Photo
Above-Rocky Mountaineer RMRX 8021 and 8020, GP40-3, handled
westbound crew training run, no passengers, from UP's 36th Street Yard,
Denver, to Glenwood Springs, CO, on March 26, 2023. Rocky Mountaineer
commenced their passenger trips to Moab, UT, on April 16, 2023.
©2023 Chip |
Upcoming Programs: **** NO June meeting at Barnes Hall!!! **** July 11 - Program by Kit Courter |
Upcoming Events: May
14 - Club picnic and steam event at the Colorado RR Museum in Golden,
Colorado. This will take the place of the monthly meeting. August 30 - September 2: National Narrow Gauge Convention at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Aurora, Colorado. September 16 - Club visit to Colorado Live Steamers in September. Also, Lakewood Car 25 open house at the Federal Center |
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| Rocky Mountain Railroad Club - Rail Report Denver, Colorado |
Denver Address; PO Box 2391, Denver, CO |
President's Column by Andy Dell As of Friday April 14th, all membership cards were printed and sent out. If you have not received your card, please email me @ andydell76@gmail.com Our picnic at the Colorado Railroad Museum is coming up Sunday May 14th and we are hoping for a good turnout. The deadline for purchasing tickets is May 5th. Visit https://www.rockymtnrrclub.org/Event_Tickets.htm to buy picnic tickets through PayPal |
2023 Mini Grant Applications The
board will be reviewing applications at the May board meeting, and the
2023 recipients will be announced in the June 2023 Rail Report. So far
to date, we have received eleven applications and the due date was April
30th. Rocky Mountain Railroad Historical Foundation Donations If
you are looking to make a tax-deductible donation, the Historical
Foundation is a worthy cause. Your donations help fund our five mini
grants of up to $1,000 each that are awarded each May. PayPal is not an
option for Foundation donations. Donations should be by personal check
made out to “Rocky Mountain Railroad Historical Foundation” and sent to: Rocky Mountain Railroad Historical Foundation PO Box 2391 Denver, CO 80201-2391 |
Union
Pacific's Steam Team should be making an announcement in May about the
4014 Big Boy's scheduled trip for this year. The final plans are being
made and once they are approved, an official statement will be released
on their website. Check out the full UP 4014 Big Boy schedule by pressing the Learn More link. |
UP CEO Lance Fritz Visited Colorado, April 3, 2023 |
Union
Pacific's chairman and president Lance Fritz visited northern Colorado
traveling by private train between La Salle and Denver, CO, during
the early evening of April 3, 2023. He met with U.S. representative
Yadira D. Caraveo, the representative for Colorado's 8th congressional
district. Lance
M. Fritz is Union Pacific chairman, president and chief executive
officer. He became chairman of the board effective Oct. 1, 2015. Mr.
Fritz's train was handled by UP 4404 and 43 with nine cars. The last
three cars were Harriman dome lounge, Omaha diner and Idaho theater
track inspection car. The
train included (UPP prefix) 2066 power car, 114, 1605, 5817 baggage
car, 102 business car, 315, 9004 Harriman, 302 dining car and 203 Idaho
track inspection car. |
UPP 203
named Idaho theater track inspection car was on UP Chairman Lance
Fritz's train at La Salle, CO, April 2, 2023. The train arrived before
sunrise from Council Bluffs, Iowa, and laid over there that day. ©2023
Chip |
Union
Pacific 4404 and 4533 handled a 9-car executive special out of
La Salle, CO. The train was headed for an overnight stay at Denver,
CO, April 3, 2023. ©2023 Chip |
Rocky Mountaineer Training Runs March 2023 |
Rocky
Mountaineer RMRX 8021 and 8020, GP40-3, handled a westbound crew
training run with no passengers from UP's 36th Street Yard, Denver to
Glenwood Springs, CO, on March 26, 2023. The Rocky Mountaineer commenced
their passenger trips to Moab, UT, on April 16, 2023. ©2023
Chip |
Union Pacific Engineering Special March 20-22, 2023 |
Westbound
UP 4404, SD70M with wings on the nose, led engineering inspection train
between Salina, KS, and Denver, CO, east of Hugo, CO, March 21, 2023.
©2023 Chip |
Union
Pacific UPP 9005 dome lounge car, named Walter Dean, rolled into
Pueblo, CO, March 22, 2023. The trip from Denver to La Junta, CO, was
expedited by BNSF dispatch using main track 2 between Littleton via
Castle Rock to Palmer Lake, CO. ©2023 Chip |
Union Pacific 4404 on 10-car engineering inspection train � Union
Pacific ran a 10-car engineering inspection train across their system
in late March 2023. Train originated at Council Bluffs, Iowa and made
its first layover at Salina, Kansas, March 20, 2023. UP 4404 West consist (all UPP): 314 'Columbia River'
5817 'Pony Express'
119 'Kenefick' business car
5769 (flag car)
1610 'Portola'
200 'Omaha' executive sleeper
9005 'Walter Dean' dome lounge
5011 'City of Denver' dining car
and 420 'Fox River' theater inspection car On March 21st, the train operated over the Kansas Pacific line from Salina, KS, to Denver, CO. For
March 22nd, the engineering special departed UP's North Yard, Denver,
southbound on the Joint Line. BNSF dispatch expedited the special at
Littleton, CO, using main track 2, normally used by northbound trains,
to Palmer Lake, CO. The
UP 4404 engineering special was delayed at Swink, CO, and La Junta, CO,
for over 6 hours due to high winds. The train was enroute to Vaughn,
New Mexico. |
Gensets Moved from Grand Junction to Denver |
Union Pacific has sold their 55 Gensets to
Larry's Truck and Electric (LTEX). Five Gensets; UPY 2739, 2745,
2719, 2741, and 2750, were on the Grand Junction, CO, to North Yard,
Denver, CO, train March 26, 2023 in Coal Creek Canyon, CO ©2023
Chip |
Union
Pacific sold their 55 Genset model 3GS21B units to LTEX Rail
Services in February 2023. These environmentally-friendly units were
used in California and Texas. They were not successful yard units and
none saw service in Colorado. They were stored at Denver and Grand
Junction, CO. UPY 2745 and 2719 at Pinecliffe, CO, March 26, 2023. ©2023
by Chip. |
California Zephyr Memories |
February 1965 - Photo courtesy Keith Kirby The Vista-Dome California Zephyr made its first run on March 20, 1949. Twenty-one years and two days later on March 22, 1970, the train made its final run. The California Zephyr pioneered
the concept of a rail cruise. It was scheduled to pass through the most
scenic portions of its route in the daylight. It
featured five Vista-Domes during most of its operational life. The dome
seats were unreserved. It took six sets of equipment to make the train
run daily. The Burlington, the Rio Grande and the Western Pacific
provided the cars. The discontinuance of the California Zephyr played a significant role in the creation of Amtrak. Once the California Zephyr was discontinued, any and all passenger trains were at risk. A year and one month after the California Zephyr made its last run, Amtrak took over operation of most of the passenger trains in the United States on May 1, 1971. |
Vestas Wind Energy Nacelles Moved by UP |
Vestas
Wind Energy nacelles were loaded onto heavy duty flatcars at the
Brighton, CO, factory April 5, 2023. Vestas continues shipping via
Union Pacific RR. ©2023 Chip |
Steam Returns to Abilene & Smoky Valley RR in 2023 |
Former
Santa Fe engine 3415, a 4-6-2 Pacific, will operate on the Abilene
& Smoky Valley RR out of Abilene, Kansas, starting Memorial Day
weekend, May, 2023. Per General Manager Ross Boelling, there's
still service time on 3415's boiler, allowing operations this year.
Locomotive 3415 is expected to run most weekends in June and July. No
steam trips are scheduled for August. Steam operations should resume in
September until October 8th. It will then be shopped for necessary
maintenance work, for perhaps two years. It will cost an estimated $3
million in shop work to keep this handsome engine running.
Check out their website by clicking on Learn More- |
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ENSCO
is proud to support the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA)
Transportation Technology Center (TTC) as the prime contractor
conducting research, engineering, testing, and training as well as
operating and maintaining this important US Department of Transportation
facility. |
| | Click above INTERMOUNTAIN CHAPTER NRHS link to go to their website. |
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| | Click above COLORADO RAILROAD MUSEUM link to go to their website. |
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