Western Railroad Discussion > Union Pacific Craig and Hayden Shuttles

While driving to work yesterday, I saw the Craig Shuttle heading West out of Craig and traveling down to the Axial Mine on the Craig Branch. This job works Monday-Friday and currently is on a daylight schedule with the crew called on duty for 7 AM. This had been a night job for years and thus was impossible to shoot. Right now it is only running with a half train (54 cars) and due to the fact that the tracks dead end at the power plant, it is currently running 2x1 on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and 1x2 on Tuesday and Thursday. I'll do my best to try and explain why:} 

The crew shows up at the Ute Power Plant and then has to do a nearly 6 mile shove down to the mainline/Craig Branch at Ute Jct. where they have to shove past the switch and then reverse directions to head West. The Axial Mine is on a loop so after the train is loaded and shows up Eastbound back at Craig, the train has to pull past the switch at Ute Jct. and then shove the 6 miles back up into the plant to spot the train. So on Monday, the train backs out of the plant with the single engine on the rear, after changing directions at Ute Jct. the 2 engines now lead West to the Mine, go around the loop and when it returns to Ute Jct. it heads past the switch and then shoves the train back into the power plant with the single engine on the West end. The next day, the crew will get on the single engine end, shove down to the mainline, change directions and the single engine will lead down to the mine and return and the whole process begins again with the train shoving back into the power plant.  

Clear as mud, right:} Wait until I try to explain the Hayden Shuttle!

1 and 2) Anyway, here are the coming and going away shots of the 1x2 train heading Westbound towards Empire Siding. About in the middle of the picture, you can see cars that are stored in this siding. At Empire, there used to be another lead off of the main track to service the Empire coal loadout which has been demolished and reclaimed so that nothing exists now to even show that it once was there!

3) At the X-Cel Hayden Power Plant, the head end of the empty Hayden Shuttle is ready to depart to head over to the Energy Mine to load with coal. Lead engine UP 6148 was delivered as Southern Pacific 105, an engine without Distributed Power capabilities but in its recent upgrade it had DP equipment installed. Even though the distance from the coal mine to the power plant is only about 16 miles apart by road, this 115 car train that runs approx. 3 times a week will have to change directions no less than 5 times!
For some reason when the spur to the power plant was built in 2010, they constructed it with a very steep grade requiring the train to need 5 engines and with only a West facing connection.
So the train has to head down the lead to the mainline, once on the mainline change directions to head East down the Craig Branch for 10 miles to Adams. Here the 14 mile line to the Energy/20 Mile coal mine takes off but only with an East connection so it changes direction again to run up the Branch. The track is a stub end at the Mine so it changes direction again to load. Once loaded it heads back down the Branch to Adams on the mainline and turns East, changes direction to head West the 10 miles on the Craig Branch and then changes direction one last time at Colute where the spur meets the mainline to head up to the power plant.

A lot of explaining of operations here but all of this is soon to disappear! The Ute Power Plant is supposed to shutdown and with it the Axial coal mine so all of that track will probably be ripped up. The Hayden Plant is rumored to burn something besides coal or either shutdown as well.
The Energy coal mine still occasionally loads some coal trains for InterMountain Power in Utah but that plant is converting to Natural Gas and also some coal trains heading for Memphis.
Just a changing of the times as coal seems to have run its course.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/12/24 15:20 by SP8595.

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Very good coverage. Amazing UP never turned this operation over to a short line. This is probably the least trafficked CTC main in the country.
JB

Interesting description of the operations; nice trio of images, too!
GK

Nice shots John! I've never had the chance to shoot up there.

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

Nice shots, and like all the switching moves to get the job done.  Glad to see this line still has activity even though its future may be bleak.
Brian Stevens

Very cool shots of an op/branch we barely see anything about. Thank you for the explanation!

OK,  but the comment on driving to work, what's up with that?

Out 

Very nice, gorgeous weather too!

Thanks for the detailed explaination of Union Pacific's Hayden Shuttle.  It's nocturnal operations has always kept this out of sight from railfans.  Her days are indeed numbered.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/13/24 04:05 by cozephyr.

Those Shuttles aren't all that's numbered! I don't think the UP will hold onto the branch for a once a
week Turn to Craig. But I also don't think the state will want the line abandoned sooooo.......

Out 

Thank you for the the informative and detailed report.Bill Webb

Thanks for the information and nice shots. Very interesting this is a day job now. Making me think a "sick day" might be in the future. :)

Hayden has two units online currently. One is slated for retirement in 2027 and the other in 2028. So time is limited. the Craig Power Station has three units online. One is slated for retirement next year (2025). The other two in 2028.

Kevin Morgan
Arvada, CO
ColoradoRailfan.com

I like Pic 2!!