Those hoppers lettered CTRN - what does that stand for? It's not a private-owner reporting mark as I'd expect.
I believe CTRN stands for Central Tennessee Railway & Navigation Company. Which now should be a UP owned mark. Boxcab E50
Unfortunately Ken is correct. I saw loads of those cars in CO in my travels. I have bagged lots of shots in CO... A runaround at West Rollins: Loads meet empties at Rollins: First light at Tunnel 30: EB loads emerge from a blinding blizzard at Rollins:
I had a little time this morning to go out and look for some fresh shots but the yard was a little slow. U.P. power south of the Grand Junction tower waiting for their next run. UPY 590 sitting idle in front of a string of covered hoppers. Ben
Thanks, Ben! Just so everyone doesn't think I have nothing but breathtaking mountain scenery shots, here's a few more pedestrian ones from ground level: This bridge (west of Rollins, near MP 45) was replaced in 2005 with a character-free concrete structure: Coal empties get underway, after waiting in the hole at Plain for an EB coal load: Under typical overcast skies, the North Yard-Provo manifest heads west at Tunnel 1: At first light, a coal empty train of mostly CTRN cars thunders upgrade at Blue Mountain Rd; the 4 head-end units are almost to Tunnel 1:
Come on back. Their is not a shortage of jobs here just a shortage of a work force. The gas industry up valley really has made it hard to hire good employees. Ben
I haven't seen this much drilling since the early 80s oil & gas boom.:tb-biggrin: Out on I-70, it's as if drilling rigs have sprouted from the ground. Colorado's economy is getting a boost, but I guess there's not much hope for natural gas tank trains, eh? Still, Ben's right. That's where UP and BNSF are seeing some of the good help go to these days.
Tolland, CO and a couple newer GEez: Too bad they weren't leading! Sharp eyed viewers will note the tail end of the wye at what once was known as Mammoth.. Here's another view of Tolland, from the Giant's Ladder on the old Moffat Road to Corona:
I was impressed by all of the rigs along I-70 and then my brother took me up a canyon north of Parachute, CO where he was drilling. I was totally shocked at the amount of rigs and the processing plants that were hidden back there. The gas boom seems to have helped increase rail traffic in western Colorado too. It's amazing how much drilling pipe and other commodities that are shipped in to support the gas industry. Ben
Here is the only shot of the U.P.Safety Train that I caught when they stopped by Grand Junction. I hope that they bring it through here again so I can get some better pictures. U.P. 949 in Clifton, CO Ben
Here is a shot that I caught while attending a seminar outside in Denver, CO last summer. U.P. was switching some coal hoppers around. Ben
Don't forget all the HDTVs, Xbox games and microwave meals to keep the drillers happy! Pass the beef jerky and the Halo3. :tb-tongue:
This is all grat news to me since the gas industry relies on what I do as part of their environmental requirements. I will be going up to get a business license next week as we have decided to open a branch office. Maybe I can catch some of this great train action too
