Passenger Trains > Two-days Worth of the E-Units

Since I'm not going to include any other pictures that I've taken in the last two days, I'm going to put this here on the passenger board! This weekend, Union Pacific hosted the annual Denver Post Cheyenne Frontier Days train and the Sherman Hill Model Railroad Club excursion. On Saturday, the train departed Denver about 20 minutes late, but still made good time, only pulling into the Cheyenne Depot about 15 minutes late. I went out with a few friends (one of them FrontRangeTrains - see his pix here: http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,3471072 ) and we spent all day out, covering over 400 miles (I did almost 600 due to having to go to work Friday night).
Picture 1 is the CFD train leaving Fort Lupton.
Picture 2 is the train blasting through Ault, or as the locals call it, "A Unique Little Town."
Picture 3 is at Terry Ranch Road. We didn't make it as far around the curve as we would've liked, but this provides a shot that kinda makes the Centennial and the power car disappear.
~wko

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We stayed in Cheyenne for a little bit, and were able to get the train leaving for Speer to be turned. This made for a nice setting with the signal bridge at CPW511.
Picture 4 is the CFD power passing under the signal bridge.
Picture 5 is the return trip at Brighton. We got word it was in Eaton when we were in Fort Morgan. I was the only one in the car who thought we could make it in time (good thing, as I was driving!).
~wko

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For the Sunday trip (today), I was asked if I could take my cousin over to see the train, since my uncle couldn't get him tickets to ride it (he's mentally handicapped FYI). I figured we could get it 2 or 3 times and it would be successful. What I didn't expect was 6 times!
Picture 6 is the Sherman Hill Model Railroad Club excursion leaving Platteville after meeting a southbound. And strangely enough, the dispatcher sent the passenger train through the siding, as the train it met was a local, which needed to switch the industry, which is located on the main.
Picture 7 is the rear of the train. I always have liked the look of the nice observation platform on the back.
Between the time I took the previous picture and we got the highway, the train came to a sudden stop. Picture 8 is the train stopped, and Ed Dickens is outside the door on the radio with a crewman on the B-unit. He would get down, walk back, and they'd only be stopped a few minutes (no more than 5).
~wko

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We heard on the radio that they were ready to pull, so we hurried to the hill just north of their location hoping to get some good start-up noise. Unfortunately, that came shortly after they passed us!
Picture 9 is the train rounding the curve.
Picture 10 is the Sunshine Special getting a shower! The farmer on the east side of the tracks was watering his field, and the sprinkler was too close to the tracks! Hopefully the people in the vestibule saw it coming and hit the cover!
As we were waiting for the train to show up in Platteville, we heard them get at 10-mph slow order at MP 45. I thought this was near Greeley, as yesterday the CFD train took awhile to go and we had heard it get a slow order. However, when we got to LaSalle, I saw the south switch was CP DS0045. So we pulled off at the north side of town and got them accelerating out of town for picture 11.
~wko

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The train stopped in Greeley, so that gave us some time to just sit in the shade and cool off, as the detector near Platteville said the temperature was 97 degrees. We got them near the north switch so we could get some good sound of them leaving.
Pictures 12 and 13 were at the north switch. I know 12 is a little cluttered, but it gives another look at the train without the Centennial and the power car (and daggub it, I missed the hay sale!). Picture 13 is the more traditional shot, and it's growing on me every time I see it.
Picture 14 is just south of Eaton. They were only going about 40, as they were approaching that slow order that I had heard them get the previous day. They're passing another detector, and this one said the temperature was 105! That didn't stop that one cloud from wanting to screw it up (thank goodness for 300 mm!).
~wko



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/20/14 21:38 by kwo.

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Since my cousin lives in Fort Collins and the road out of Ault goes straight into Fort Collins, we left it at Ault. This was by far the best runby of the weekend, and picture 16 is by far my favorite of the weekend. Had it been just the three E-units, this would be getting blown up and hung on my wall! It's amazing how just a few steps to the left can make it look like a different spot! It's also kinda scary to think they're putting out more smoke than the steamer probably would've been.
Anyways, that's all I have for pictures. Thanks for looking, hope you enjoyed! I have a video posted from each day on that video-posting site if anyone wants to check that out.
~wko

Here they are, if you would like to copy-paste:
Saturday
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2A2JyDMdbzU
Sunday
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qca8bHS3nPg



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/20/14 21:44 by kwo.

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Holy moly did you slaughter this thing. Awesome shots! Thanks for taking the time to share.

:)

Posted from Android

Awesome photos. Thanks for posting

They're all good, but I especially like the obs. car shot with the wheat in the foreground.

And it looks like the Centennial is ONLINE with the Es for this move, unlile the deadhead move. Cannot wait to view your video shots!!!

Great!

Great series of shots, Kirk! It was good to meet you on Saturday, too.

James Nelson
Thornton, CO
www.flickr.com/mojaveflyer

Fantastic series and shots! Enjoyed those last two with the E's really "pouring it on":}

EXCELLENT bunch!
JB

Great shots!

- Jeff Carlson

Very nice series.

~Ryan

Thanks for the kind words all! It was definitely a highlight-type weekend of the summer.

And Red, the video I posted to Youtube is too long for Trainorders, so either copy/paste the links I gave with the last photos or search "Frontier Days 2014 Union Pacific" on YouTube. Either of those will bring up the two days of video.
~wko

It was good trip with my good friend Jim riding this year. Hopefully we'll have another excursion next year. Great shots!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/21/14 21:31 by BNSF7776.

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Love the last picture. It's a great shot to end the other pictures. Thanks so much for such wonderful pics.

Jim