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PHOTOS FROM TODAY AND MORE TP RUNS
Posted Saturday, January 24 2004 at 2133 h MST
Today's run (CSOTP-18) didn't actually get to Minturn as hoped, but rather stopped at Sage, CO, one siding west of the end of current operations (Gypsum). Power, as expected, was UP 8126 on the west, UP 7050 on the east, and UP 6166 (ex-SP 115) in the middle. It arrived at Dotsero around noon, and I caught up with it (and fellow fan Todd Busse) as they were tying it down at Sage. A few photos, for those interested:
Photo 1: Coming back from East Sage with the light power
Photo 2: Past the cut of cars - power on the siding, cars on the main
Photo 3: The crew heads back to GJC with the light power
Photo 4: Westbound along Hwy 6 east of Gypsum, CO
Photo 5: The light power crosses over the bridge in Gypsum, CO
Photo 6: And finally, let's not forget whose bridge this really is...
If the snowstorm predicted for tomorrow doesn't cause any significant problems, there are one or two more sets expected to be stored on the TP main on Monday. These trains, CSOTP-19 and -24, are on their way, and are expected to be stored beyond Eagle (but hopefully not beyond Wolcott) , based on information from one of the UP officals by way of Todd B. CSOTP-19 is already on the Grande, powered by UP 6344, 6578, and 6536 (trace car 45435) and having passed Arvada in the early evening. CSOTP-24 is still in Illinois, powered by UP 6833 and 6391, with a trace car of 38059.
Thanks for the information to Todd Busse, the UP crew and officials on site today, and my source that gave me the first tip. - NDHolmes
TRAIN TO MINTURN ALERT
Posted Friday, January 23 2004 at 2011 h MST
Just got a note from someone who should definitely be in the know (identity withheld to protect the helpful) indicating that there's a train on the system right now called CSOTP-18 that's supposed to drag another load of empties up from Glenwood Springs clear up to Minturn for storage. Apparently power is UP 7050, 6166, and 8126, and one of the cars in the movement is UP 45552. As I get more information on this one, I'll post it. - NDHolmes
DRGW 5391 / 5413 ON THE WAY TO MAINE
Posted Tuesday, January 20 2004 at 1143 h MST
DRGW 5391 and 5413 have been sent to the Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway from the Wheeling and Lake Erie. Shipped along with four other SD40-2 type units, these will supplement the MM&A's GE power and other miscellaneous lease units. They're on CSXT at the moment, and will apparently be interchanged with the New England Central at Palmer, MA, for movement to the MMA. Thanks to Trainorders news for this bit. - NDHolmes
DRGW 5390 HEADING WEST ON THE LA&SL
Posted Friday, January 16 2004 at 0842 h MST
5390, having been released from Roper after its inspection, was placed on MROWC-14 yesterday - Roper to West Colton (CA) manifest. This may not be a good thing, as Yermo, just east of Barstow, CA, and en route, is one of the big dead lines of UP power at the moment, including several T-motors. I haven't heard whether or not 5390 is up and running or not yet. If it was dead in tow, things are bleak. Otherwise, it might just be out for a test run. (Update - 1/15/04 1320h): Apparently it's just being sent to LA to get its wheels turned. Nothing wrong with it, and it's supposed to be sent back for local service once the wheels are fixed. - NDHolmes
AND THE JOINT LINE CAMERA LIVES!
Posted Monday, January 12 2004 at 1706 h MST
Thanks to Mike Keithly and Lee Ryan today, the Joint Line camera is now up and running. It's going to require some tuning yet, and hopefully I'll find a way to get rid of those annoying light rail trains that show up every couple minutes, but it's there and working. I'll be updating the Past Images section tonight to both be more useful and be more user-friendly. In the meantime, have a look at it here. Update (12-Jan 1700h): Well, it might not live long. I just spoke with Mike, and we may have just hit a rather serious snag that might put the whole project in jeopardy. If anybody else has a location that's suitable, please let me know, because we might need it. - NDHolmes
NEW TRIP REPORT POSTED
Posted Sunday, January 11 2004 at 2051 h MST
It's not necessarily Rio Grande related (but there are a few DRGW units at NRE's storage lines near the end, including GP30 3007), but I just posted my trip report from the holidays. Basically it covers Iowa Interstate and Iowa, Chicago & Eastern operations in and around Davenport, IA - essentially where I grew up. You can start by reading the abstract or just jump straight into the report itself. Enjoy! - NDHolmes
WEEKEND WRAP-UP
Posted Sunday, January 4 2004 at 2204 h MST
As my life slowly starts to get back to normal after the holidays, I figured I'd wrap up what's new in DRGW land. In motive power news, DRGW 5390 is up for its triennial inspection and as such has left Utah on a loaded coal train. My guess is that it will eventually be routed to North Platte or Denver Diesel (Burnham) for this task. Hopefully no yellow graffiti will show up while she's in for service. Jim Belmont also noted that 5392 has left Salt Lake - it's now reported as being in the dead line at North Platte. No word on why it was moved, but it happened in mid-November 2003. For those keeping track, DRGW 3007, 3060, and 3084 were spotted at NRE's Silvis, IL, facility over the holidays, along with SCRX 3141 (ex-DRGW 3141).
Quinn Clegg has just put up a new website that will eventually have quite a few interesting historical photos from in and around the Salt Lake area. You can see it here.
Tim Tonge has been scanning some of his vintage DRGW material from the 1980s, and that's coming in the next week or so. I've also received some other new paper material lately that will be going online shortly. Also in the works are trip reports on the IC&E, Iowa Interstate, Montana Rail Link, and Southern Cali in October. That's all for now - enjoy the week!
Update (1/6 - 1410h): The trace provided a bit of bogus information. 5390 is at Roper being inspected, and should be returned to Helper as soon as that's completed. So there's no danger of it wandering away or getting a yellow splotch on the side. Thanks to Jim Belmont for pointing that out. - NDHolmes
HAPPY NEW YEAR
Posted Thursday, January 1 2004 at 2006 h MST
Well, 2004 is certainly starting off with a bang (but not necessarily a good one) in DRGW country. Amtrak 6 (the eastbound Zephyr) apparently lost both units crossing Utah today, leaving the train over ten hours late at this point. The plan (or so I've heard) is to drag power west from Grand Junction to pull it in. Here's to hoping at least one of the GE motors can still generate HEP, or that's going to be a lot of cold, angry passengers.
In a completely separate incident not on Grande rails, Amtrak 5 (the westbound Zephyr) has derailed near Shed 10 in the Sierra Nevada on the former SP main. Speculation is that it's due to the large snowfall currently going on over Donner Pass. Only a few cars are off the rails, and based on what I've read so far, they're going to move the passengers to the remaining cars and take them back to Sparks.
Sorry I've been rather quiet for a while - things have been a bit busy with my real life. In other good news, tentatively it looks like we're moving forward with the camera again as well. There will be other goodies coming shortly as well, including a new trip report and a new route information system that will tie together information about routes, towns, operations, etc. - NDHolmes
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