February 13 meeting at Barnes Hall --- |
Two photos © by John Crisanti. |
We
will be presenting Montana Rail Link, the most successful Class II
railroad, through the camera lens of John Crisanti in 2022 and
2023. This presentation across Big Sky Country begins in Billings
and Laurel, Montana, where first and second-generation diesel
locomotives still earn their keep building trains and serving local
customers. The railroad heads west along the Yellowstone River to
Livingston and over Bozeman Pass, succeeding the footsteps of Lewis and
Clark, a daily practice since 1883. The railroad crosses the Rocky
Mountains over Mullan Pass and through the breathtaking scenery of
Western Montana and Northeast Idaho. The story concludes in
Sandpoint, in this colorful presentation of classic, modern mainline
railroading across Montana. We
meet in person for a no cost show at 7:30 pm in Barnes Hall, on the
south side of the church at 2950 S. University Boulevard Denver,
Colorado. Or Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86251105134?pwd=VWRwRUVCbVoyTzhwMWhYbm5scTlqdz09 Meeting ID: 862 5110 5134 Passcode: 496652 |
Upcoming Events: March 12, Club program by Bill Jones on NG Consolidations - - -
Amtrak's
Winter Park Express started Friday, January 12, 2024. It will run
Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from Denver Union Station to Winter Park
Ski Area, Colorado. Last run will be on March 31st. - - - - - - Rocky Mountain Train Show - Spring 2024 April 6th & 7th
Sat 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM - Pre-Registerd TCA/NMRA Members
Sat 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM - Public
Sun 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM - Public National Western Complex 4655 Humboldt St. Denver, CO 80216 - - - - - - May 19, likely date of the annual Club Picnic at the CRRM. |
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| President's Column I
hope everyone enjoyed time with family over the December 2023 break.
January has been fairly quiet as we did not have a club meeting due to
not having a presenter. I started a new job position and am thankful to
still have employment. Retirement is welcome but probably at least 15
years away for me. Please see below for updates on membership, potential
picnic and our grant program. Membership Renewal Update Our
treasurer and I have been working through the monumental task of
membership renewal processing. 2023 ended with around 320 members give
or take after roughly 7 or 8 members passed away throughout the year. To
date there are roughly 65 members who I have not received renewals for.
Some may still be waiting to be processed from the P.O. Box by our
treasurer but I have recorded all PayPal transactions and checks that
have been deposited so far. I would really like to complete resequencing
numbers and mail Membership cards in March this year as opposed to
April like last year. If you have not renewed yet, please please renew ASAP to avoid losing your seniority number!!! Either renew via PayPal at: https://www.rockymtnrrclub.org/membersp_24_Renew.htm or
send in your form that was mailed out in November along with check
payment. If you did not receive a form or misplaced it, you can print a
new form at: https://www.rockymtnrrclub.org/member.htm Complete it and mail it in with your check, address is on the form. May Picnic at the CRRM We
are starting to plan some events for 2024.The Colorado Railroad Museum
in Golden has set aside the late afternoon of Sunday May 19th for our
picnic. We will make every effort to get this date solidified and
reserved. I wanted to let you know now so that you can pencil in the
date on your calendar. We are thrilled that it is not scheduled on
Mother's Day this year as it was in 2023 and hopefully we will get a
better turn out this year. As usual we will have a catered lunch and an
operating steam locomotive or two for a private club trip around the
loop several times! Once we set a time and book a caterer, we will
announce more in the Rail Report. 2023 Mini Grant Applications 2024
marks the 10th anniversary of our Mini Grant program. The Rocky
Mountain Railroad Historical Foundation sponsored our first Mini Grant
program in 2015 and has done so every year since. Do
you know of a railroad history-related project that could use a small
grant for this summer? The Rocky Mountain Railroad Historical Foundation
is looking for individuals or organizations who have a summer project
that could use up to $1000. Full details and the application form can be
found on our website:
www.rockymtnrrclub.org/index.htm Applications
must be received by USPS or email no later than April 30, 2024. The
board will review applications at the May board meeting, and the 2024
recipients will be announced in June 2024. |
In Memory Of Michael Varney of Torrington, WY passed away May 3rd, 2023. He held seniority number 7 and joined the club in 1960. Well-
known author and photographer Mallory Hope Ferrell passed away on
Christmas Day 2023 at the age of 88. He had written more than 20
books, many of them on narrow gauge and short-line railroads.
Retired from the Air Force as a Lt. Colonel, he also flew for several
airlines. Often
times, we receive emails from family of members who have recently
passed away. Other times, the club has mail returned to the P.O. Box
saying it is undeliverable. As it is renewal time, I often search the
internet for obituaries of members holding a low seniority number that
we have not yet received a renewal from. As is the case with Michael
Varney, he was the only one in the top 10 that had not renewed by
January 1st. - - - If anyone knows of a member that has recently passed away, please email us at rails@rockymtnrrclub.org and send us any details so that we may recognize them in this column. - - - |
Winter Park Express started on January 12th |
Amtrak
142, P42DC, led the first 2024 season Winter Park Express 5-car train.
Amtrak train number 1105 met BNSF 9592 East with the Valmy,
Nevada, to Spring Creek, MT, coal empty at Rocky Siding, CO, January 12,
2024. ©2024 Chip |
Amtrak's
Winter Park Express was off to a smooth start leaving Denver Union
Station, Denver, CO, at 7:00 AM sharp Friday, January 12, 2024.
Colorado Governor Polis was aboard the train. All
Denver TV News channels carried the first day Amtrak Winter Park
Express departure. Some reporters were aboard the train
interviewing Amtrak personnel and passengers. Amtrak
provided two P42DC units; 142 and 192. Five Superliner passenger
cars were coaches and one lounge car placed in the middle of the train. The
first day saw Amtrak charging $59 one way to Winter Park Ski Resort and
$49 one way to Denver. The first weekend was the Martin Luther
King Monday holiday. |
Kansas
City Southern 4709, ES44AC, led a loaded 99-car BNSF grain train from
Sweetwater, Montana, headed to Penny Newman Milling Company at Guernsey,
CA. Train was approaching Palmer Lake, CO, on the Joint Line
December 30, 2023. The orange BNSF unit at left was the emergency
power stationed there in case of BNSF locomotive issues climbing the
grade up to Palmer Lake. ©2023 Chip |
Starting
January 1, 2024, BNSF officially resumed the operation and maintenance
of Montana Rail Link. Those of us at BNSF couldn’t be prouder to have
the employees of MRL join team BNSF. We have a very bright future
and many opportunities ahead of us.
We are also
proud of our new Quantum service with J.B. Hunt, which is in full
swing. This breakthrough intermodal service accommodates our
customers’ most service-sensitive highway freight. Our intermodal
service is already strong, but Quantum takes it to another level of
premium service by providing 24/7 oversight of every Quantum load.
We
are ready for the challenges of the new year and look forward to the
opportunities 2024 will bring. (Info courtesy of BNSF Railway) |
Kansas
City Southern 4709 and Canadian Pacific 8732 led BNSF loaded grain
train into Sedalia, CO, December 30, 2023. Train originated in
Canada and was headed for California (export grain). ©2023 Chip |
South Bragdon I-25 Highway Bridge Replaced in mid-December 2023 |
On
the night of December 18th-19th, 2023 BNSF and Colorado Department of
Transportation (CDOT) replaced the railroad bridge over the northbound
lanes of Interstate 25 at South Bragdon, CO, north of Pueblo. The
railroad bridge that was taken out by a southbound BNSF coal load
derailment on October 15, 2023. When the bridge collapsed it fell onto a
northbound semi-tractor trailer taking the life of the driver. The
new bridge was brought to the site from Texas. It was assembled on a
flat site a few hundred yards south of the location. It was lifted by
crane onto a Mammoet self- propelled modular transporter equipped with
hydraulic jacks. The transport was driven onto Interstate 25 traveling
north to the bridge site where the bridge was lifted and turned and
lowered into its final location. The bridge was placed in service the
next day. Crews are still cleaning up the surrounding location. The
bridge placement all took place in the dark. (Larry Green) |
Railroads Show Operating Improvements in 2023 |
Since
the early 2022 Service Crisis, we’ve seen the U.S. railroads,
one-by-one, reach a point where service is arguably fully restored, at
least to where it was prior. CSX was quick to rebound in late 2022, BNSF
made good progress over the first half 2023 and reached a good
operating state by late summer, and now we can declare Union Pacific
running well and in good shape. Union
Pacific reported - After some fairly stagnant operating metrics in the
first half of 2023, followed by a tough summer and then Tropical Storm
Hilary taking out a bridge in southern California in late August,
we saw a visible step-up in UP’s operating performance in September
and October. Over those two months, terminal dwell came down 3.4%
sequentially, the proportion of the car fleet sitting idle for
48 hours or more fell from 1.4% to 1.1%, manifest on-time
performance improved from 72% to 78%, intermodal on-time
performance rallied from 82% to 90%, total car-miles per day
improved from 196 to 224, and private car-miles per day went from 157 to
164. In
November 2023, the icing went on the cake in the form of better network
velocity, plus extended gains in some of these metrics. UP now has
a good operating story to tell, with some of these metrics at or near
multi-year highs. |
Royal Gorge Route Christmas Eve Snow |
The
milepost 165.9 Intermediate Signal shines a high green for the block
directly beneath Colorado's Royal Gorge Bridge. Taken west of Cañon
City, CO, on a clear evening in December 2023. ©2023-2024 Nick
Valdez photo. |
Fresh
snow Dec 24, 2023 in the Royal Gorge along the Arkansas River near the
Hanging Bridge in the snow. This was our turn around point just
beyond the hanging bridge with the Royal Gorge Bridge lit above the
train. It was a magical night indeed! Santa gave me my gift
this year - being blessed by giving back to some 1300 riders that
evening. ©2023-2024 Bruce Barrett |
I
have heard many times that "it is better to give than receive".
For the last three Christmas seasons I have been blessed to be one of
the engineers on the Royal Gorge Route's Santa Express trains. It
is a magical time taking families for rides through the Grand Canyon of
the Arkansas and Royal Gorge to find Santa and the elves. It blesses me
to be able to be part of this experience and give a bit to the memories
of the families that I get to have aboard my trains. This
year, we ran 126 trains with ridership at 40,700 for the season, with
just 7 operating employees providing the crew (engineer, conductor and
hyrail operator) this season. I have volunteered each of the
last 3 years to run the last two Santa Express trains on Christmas Eve,
and I have received such a warm blessing doing this. The families,
and the kids, all were so appreciative - especially on Christmas
Eve. This year we received the gift of snow - wonderful big-flakes
of snow on Christmas Eve which added to the magical aura of the
evening. (The drive home, well, that was a different story-! Bruce
Barrett) |
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Snow
was falling in the Royal Gorge just south of the Hanging Bridge
Christmas Eve, December 24, 2023. ©2023 Bruce Barrett |
Canadian Pacific Veterans Unit CP 7020 on BNSF Grain Train January 2024 |
Rare
Canadian Pacific visitor - CP Veterans Unit #7020 in battleship gray
paint scheme led BNSF grain train down the Joint Line January 8, 2024.
©2024 Ben Helsel |
Canadian
Pacific 7020, SD70ACe, on BNSF 100-car loaded export grain train
Sweetwater, MT, to Modesto, California, train at the USAF Academy north
of Colo Springs, CO, January 8, 2024. Power on the train CP 7020,
BNSF 8094, CP 8849, BNSF 5124, and BNSF 6385 100 loads, 14,128 tons
5,725 feet - Thanks to ©2024 Ben Helsel |
George Washington Lounge Car Ordeal |
Norfolk
Southern switching incident resulted in a loaded covered hopper car
smashing into unoccupied private varnish (PV) George Washington
ex-Pennsylvania RR Budd built square end lounge car at Decatur,
Illinois, August 2022. (Unknown photographer) |
Private
Varnish (PV) George Washington lounge area after loaded covered hopper
car collided with stationary car in the Decatur, IL, rail yard August
2022. (No photographer credit - Special to The Rail Report) |
Pennsylvania George Washington in the 1950's on the Penn Congressional Train courtesy Keith Kirby. |
Historic
Budd Parlor/Lounge named George Washington that ran on the Penn
Congressional Train starting in 1952 was headed to Reading Blue Mountain
& Northern Railroad in January 2024.
The
historic Parlor/ Lounge had been lovingly restored by the late William
Wherely before his death about 12 years ago (2012). After a
lengthy rest in the Southern Arizona Desert , the surviving family sold
the car to it's new owner, Andy Muller Jr/ Reading Blue Mountain &
Northern Railroad. Members of the
Arizona Railroad museum helped prepare the car for it's move via Union
Pacific to Kansas City and then on to NS for the remainder of the trip.
About
two years ago (August 2022), while Norfolk Southern was doing a crew
change in Decatur, IL, a loose loaded plastics hopper car was kicked
into the rear of the George Washington RBMN 563. The car derailed and
suffered significant damage to draft gear, coupler pockets and exterior
skin and some frame damages. The car was no longer able to move in a
regular consist and it's taken a significant amount of time to resolve.
Fortunately, The George Washington is going home at last.
Yet
another historic railroad car has been purchased by Reading Blue
Mountain & Northern Railroad and expectations are high that they
will make the repairs and have the car back in service with their
popular tourist trains soon. Details of the settlement are unknown by
this writer but, it appears that the George Washington (RBMN 563) will
run again. (Shared by the Pirate) The PV George Washington was delivered to the new owner, Andy Muller, in Reading, Pennsylvania, in mid-January 2024. According to an article in the December 1959 issue of Trains magazine, while on the Pennsylvania, the George Washington was the rear car on the special
train that Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev rode between Washington DC and New York on September 17, 1959. |
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Kyle
RR used Utah Railway lettered 5006, MK50-3, and Kyle 3319 plowed open
the Goodland, Kansas, to Burlington, CO, line January 12, 2024.
Train stalled plowing some wind- blown drifts but was freed by the
Kyle RR crews. Train was at Peconic, CO, east of Burlington, CO,
when photographer found train stuck in the snow. ©2024 Daren Genau |
Winter Cancels Amtrak Long Distance Trains |
Operating on a Modified Schedule Due to Winter Storm Gerri Impacting Northwest and Central Regions January 10, 2024 07:30 PM Long Distance Service Empire Builder:
� Trains 7/27 January 11,12,113, canceled in its entirety Chicago to Seattle/Portland
� Trains 8/28 January 11,12,13, canceled in its entirety Seattle/Portland to Chicago Zephyr 5 / 6:
� Train 5 Friday, January 12, canceled betweeen Chicago and Denver
� Train 6 Thursday, January 11, canceled Denver tto Chicago Southwest Chef 3 / 4:
� Train 3 Friday, January 12, canceled inn its entirety Chicago to Los Angeles
� Train 4 Thursday, January 11, ccanceled in its entirety Los Angles to Chicago Coast Starlight:
� Train 144 January 10, 11, 12, canceled between Oakland Jack London Square and Seattle
� Train 11 Thursday, January 11, canceled between Seattle and Oakland Jack London Square
� Train 11 January 12 & 13 canceled in its entirety
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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 on the above INTERMOUNTAIN CHAPTER NRHS link to go to their website. |
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| | Click on the above COLORADO RAILROAD MUSEUM link to go to their website. |
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