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UP UNIT REMOVED!
Posted Tuesday, January 30 2001 at 1517 h MST
The UP unit leading the four SD40T-2s has been removed, presumably at Grand Junction. The four tunnel motors are the only remaining power on the train, which passed Silt at 1445h. Thanks to Bruce on the list for this one. - NDHolmes
DRGW GP40s MOVING TO PADUCAH
Posted Tuesday, January 30 2001 at 0857 h MST
According to a post this morning on the LocoNotes email list, DRGW 3092/3136/3151 are being transferred from National Railway Equipment (NRE) in Mt. Vernon, IL, to VMV in Paducah, KY. There, they'll presumably either be rebuilt or stripped for parts (or both) - either way, they're either going to come out in non-Grande colors or not going to come out at all. - NDHolmes
SEVEN T-MOTORS, TWO TRAINS
Posted Tuesday, January 30 2001 at 0850 h MST
DRGW 5342/5371/5389/5390 are on the first train, which passed Green River, UT, around 0522h this morning and is now in Grand Junction (as of 0821h) Meanwhile, DRGW 5349/5354/5372 (and apparently some UP thing in the lead) are on the second train, tracing at Green River, UT, at 0842h. Have fun, too bad I can't get the day off (and my truck's still incapable of making the trip, but that's another story.) - NDHolmes
SEVEN T-MOTORS ROPER TO DENVER
Posted Monday, January 29 2001 at 2312 h MST
As it looks right now, the "reliable" word is that there will be seven (yes, seven) tunnel motors on MRODV-30 tomorrow. The numbers, for anyone who cares, will be some combination of: DRGW 5392/5390/5389/5372/5371/5354/5349/5342 In other news, just a reminder that DPU operations out of Grand Junction and over the Wasatch are a reality, and the cluster of Grandes in Helper is living on very, very borrowed time. Get over there now, while there's still something to see. Also, DRGW5507 is hanging around Ogden right now, and may come east - we'll have to wait and see. - NDHolmes
SERVER TRANSITION SUCCESSFUL - I HOPE
Posted Sunday, January 28 2001 at 0028 h MST
Looks like everything's gone smoothly, at least so far. Locotrace is, as usual, giving us a few headaches, but hopefully I'll have that cleared up sometime early tomorrow. If anyone notices anything glitchy, please email me at NDHolmes@drgw.net Thanks, and please bear with us while we find and fix all these little issues. Update (1/29 - 1030h): One minor glitch popped up this morning - the outgoing network card failed almost as soon as I got into work. This has been replaced and hopefully will mean an end to any problems. - NDHolmes
TRANSITION OUTAGE
Posted Saturday, January 27 2001 at 1946 h MST
Tonight, for about an hour around 12 midnight Mountain Standard Time, DRGW.NET / RailARC.org will be down so that I can move files between machines and get everything patched together. Never fear, come 1am everything should be back to normal. If it's not, take comfort in the fact I'm probably in a crazed panic. - NDHolmes
DRGW.NET CHANGES
Posted Friday, January 26 2001 at 1842 h MST
In the next week or so, I'll be cutting DRGW.NET over to a brand new server out here in Colorado. Hopefully no-one will notice anything at all, but there always is the possibility something will go wrong. If it does, I assure you we'll be back as soon as humanly possible. Also, I'm strongly considering the idea of a webcam somewhere along the Denver-Salt Lake route or the Joint Line. I can engineer a camera solution for almost anywhere, but I don't have a location at which to install it. If anyone has any ideas, please feel free to make suggestions. - NDHolmes
PURE GRANDE POWER IN CALIFORNIA
Posted Friday, January 26 2001 at 1714 h MST
There's currently a train bound for Ogden, UT, out of California with DRGW 3101/3080/3130/3127 as the only power on the front. It (MRVOG-26) called at Portola, CA, at 1430h today (1/26) with 23 loads, 53 empties, and 4662 feet. Thanks to a post on Trainorders by "larryb" for this information. - NDHolmes
HELPER, UT, UNITS GOING AWAY?
Posted Tuesday, January 23 2001 at 0723 h MST
There has been some discussion and rumor milling lately concerning UP replacing the Helper, UT, helper fleet with DPU running from Grand Junction to Roper (wouldn't this just mean running them Denver to SLC instead of cutting them off?). Apparently this is currently being tested, and if it's successful, the captive fleet of T-2s in Helper will be no more. Needless to say, I'll be trying to get over there in the next couple weeks, just in case. - NDHolmes
WESTBOUND ZEPHYR DERAILS
Posted Saturday, January 20 2001 at 1802 h MST
The lead unit of the westbound Zephyr (Amtrak #5) has evidently derailed between Radium and Yarmony. While not exactly the bottom of Gore Canyon, it's not that far off, and cleanup is sure to be annoying. The power from the eastbound MRODV (two UPs and two DRGWs) was cut off to pull the eastbound Amtrak #6 back to Glenwood. More news as it becomes available... - NDHolmes
LOCOTRACE IS... FIXED?
Posted Friday, January 19 2001 at 1446 h MST
Evidently the problem at UP was noticed either by internal staff or other external customers and repaired - the tracing system is now happily collecting and parsing data again, without any changes/modifiations from us. Sorry for the interruption. - NDHolmes
LOCOTRACER DOWN FOR REPAIR
Posted Friday, January 19 2001 at 1016 h MST
Union Pacific apparently made some system upgrades overnight that interfere with the way Locotrace connects and collects data from the trace. Michael's currently working on the problem, and as soon as I get off work today I'll be working on it as well. We're assuming that this is an innocent incompatibility, since we haven't heard a word from UP on this. - NDHolmes
MOFFAT DERAILMENT WRAP-UP
Posted Thursday, January 18 2001 at 0831 h MST
And now, to wrap up our derailment coverage: The train involved was CCVIMH-12 lead by UP 6873. The incident was caused by a broken wheel three cars behind the swing helpers, and lead to 16 cars hitting the ground. The 25 mph slow order was due to fears that the broken wheel might have caused rail damage, not due to the extreme cold. The main is still out of service, evidently trains are being routed over the siding. Additionally, DRGW5372 and a UP unit are being used on the wreck cleanup train. Thanks to Mike for posting this information to the D&RGW list. - NDHolmes
MOFFAT DERAILMENT, PART 3
Posted Wednesday, January 17 2001 at 2227 h MST
The derailment has apparently been cleaned up, or at least the mainline reopened. Kevin Morgan reports the track is open and there are two slow orders in place - 10 MPH over the west switch at Tabernash and 25 MPH from MP67.0 to MP128.8 (Tabernash to Bond). Evidently the cold has been causing havoc with the rails - there have been a great number of broken rails/joints reported all over the eastern Moffat, and presumably on the west side as well. - NDHolmes
MOFFAT DERAILMENT UPDATE
Posted Wednesday, January 17 2001 at 1423 h MST
Thanks to Bruce out in Silt, CO, and the D&RGW list, I can now add the following about the derailment: Evidently, the derailment was at the west switch at Tabernash last night and was "minor", at least according to the dispatcher at the time. However, the line is still blocked, and trains are backing up everywhere, and Amtrak is affected as noted in my previous post. Don't forget that DRGW 5372 is a stationary subject for photographers at Hot Sulphur Springs! - NDHolmes
ANOTHER MOFFAT DERAILMENT
Posted Wednesday, January 17 2001 at 1049 h MST
For the second time in under a week, one's come off the tracks on the Moffat, this time on the west side of the tunnel. Evidently this one is more serious than BNSF's car-in-tunnel wreck of last week, as Amtrak #5 (the westbound Zephyr) will terminate in Denver, and #6 (the eastbound Zephyr) will be turned at Glenwood Springs and become #5. All of the passengers will be bus-bridged from Denver to Glenwood. Other than that, I haven't heard any more information, and thanks to Kevin Morgan for this little bit. Update #1(1/17 1055h): It appears that there is a tunnel motor (DRGW 5372) trapped west of the derailment in Hot Sulphur Springs - would probably be a good chance to get some shots in the daylight. It also means the derailment is probably between HSS and the Tunnel. - NDHolmes
NEW COLORADO RAILFAN EMAIL LIST
Posted Tuesday, January 16 2001 at 2042 h MST
While I realize this isn't explicitly D&RGW-related content, I thought most of you would be interested in this bit. Within the last few days, a new list has been formed on eGroups for the discussion of anything Colorado and railway related. It's called Colorado-Railfan, and the eGroups' page for the list is here. - NDHolmes
NEW FEATURES
Posted Tuesday, January 16 2001 at 1729 h MST
I've added the first (and most minor) of many new improvements to DRGW.NET that are scheduled to be cut in over the next few weeks. This first new feature is a Photo of the Day, which will cover D&RGW photos from the past and present, along with other various photos of Colorado railroading. Coming shortly are track charts, timetables, and other scanned paper. - NDHolmes
MOFFAT DERAILMENT
Posted Friday, January 12 2001 at 0758 h MST
Sometime this morning, a westbound BNSF train derailed a single car inside Tunnel 27 (just below Cliff). By all estimations, it's not a very serious derailment and should be cleaned up in short order. In other news, parts of what appears to be a GP9 have been found sticking out of the ground over on the old Monarch Branch. Specifically, they're near the Cree Creek crossing just west of Maysville. Hopefully, pending no snow, I'll drive over, have a look, and be able to post a few photos this weekend. Update (0830h-1/13): I actually decided to drive over yesterday, considering the weather for the weekend. The results of the trip are posted in a note to the D&RGW list here. - NDHolmes
DRGW3109 COMING TO DENVER
Posted Wednesday, January 10 2001 at 0910 h MST
Just as a note to anyone on the Front Range today, 3109 is currentlyheaded for North Yard. It passed East Portal at 0834h this morning (1/10).Also, 5361 and 3060 are both still in LaSalle, and there are 9 other variouspieces of Grande power in Denver. In other news, the incident in Glenwood Springsyesterday has apparently been cleaned up and things are now back to normal. - NDHolmes
EX-DRGW 3156 / UP5702 RENUMBERED AGAIN
Posted Tuesday, January 9 2001 at 2107 h MST
Ex-DRGW 3156, which became UP 5702, has been patched to UP1902. Also, in Glenwood Springs, DRGW16881 (a coal car) pulled apart, leaving part of its frame and its lead truck attached to the power. The other end stayed attached to the following westbound empty coal train. Thanks to Herb Edwards and Tom McConnell from the D&RGW list for both of these little bits. - NDHolmes
T-2s FOR DENVER
Posted Monday, January 8 2001 at 0725 h MST
5349/5371/5372 are headed back across towards Denver - tracing at Grand Junction at 6am this morning (1/8). Also of interest in the Denver area is the fact that there are now two Grandes in LaSalle - 3060 and T-2 #5361. Both don't really look like they have anywhere else to be right now, and will probably stick around for a couple days. As usual, 3097 is on the Alamosa run today, and 5389 is coming in over the old KP line from Byers. News may be slow over the next day or two - I once again am headed to Memphis for work. - NDHolmes
KEVIN MORGAN AND MDVRO-6
Posted Sunday, January 7 2001 at 1616 h MST
Kevin Morgan went out after MDVRO-6 yesterday, and has been kind enough to post a few photos on his site, The Unofficial Denver & Rio Grande Western Homepage Check out the link under the first news item, "EMD Thunder". Meanwhile, I was out west, running along the line between Winter Park and Bond. Hopefully I'll get a trip report up "soon". - NDHolmes
LOCOTRACE UPDATE
Posted Sunday, January 7 2001 at 1606 h MST
Thanks to Michael and his coding abilities, Locotracer has gotten a new feature today - a map, showing the number of D&RGW units by state. We're still looking at adding additional features. In addition, I'm currently working on scanning Jan 1989 D&RGW track charts - hopefully these, along with previously promised paperwork scans, will be up shortly. Also, for those of you who would like the full (high-resolution) scans of the track charts, I'll probably be offering a set CD with full 600dpi images on it shortly after they're posted. - NDHolmes
THREE MORE T-2s RETIRED
Posted Sunday, January 7 2001 at 1359 h MST
DRGW 5386/5391 were retired by UP on 12/28/2000, and DRGW 5398 was declared dead on 12/19/2000 according to Don Strack's UP roster change notes. None of these are really a surprise - 5386 is dead at Burnham in Denver, and 5391/5398 are last reported in Southern California. - NDHolmes
TENNESSEE PASS MAIN ACTIVITY
Posted Friday, January 5 2001 at 1648 h MST
DRGW 3129 and some unknown Cotton Belt GP apparently went up the ex-TP mainline this afternoon, starting in Pueblo and making it at least as far up as Buena Vista. Thanks to Ken from the D&RGW list for posting this one. Also, DRGW3109 is in Hotchkiss out on the North Fork branch right now. Since I've never been to see the NF line (aside from where it comes through Delta to Grand Jct), I think that might be tomorrow's expedition in view of the good weather. If anyone has any knowledge of train flow/density/good shots, please let me know. - NDHolmes
MORE DRGW POWER FOR DENVER
Posted Friday, January 5 2001 at 1037 h MST
DRGW 5349/5371/5372 are headed for Denver this afternoon/tonight. They last traced at Grand Junction at 0658h this morning (1/5), and are expected in North Yard early (0200h) tomorrow morning. Going the other way, DRGW3100 is headed west from Denver to Grand Jct, last tracing at Bond around 0930h. Also, DRGW 5385 is headed west to Roper, last tracing at Green River, UT, around 0819h. As usual, 3060 is in LaSalle, and 3097 is on the Alamosa run today. It's a nice day out there... In other news, it looks like the number of Grandes on the deadlines or being repainted is increasing rapidly. 5509 has apparently been repainted, and 3080/3113/3117/3120/5391/5398 are all looking a bit non-mobile out in California. This could be due to traffic slowdowns, or the holidays, but some of these haven't moved in a month... - NDHolmes
GRANDES COMING OVER THE MOFFAT
Posted Thursday, January 4 2001 at 0857 h MST
For those of you in Denver, it looks like the day to take that extra-extra-long lunch break. DRGW 5356/5390/3085 passed Kremmling at 0836h this morning (01/04), and should be in yet this morning or early afternoon. In other news, it looks like there may be four tunnel motors down at Burnham now - 5405/5406/5376/5386 are all looking rather dead, and none of them have moved in at least two weeks. All I can say is make it one of your New Year's resolutions to take every opportunity to see them in action, at this rate they won't last the year (though honestly I hope and expect at least some will). Update (01/04 - 1100h): The three units passed Granby at 0944h, haven't traced at East Portal yet. - NDHolmes
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