Western Railroad Discussion > Six Boeing fuselages in Wyoming on BNSF

BNSF's H-KCKLAU going north and west on June 12 had 6 Boeing 737 fuselages on the head end, facing forward right behind the power, led by BNSF 8253. Photo 1 - Just after sunrise, departing tiny Chugwater,WY, after meeting a southbound. Photo 2 - Departing Wheatland, WY. Photo 3 - Winding upgrade to the crest at Dwyer, WY, where the train will wind downward to Wendover to join the Canyon Subdivision. There's Mooore...  



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/02/19 18:48 by highgreengraphics.

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Photo 4 - Rounding a curve on the circuitous route between Dwyer and Wendover, just ahead of an old wye grade that once was C&W (Colorado and Wyoming Railroad, Northern Division) or Hartville Junction, which took its own route past Guernsey to Hartville and Sunrise, and can be plainly seen on Google Earth. Photo 5 - Skirting around the north end of Glendo Reservoir on an old line relocation between Elkhorn and Bona, WY with Laramie Peak in the background. The bird atop the closest pole is unimpressed by the wingless bodies, but someday they will be making those contrails criscrossing the sky visible above. === === = === JLH

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Nice locations, lots of road miles on that Sub. Great slice of Wyoming.
t4p.

Very nice set, like that tight curve, really get to see the cars..  Not sure of the geography but I saw a train in Ft. Collins, that is another route, detour?  Train also had looked like parts cars to go with the fuselages.???

Bob

Great series - thanks for posting!

BB

This Boeing fuselage train routing, as well as the parts cars, is a detour routing because of the midwestern flood problems. This, however was its original route, up the Front Range Sub, when the shipments first began and the trains were dedicated. They turned left at Orin Jct., WY and went via Casper, now they are turning right and going via the PRB. I suspect after the midwestern water problems, they will revert back to the normal route, though with the 737 production problems I wonder if these shipments will be interrupted. === === = === JLH

Sweet!!

Posted from iPhone

Awesome!

Nice pics!!

highgreengraphics Wrote:
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> Photo 4 - Rounding a curve on the circuitous route
> between Dwyer and Wendover, just ahead of an old
> wye grade that once was C&W (Colorado and Wyoming
> Railroad, Northern Division) or Hartville
> Junction, which took its own route past Guernsey
> to Hartville and Sunrise, and can be plainly seen
> on Google Earth. Photo 5 - Skirting around the
> north end of Glendo Reservoir on an old line
> relocation between Elkhorn and Bona, WY with
> Laramie Peak in the background. The bird atop the
> closest pole is unimpressed by the wingless
> bodies, but someday they will be making those
> contrails criscrossing the sky visible above. ===
> === = === JLH

Jim,

Would you kindly explain the relevance of the C&W to the train and photos.  The junction was between Guernsey and the big bridge over the river there if I recall correctly.

Thank you,

Rob

Great show, as usuual.  Gerry

Here's the area on a screenshot. I know exactly the area but had no idea what was there, I'm curious as well.

Wendover at top of screen, Guernsey to the right somewhere, the BNSF line from Wheatland from the left sweeping to the top. Follow the old RoW from the wye, thru the S-Curves to the straight line, on a larger scale that continues to the County road that joins the SP26 and continues down the hill to the river. I don't know where it went from there, maybe through town, maybe turn upriver, don't know. Excuse the gross pencil work.

Helluva place to watch thunderstorms.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 06/14/19 17:15 by TCnR.

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You have to wonder with all of the airframes parked in the yard at Wanatchee how long it's going to be before they run short of the dedicated equiment to haul more completed units from Wichita to Renton.....

Boeing has slowed the 737 production, but down to 42 a month or so. They were planning on 52 a month, then eventually 55 a month, if I remember the numbers correctly. Too many moving parts to stop a production line I guess. Plus, I think they figured they would have it solved quickly. I'd heard June to allow the Max's to fly, then August, and currently, no firm date. Much be a bigger problem to fix than first estimated. 

Mike ONeill
Okahumpka, FL

TCnR: The line went from the end of your map to parallel and cross what is now Wendover Road, crossed what is now Highway 26 4 times in its winding to its own trestle crossing the North Platte River just south of the CB&Q bridge at East Guernsey. The track crossed under the east approach to that bridge before going on to Hartville and Sunrise. They simply built a connector from the west end of the CB&Q yard downhill to the C&W line. When the North Platte is running slow and lazy in the fall, you can still see the wooden bridge pilings of the C&W trestle, in fact they show up well on Google Earth. I have never seen any photo of a C&W train crossing the North Platte River on that trestle. I used to know the years it was built, and later abandoned over the river, but have since forgotten, but it has been awhile. === === = === JLH



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/14/19 17:54 by highgreengraphics.

Interesting history, I suppose locals learn this in Wyoming History class:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunrise,_Wyoming

http://www.wyomingtalesandtrails.com/nplatte2.html

+  Looking at the current google satellite image you can see the pilings in the river and kinda make out where the old RoW had been. I tried driving around along the bank trying to get another angle on the tall bridge, the trail looks like a seasonal mud pit.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/14/19 18:05 by TCnR.

Not really. I learned it in the early 1970's after seeing many old leaky sugarbeet cars go through Cheyenne southbound with raw iron ore, all of them placarded "SUNRISE Iron Ore". Later on, I learned that the ore went to Pueblo, CO. Later, I learned about the mining activity on the C&S at Iron Mountain, just north of Farthing, north of Horse Creek, north of Cheyenne. Also, during that time, many old CB&Q long gondolas came through Cheyenne bound for GW Sugar with white limestone from the Murke quarry at Horse Creek off the Murke Spur. Later, as a BN Engineer  I ran to Guernsey, WY first from Gillette, WY then from Sterling, CO, and had time between runs to scout out local history including the C&W wye grade at Milepost 237 and North Platte River trestle. A regret I have is that the C&W crew twice wanted me to ride with them from Guernsey to Sunrise, but I could not as in both instances I was only 4 or 5 times out to take a coal load home to Sterling and could not miss a call. Only several days later, the steel mill in Pueblo closed, and there was no more reason for the C&W to haul anything, so I missed my chance - heck, no hurry, the C&W and Sunrise Iron Ore had been there forever, and would remain forever, right? === === = === JLH



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/14/19 18:20 by highgreengraphics.

Great shots.  Thanks for sharing.
sd-45

After the fiasco with the derailment at Alberton, MT I thought Boeing had limited shipments to no more than 2 or 3 fuselages per train.  Guess that has gone by the board now.  Of course since Boeing cannot ship 737 MAXs they probably wouldn't  worry about a few of those fuselages going in the river again and letting the insurance company buy them.  It would save Boeing some cash.

Every time I see photos of a 737 fuselage on a flat car I try to imagine one thing. 145 people riding on a flat car. Think about it that's even the low capacity of one of those fuselage's.

Robert Morris
Dunsmuir, CA
Robert Morris Photography