POTD - A Crossover Before Crossing Over Palmer Divide

It's been quite a while since we've had a Photo of the Day, so it should be a good one! A new photographer has been making quite an impact over at RailPictures.net. His name is Timothy Tonge and his photos, while not all from Colorado, hold nothing back in the way of beauty and sight lines! A prime example of this is his photo of a BNSF grain train heading south at Spruce, Colorado on the Joint Line between Colorado Springs and Denver late on a summer evening, July 11, 2019.

Photo of the Day by Timothy Tonge

As Mr. Tonge also points out, Spruce was one of the locations where the main lines of the Rio Grande (lower, left) and Santa Fe (right) crossed over each other. By the middle of the frame, the former Rio Grande main is the curving grade on the right! All of this was a fight to gain the elevation needed to crest the Palmer Divide just a couple miles distant.

Those familiar with the line will notice something a little strange about this shot. Although there are 4 locomotives, they are all trailing as pushers. The train is following the right-hand rule that is almost always in place on the Joint Line, allowing both UP and BNSF to use the former Rio Grande and former Santa Fe main lines as a double-tracked expressway for most of its distance between Denver and Walsenburg. It is remarkable that despite mergers, this has remained a two-railroad district for over a century!

PS: There is a theme to the Photos of the Day over the next week. While they all feature the same photographer, railroad, and section of the Joint Line, there is also a hidden theme that will be revealed on the 15th.⚒

Video - Gerald Sharp's Run 8! Roaring EMDs On Tennessee Pass

On long, windy, winter nights, videos from summers past remind me that there are warm summer days still to come in Colorado, even in the high mountain parks and peaks, canyons, valleys and playful creeks. Only a few months remain to plan our trips to the tracks, even if it's a daydream of a trip. Winter's hold still lingers, and while it does, we can watch videos both historic and recent.

Gerald Sharp recently uploaded a Gerfmon production titled Run 8! Roaring EMDs On Tennessee Pass, Colorado 1992. Although it's considerably lengthy at 34 minutes, it may turn out to be worth your while. The video follows two trains on two different days as they take on helpers at Minturn, Colorado and proceed up the 3% grade to the summit tunnel atop Tennessee Pass, between Eagle-Vail and Leadville.

If you are short on time, the highlights include: Rio Grande SD40T-2 and GP40s pulling out of Minturn, Rio Grande manifest rounding a curve eastbound ascent, and one long, continuous shot of an SP manifest with TOFC through a high mountain park. Really, though, the whole video is worth your time, especially to see the helper operations. (Oh, Lord!)



As long as you're here, I have a small but growing number of playlists the CR YouTube channel. Enjoy!◊