Western Railroad Discussion > NS SD70ACU, Fort Collins Local, and Warbonnets

On Tuesday, December 6th, BNSF ran a loaded sand train up the Front Range Subdivision between Denver and Cheyenne led by a rebuilt NS SD70ACU No. 7258. The locomotive was rebuilt by Norfolk Southern from a former UP SD9043MAC. Lineage information for the locomotive follows: 

NS 7258, ex-UP 3501, ex-UP 8029

The sand train ran up the Front Range Sub most of the way before sunrise so it was difficult to get any sort of lighting on the train. On my way to Greeley for school, I heard the train leave Longmont as I left the house. I was able to get ahead of it and allowed the lighting to get a little brighter at Loveland. After finishing up my only test for the day, I decided to drive to Fort Collins to see if I could try and get the sand train in sun. However, by the time I got back, the power was already running light back to Cheyenne. However, I heard the UP tone up the BNSF dispatcher for a track warrant to cross the diamond. I decided to go after the UP Fort Collins local as I haven't photographed them in quite a while. After the UP local got their warrant from BNSF, I ran into T.O. member "highgreengraphics" and we decided to hang out and chase the local for the rest of the morning up to the Holcim Plant at Boettcher northwest of Fort Collins. After our little outing with the local, we headed off our separate ways for the day. I went back into Fort Collins to see if the Longmont Switch was in town, which indeed they were. However, they were already departing south by the time I got back so I ended missing them. I drove by Riverside where the Great Western and UP interchange traffic. When I crossed the tracks, I saw a BNSF sand train patiently waiting to meet the UP local and get a track warrant to enter the BNSF. Power on the sand train was a Warbonnet C44-9W, BNSF GEVO, NS C44-9W, and UP GEVO; so I decided to stick around and grab this train instead of the local. Overall it was good day, minus the temperatures falling along with a storm system moving in, which is currently dumping snow as I type this.

• It's just before sunrise as Norfolk Southern SD70ACU leads a BNSF C44-9W on the loaded sand train as the train blows for the numerous crossings in Loveland.
• The Fort Collins local led by UP ES44AH No. 8263 crosses the BNSF/UP diamond and is about to cross the Cache La Poudre River bridge that parallels College Avenue in Fort Collins.
• Five motors shove a cut of loaded cement cars up the steep grade into the cement plant at Boettcher.

There's more...

John Crisanti
Longmont, CO

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• Former Santa Fe, now BNSF C44-9W No. 660 patiently waits at Riverside for the UP Fort Collins Local to clear the switch before heading to North Yard to deliver the sand train to the BNSF in Fort Collins.
• After the Fort Collins Local cleared, the sand train consisting of ex-Santa Fe, BNSF, NS, and UP power gets ready to depart Riverside in Fort Collins.
• The sand train is seen crossing the Cache La Poudre River coming off of Great Western trackage and entering BNSF's Front Range Subdivision in Fort Collins.

Thanks for looking!

John Crisanti
Longmont, CO

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Nice shots John!
Nice catches as well.

Posted from Android

Great shots of the Warbonnet, guess I should have checked Riverside out before I went home! And too bad this snow today wasn't yesterday... === === = === JLH

Looks like there was some ice forming in the river in your last photo.
John

I REALLY like that last pic!!