Dalhart, TX - Witnessed an unusual move this evening right around sundown. A BNSF train arrived here from Vaughn NM on the UP line! Four BNSF units on the point 3-Dash944-CWs and one ratty looking Dash8-40CW in Super Fleet scheme arrived with a TPEX unit coal train and no DPs on the rear. No DPUs and DC power on a coal train is pretty strange and seeing an all BNSF power consist on UP is really strange here. It pulled up to the UP office building, changed crews and pulled down into the UP 2nd main track in their yard. After it was passed by a EB (NE by compass) intermodal the really strange event happened! It backed thru the interchange tracks onto the BNSF mainline and then went on towards Trinidad CO as it was intended. Does anybody know if there was a problem between here and Amarillo that would have shut down the line? In Des Moines there was a TX bound ethanol train that was apparently tied down and the Renxzenberer crew van was there with the crew. Between Des Moines and Dalhart we only saw one BNSF train. Running a train apparently from Amarillo to Vaughn to Dalhart seems like a lot of work to keep the coal running but ya gotta do what ya gotta do...
Was this an empty coalie? I used to see 4/7 empty coalies a week up the Raton Pass; however, they've all been using the Transcon?? I was patrolling up between Des Moines and Branson, CO last Tuesday thro Thursday ( Graveyard 12a-8a) and I believe on Thursday morning between 5am-8an I saw five trains headed to Trinidad, CO. I saw two empty coalie (w/DPU's) at 5p & 5:30am, an ethanol unit train at 6:15am, and two WORMS empty grainies at 7:20a & 7:25a. There was also another empty coalie sitting in the siding at Des Moines. I caught all the trains off NMSR 325 between Des Moines and Fossom, NM; approximately 2 miles East of Folsom. & I left my camera at home, go figure. About a year ago I saw an empty coalie sitting in the Des Moines siding. The train had 10 (YES TEN) UP locos, & no BNSF whats so ever. Does the UP have trackage on the BNSF between Dalhart and Pueblo, CO?????????????
Yes, I am 99% sure UP has trackage rights between Dalhart and Pueblo. I think you are aware they are running (mostly) directionally between Amarillo and Pueblo now. If that Des Moines train was truly an eastbound then that flies in the face of that though. Maybe the limo was there to tell them they made a wrong turn! hehe (Truthfully, I haven't followed the directional story too closely so nothing would really surprise me. I do know that they originally were running WB traffic on the ex-FW&D, which I though odd since that line was build to handle heavy coal, as opposed to empties. Whereas the Boise sub has never been a coal hauler line, AFAIK.) I'm curious about the TPEX train. Don't think I've seen those come through north central Texas, so they may be from the Amarillo area or a NM/AZ destination? (I'm assuming they were empty) They very well could be doing maintenance around Amarillo. With all the rain in Texas I think the railroads are a little behind on their summer maintenance schedule, and I know the LORAM grinder was working its way up from DFW on the BNSF WF/RR subs toward Amarillo. Could be a bridge replacement or tie job, too.
We'll the Dalhart, TX tp Pueblo, Co via Clayton/Des Moines, NM and Trinidad, Co is directional traffic. There's only North/WestBounds on these rails. I did state that I was a few miles EAST of FOLSOM, NM. About the UP trackage rights on this line, I thought I'd heard they had something about them running coalies on this line; however, how many I don't know???
Sammy, I was talking about the Ethanol train that George saw at Des Moines. He said it was Texas bound. (eastbound) I'm not sure what UP does in that area. South of Dalhart they basically run two coal trains eastbound. One is a dog's breakfast of fallen-flag quad hoppers and the other is CCTX bethgons. (and very rarely they will run a train of SATX bethgons)
stranger sight What was even stranger was I saw that TPEX train with that BNSF power and a UP unit eastbound (loaded) on the D&RGW Craig Branch in NW Colorado last Friday. However, the power was 2x2x1. Probably equalizing power usage.(?)
Well nowadays nothin seems strange anymore. We don't see but maybe 2-3 Grailies, empty, East/North bound up the Raton Sub. A few weeks ago there was a solo UP 5591 going up and down the Raton Sub all morning long. Why not a BNSF unit?? Well at noonish the engineer, who seemed to be alone, even parked the loco and stopped at a rail/road side cafe? Hungry? Well they must have been doing some kind of track tests because there were several BNSF MOW trucks in the area. Who knows????
