Western Railroad Discussion > Traffic on BNSF Ellinor-LaJunta-Raton-Albq route

Hello all,

Could someone tell me what runs regularly today on BNSF's Ellinor, KS - Albq, NM route via La Junta, besides Amtrak? I understand they have a (3x per week?) coal train that runs from interchange in Pueblo to near Garden City, KS, but don't know what else runs regularly.

Apart from regular traffic, I suppose they detour occasionally from the "Transcon", if so, how often does that happen?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Mark

Right now, it's just the Southwest Chief between La Junta and ABQ. Traffic through Southern Kansas is not a lot but you'll see occasional grain trains, a local or two, the Holcomb, KS coal train, the H DENKCK and H KCKDEN. And right now, reroutes, if that's still going on.

John Crisanti
Longmont, CO

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the railroad is doing a lot of diretional running now between Ellinor and Newton [and on to Mulvane to re-join the Transcon there.] That would, then, be quite a bit of traffic on that section of the subdivision.

There is the H KCKDEN/DENKCK a few grain trains now and then, the Sunflower coal train, Windmill trains for Garden City, Few boeings and ethanol traffic to GC. Been a few PNW traffic as well passing through.

The PNW traffic has ceased. Poor dispatching apparently the cause. Or maybe better poor decision makers (chiefs). One freight each way LaJunta to Newton. No freight west of Lajunta. The coaltrain to Holcomb. Local 13/14. Garden City switcher and the grain loadout there. Does ethanol once in a blue moon. Coolidge,KS has a SD18 of ex C&O heritage that loads unit grain. Faces west.
Garden City may be getting more windmill trains. And a couple oil trains now running to Newton from Lajunta. Both these are hit and miss. All subject to change again. Dodge City has a swtichengine. Wright has two GP9s(B) Local 11/12 to Newton. Hutchinson lot of business and a switch engine as well. Think they still run the UP trackage rights HUtch to Newton? anybody care to correct me? Been out of touch from that side for a while.
Work train next week for a while, Trinidad to French. Not sure why but looks like it will be there for a bit. Maybe ballast work. Watch for bears over the hill.
As a note, the light from 10-2pm sucks on this line as the sun is overhead and straight on to the tracks. Plan accordingly for pictures.
Kinsley, KS. has a ATSF 4-6-2 displayed on the west side of town in the open. Nice overpass as well to shoot off. Lamar has another Steam engine behind the depot. Depot still at Stafford,KS. Holly, CO. restored depot. Cantilever on east siding switch. East switch at Granada,CO. has a cantilever as well. Diamond at Hutchinson has cantilevers.
Raton sub the semaphores start west of Springer one or two signals. Frontage road follows to Wagon Mound. Trains mag had a map last month of them.

edit: Garden City has the Garden City western. Three GP-8s, and ex GCW GP at the elevator. Also in the Zoo(it's free) is a GCW 2-8-0 or 2-6-2. Can't remember. Best viewed in the morning facing east. By the front gate. Also, if they can the Cimarron Valley comes in on Tues or Thursdays at Dodge city. I suspect their schedule is crap now that they can't keep engines running again.
On the south side of the river is a shortline with a GP9. Not far from the river bridge.
Depot at Las Animas. Heavy traffic here southbound to Texas as the Jct is east of town.
Lajunta has moved their steam engine out to the highway with semaphores. North Lajunta bridge has walkways on both sides for shooting. If you go farther west, Rocky Ford, Manzanola, and Fowler(getting a makeover) have depots. Suggest you head for Pueblo and get some shots of the yard. It's fixing to get changed and rumor is that the tower/Yardoffice will be torn down. Sunrise off the fourth st overpass best. Great walkway. Museum and Union station here too. ATSF Northern in the collection and the DOT U30C as well and some Colorado and Wyoming GP7s running.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/23/14 20:48 by SD45X.

SD45X, thanks for the excellent run down of traffic and things to see!

mapboy

Also a dead cantilever w/ no signal at Lewis, KS. Location was east end of where the old passing track once joined the main line.

Thanks for the information everyone. A couple of quick follow up questions below:

> ... Local 13/14.
> ... Wright has two GP9s(B) Local 11/12 to Newton.

Could you explain the notations above, it's not clear to me what the "Local x/x" info means. Where do those trains originate & run to/from on a normal day?


> ... And a couple oil trains now running to Newton from Lajunta.

For these oil trains, I presume they turn south at Newton and don't terminate there, perhaps northern CO. to Cushing, OK trains?


Thanks again,

Mark

UP not running anything on the trackage rights between KC- Hutchinson

mamfahr Wrote:

> > ... Wright has two GP9s(B) Local 11/12 to
> Newton.
>

Of note on these 2 units here. One of them is an ex NS/N&W TC10, one of only 4 blt. Painted for the Wright City C-op. The other is an ex BN GP9 reblt to a B Unit, with no cab. Last I went by there, (first of the month) it was still in BN Grn pnt and the TC10 is painted for the Co-op. This is facility is located just east of Dodge City on US50. Ben

LKAN13-14,. 11/12 are the locals. Odd # westbound.
13/14 Lajunta to Dodge City
11/12 Newton to Dodge City
Oil trains to/from KCJ.

Posted from Android

SD45X Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> LKAN13-14,. 11/12 are the locals. Odd #
> westbound.
> 13/14 Lajunta to Dodge City
> 11/12 Newton to Dodge City
> Oil trains to/from KCJ.



Thanks, I really appreciate the information!

Take care,

Mark

UP hasn't run any Trackage rights trains from Hutch to KC or vice versa in several years.

SD45X Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> Kinsley, KS. has a ATSF 4-6-4 displayed on the
> west side of town in the open. Nice overpass as
> well to shoot off.

I believe this is a 4-6-2 Pacific, a sister engine to operating #3415 in Abilene. Isn't there this one, and the one in Great Bend in this class remaining in KS?

Mike

I believe that's correct Mike!

Trains magazine recently had a BNSF trains-per-day map for 2012 that showed the average daily train count on all their lines. For La Junta east it showed 11 trains a day, south to Amarillo 12 trains a day, to Trinidad only 2 (obviously Amtrak), and 14 to Pueblo. This may give you a little better overview of daily operations.

JG



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/24/14 08:17 by jgilmore.

And it was incorrect, that 2012 info.
Amarillo traffic usually 16-25 trains a day. All from Pueblo.
There was a spike in windmill traffic unloaded at Garden City to inflate those numbers. Usually a freight each way and the local.
Coolidge,KS grain 1 a week. Dodge City grain from CVR interchange maybe 2 -3 a week. Then the Hutchinson,KS traffic 3-4 grains a week usually east to Newton. 1 M train as needed.
It wasn't accurate, and I don't know where or how the came up with those numbers.

Almost forgot the Sunflower power plant coal. Anywhere from 2 a day to 1 every 3-4 days. Only two train sets in the rotation. Gap from return to mine.

Posted from Android



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/24/14 12:44 by SD45X.

Resurrecting this thread.  I've been hearing the BNSF DS17 talking to the Coolidge grain train.  Two questions:

Where does this train go to?

What's the symbol for Coolidge, KS?  I can't find one.

​Thanks for the help!