Western Railroad Discussion > Chasing the Joint Line

Hello-

This past Sunday I went out along the Joint Line in Colorado to see what there was to see. The Joint Line runs between Denver, CO and Pueblo, CO and is jointly owned (hence the name) by Union Pacific and BNSF.

The first train I saw was just south of Sedalia. It was a BNSF coal empty with four units on the point and one SD70MAC DPU'd on the rear. This is rare for BNSF as most of their coal trains on the Joint Line run with two SD70MACs on the point and two DPU'd on the rear.

Kevin Morgan
The Front Range
http://www.drgw.ws/

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The next train was a UP coal load, also found just south of Sedalia. UP coal loads are a little harder to catch than BNSF because their average horsepower is around 26,400 whereas BNSF is typically around 16,000. Thus, the average speed of UP coal trains is track speed while BNSF coal trains seldomly break 15 MPH!

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UP 6850 and crew are running parallel to I-25 just south of Castle Rock, which can be seen over the cab of the lead unit in the background.

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After leaving I-25 behind, train continue climbing toward Palmer Lake and pass through the small Colorado town of Larkspur. The Colorado Renaissance Festival is held in Larkspur annually.

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The last stop before reaching the top of the hill at Palmer Lake is the five-farmhouse town of Greenland. By this time of year, there is not much green left to be seen at Greenland! An afternoon storm was starting to make itself felt too, but fortunately the sun came out long enough for a good shot.

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Last one!

At the top of the hill, UP 6850 will now apply dynamic brakes as it begins its descent toward Pueblo. Oh, notice that Palmer Lake is a tad below normal levels.

Kevin

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