a couple of rides on the tram system and was impressed that junctions for future extensions had been laid when the first line was built.

The sin saying " High Speed Trains Cross Here amused me.

The next morning 14th August I headed off into the high country aiming for Como and Boreas Pass.  The maps weren't very good and I slogged up and up on endless hills. In the end I did 4000' of climbing before a 2 mile descent into Bailey's where I picked up the south Park Route. This ws as I went south past red Rocks arena and saw the front range stretching into the distance.

The next morning I headed on up alongside the abandoned grade of the South park towards Kenosha pass.

A much easier ride than the day before.

 

Jamie

Edited April 13, 2022 by jamie92208

[jamie92208]

Good afternoon from Yorkshire.  However the tardis is still in Colorado on 15th August 2005.  I was pedalling from Baileys  towards Kenosha Pass.  The road generally follows the railroad grade apart from before the final ascent where it heads round a side valley at Webster to gain height.  This is above Webster and you can see the railroad grade coming back towards the road.

Viewers of a delicate nature please look away now.  I got to the top of Kenosha pass and for the first time the altitude was a 5 figure number so I had to have my photo taken, knobbly knees and all.

Opposite the sign, the summit triangle has been reconstructed by, I think, the South park Railroad Society.

Then a view from the top of the pass across South Park. With the thin clear air distance perception is altered and it's about 60 miles to the hills in the distance.

Then a nice descent to Jefferson, where the old depot is now a real estate agency.

And the hills of the Continental Divide in the background.  I believe that the river that flows from South Park is the Arkansas river.

the floor of the Park  is about 9000' above sea level.

Jamie

 

Edited April 13, 2022 by jamie92208

[caradoc]

Your ambition and dedication in making such a cycle is outstanding Jamie, I am in awe of your achievement. My longest 'similar' trip was in Summer 1976 when I and a friend spent a week cycling round Derbyshire and South and West Yorkshire, in pursuit of railway depots and loco numbers. I still recall the effort it took between the Youth Hostels in Matlock and Langsett (Penistone) via Buxton, nothing compared to your trip of course !  

[mdvle]

19 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

I had a couple of rides on the tram system and was impressed that junctions for future extensions had been laid when the first line was built.

 

Occasionally the planners are allowed to actually plan (and given the budget).

 

The most impressive case that I am aware of is in Toronto.  Completed in 1918 the Bloor Viaduct was built with a lower level to carry subway trains - despite the fact that Toronto wouldn't get its first subway until 1954 and the second subway line which actually used the Bloor Viaduct wouldn't open until 1966.

 

Of course, things have gotten worse since then as the politicians play games...

[jamie92208]

Good moaning from the broad acres.  However in tardis land it' still 15th August 2005 and I'm about to leave Jefferson, CO to head for Como. All the way the old South park Grade wa alongside the road occupied by power lines.

Just before the turn off to Como, I was caught out by a sudden dip in the road and managed to fall of as I couldn;t unclip my feet in time so arrived with rather bloody knees.  However the old roundhouse looked rather nice.

From the other side it looked better.

The turntable was still in place but obviously not in use.

At the time I believe that the roundhouse was being looked after by one guy.  Now the South Park Rail group have taken it over and are doing wonders, track laid, a steam loco in residence and the turntable in use. Their facebook group is well worth looking at,  

Anyway ahead of me ws the old railway hotel where I had managed to get a room for the night.  Basic, no TV, but a good restaurant .  They weren't meant to be open for foo the next morning but my pleadings must have been heard as they agreed to do a breakfast for me.  The nearest alternative was at Fairplay over 10 miles away.  The old box cars used as a store look good.  Now track extends from the roundhouse past the hotel along the old main line and a timber water tank is being built.

My target for the next day, Boreas Pass was in sight.  

I woke early and caught this lovely sunrise over South Park from the bedroom window. Then went back to sleep.

Jamie

 

 

 

 

Edited April 13, 2022 by jamie92208

[pH]

… but did you see Kenny? (Well, someone had to ask.)

[Dr Gerbil-Fritters]

4 hours ago, pH said:

… but did you see Kenny? (Well, someone had to ask.)

 

Of course not, somebody killed him.