I wanted to jump in earlier when Hemi was still showing Glenwood. I am assuming he wants this shot included. This is the signal bridge at W. Glenwood Springs. Only thing that would have made this shot better and our spirits brighter would have been a high green!
I also figure that I will share my last shot of the day as well as the last shot from Hemi and I's trip. Hemi went high, I went low. Amtrak is about to duck under I-70 E. of Dotsero.
I like that one much better, Mike! Yes, I definitely wanted your GS shot of the signal bridge included--mine stunk, and went into the trash can. I really like that last shot--maybe I should have set up for the head-on shot....
Unfortunately Hemi was not with me on this trip. It is territory that he has been dying to get. So as a tribute to Hemi here are some shots from Tunnel 10 and 11. First train I was able to shoot was an empty Westbound coal train. Being that the tunnel is 1500' it makes for a big exhaust cloud as the locomotives exit.
Here a BNSF Eastbound manifest exits Tunnel 11. I like this shot! It think the East side of 11 is gorgeous! More to come!
This one is for Hemi. He liked a simular shot from our trip in March. Here is another 4 months later.
Far out,the concrete lining looks new.Recent upgrades maybe? Also wondering if anyone can tell me,with all this increased coal traffic,does it look like the TP could be re-opened anytime soon? (fingers crosssed )
Hard to tell, Jason. The D&RGW list on Yahoo has been buzzing a bit with reports of a hi-railer going thru the pass... The employees in question were asked what they knew, they didn't know why. The typical rumors will fly again... Yes, that sprayed Gunite seems newer. The Secret Places book shows T10's west portal bare rock, with new SP AC4400's in the picture....
Is it just me, or did I miss a parade of coal train shots on the Dotsero Cutoff??? I think I need to get back to the March trip report... I have a few shots I missed! mg:
Somehow, I managed to miss several shots on the Dotsero Cutoff.... After the few shots of D&RGW signals, I should have posted some coverage at Sweetwater Tunnel: More signals east of Sweetwater Tunnel: After a hard chase, we bag the loads again at Milepost 150:
It was a tough chase--that train was doing track speed, about 40MPH. The road was twisty, potholed, and gravel..... The D&RGW-style milepost: Another hard chase to Burns yielded this shot of the bridge; the head end shot is missing, so we either missed it, or it was unusable: DPUs:
New material from a 3-day trip on the east slope forthcoming... I'll be able to upload about friday.. Stay tuned! Fresh angles in Tunnels 1,12-18, 27 and some first light glint at the Flatirons. Night shots, time exposures, oh my!
Many photos to process--but here's a snapshot of the trip! Day 1: Sunday afternoon, hit the hill at cliff, bagged a BNSF manifest with a CEFX rent a wreck on the point. Hiked into South Boulder Canyon (SBC), to our favorite overlook in the rocks, bagged an EB UP manifest. Snow came and went, as did the sun, but we hiked down to a new perch overlooking the 12.08-degree curve, old Tunnel 28 and Tunnel 27. A new angle for us, we bagged a WB coal empty after last light. We tried a new shot on a coal load from the same location, using the "starry night" scene program on my new camera. We made MREs there on the rocks int he pitch black night, and awaited Amtrak, which showed up 4 hours late at 9:06 PM. SBC was so dark, I framed the shot too low, because I couldn't see. The result was no less fantastic, except for the composition. We hiked out, drove back to Broomfield to Alaska GP49's house, and grabbed 5 hours of shuteye before getting up, and making a beeline for the tracks again. Day 2: Monday morning--snow and fog forecasted all day, we were not disappointed! We drove into Chute rd, and parked west of a large snowbank. Hiked into South Draw, got our firt view into South Draw at 7:30 AM. Coal empty was westbound at that moment, bagged a grab shot over Tunnel 17 from atop the tunnel. Hiked along the hill, selected shots, awaited Amtrak. The fog rolled in, and it came in thick. Pea-soup thick. I bagged Amtrak 5 at Tunnel 12 and 13, but the fog was too thick at T14. I hiked over to the other side of the ridge,a nd bagged in exiting a rock cut, before entering the last tangent in South Draw. Bagged a WB UP manifest shortly thereafter, at the same location. Fog rolled in thick as ever, completely lost sight of tracks--just then, an EB coal load with midtrain and trailing DPUs. Got to listen, couldn't see anything! Hiked out, set up at the EP of Tunnel 18. Snow started falling. Light at first, and heavier as the minutes ticked past. BNSF manifest was clawing thru South Draw about the time we selected shots, snow falling really hard now. Lead unit exits Tunnel 17, we bag our shots in the incredible snowfall. Tripods necessary, as shutter speeds were very slow. After BNSF manifest grinds by at 10 MPH, I set up on the S-curve overlooking Tunnel 18. Snow falling harder than ever now, I miss a coal train while scrambling up a slick snowy hillside! I set up for my shot, EB BNSF manifest pulls to a stop at West Crescent, at Gross Dam Rd. WB coal empty a few mins later chugs out of Tunnel 18, and BNSF manifest pulls. BNSF manifest leaves Crescent as the coal empty clears, and I bag it at the same S-curve. I then set up at a new shot on Tunnel 18, make an MRE, and await a WB.(MRE's are the best railfanning food in the winter--just add water for a hot meal, 20 miles from civilization!) WB coal empty chugs out of Tunnel 18, and we then decide to hike back into South Draw, as the fog was lifted. As we hike into South Draw, we select a new hillside, with better angles on T12-15, looking almost directly down the center of the draw. Fog rolls in and out, MOW shuts the RR down. Fog rolls in, obscures the RR (again), and MOW clears. BNSF manifest grinds thru T12, making barely 10 MPH on the slick rails. Fog rolls in & out, sun occasionally burning thru the scene as thetrain makes its way thru the draw. Train takes roughly 10 minutes to negotiate South Draw! We then hike out of South Draw, and drive to East Portal, bagging the D&SL signals still installed at the east switch of the siding. Coal load exits Moffat Tunnel, and we capture its presence, while snow heavily falls. Bag a coal empty at Tolland, and record the revised east switch of the siding, somewhere around 8300 feet long now. We then drive to Tunnel 29, and set up over the top of the tunnel to bag Amtrak. Amtrak passes thru SBC (only an hour late!), and head home. Day 3: Mike heads to work, while I head to the Flatirons, which are lit brilliantly this time. not a cloud in the sky, and a WB coal empty chugs out of T3. All aluminum hoppers glint in the low sun of first light. Windswept hillside on which I'm perched near Eldorado Canyon state park is chilly, so I drive to Plainview road. I then miss another WB empty as I drive up CO-72. I park at a bike path parking area, and hike up the bike trail, to a location overlooking West Clay, and Tunnel 1 from below. WB UP manifest climbs Big Ten, which I can see in the distance, and stops at West Clay. Amtrak chugs by, close to on-time, and I capture it meeting the manifest, and exiting Tunnel 1. Manifest pulls after Amtrak clears the block, and I grab it at the same place. Time to head home! 130 miles to Cheyenne from Plainview Road.... Hope I haven't bored you too much. Mondays are thick with action! Pics as soon as I have time to process!
