Personal Projects, Photography, and Pointless Pontifications
Three Grande Locals
The Cañon City Local – Feb 20, 2003
2003 will almost undoubtably be the last year for seeing pure Rio
Grande power operating Union Pacific trains. We, as fans, are lucky
it’s even lasted until now. Only thanks to the fine condition of DRGW
power and the Southern Pacific’s aversion to painting anything has it
lasted this long – nearly 15 years after the Rio Grande disappeared as
an operating entity. While we’ve certainly seen the end of large,
mainline Rio Grande trains, several locals around the system are still
reliable bets for drawing some, if not all Grande power.
Most recently, the Cañon City Local (UP symbol LDS53), running from
Pueblo, CO, to its namesake town, has been drawing at least one, if not
more Rio Grande GP40-2s. Normally, the run only goes as far as the
Holcim cement plant at Portland, but on Mondays and Thursdays it travels
clear to Cañon City, where it delivers coal to the local generating
station. Last month, Paul Birkholz went out after it and posted a few
photos on his website, Mountain West Rail.
I’ve been putting it off, with work or poor weather often getting in
the way of taking a Monday or Thursday off. Finally, following Paul’s
advice of, “Get ye butt down to Pueblo. You’re less than an hour away!
Don’t delay!”, I managed to cancel or pawn off several meetings and I
got Thursday, 20-Feb-2003, to go chase. As luck would turn out, I
managed to get three Grandes, for a perfect solid set, on Thursday’s
train. The weather wasn’t the greatest, going from foggy to hazy to
sunny to overcast (and repeating parts of the cycle), but even so it was
well worth the time.
Thursday’s Cañon City local run started out at a mildly foggy 1000h here at the west end of the Pueblo yard.
Wasting no time, the crew brings the local uphill at Goonight, CO.
Through the Goodnight switch, 3109, 3118, and 3111 head out onto the single track. I thought about trying to catch them again near Swallows, but radio chatter confirmed they were moving much too fast (or I was moving much too slow) for that.
Passing the CP145.5 signal, 3109 West approaches the Holcim cement yard at Portland, CO.
I couldn’t decide which Portland bridge shot I liked better, so I didn’t figure anyone would mind if I put in this one, too.
A sight not to be seen much longer – pure D&RGW power on one of those classic silver truss bridges (crossing the Arkansas River at Portland, CO).
One of the other two occupants of the line, Rock and Rail 301 and 401 were sitting at Florence, CO. 301 is an ex-SP GP30, and 401 is, surprisingly enough, ex-DRGW GP40 3140.
The crew only did a minimal amount of work at Portland, dropping off the empties for the day. Within 15-20 minutes, they were again westbound at Florence with the coal loads for the Cañon generating station.
With several traffic delays between Florence and Cañon City, I barely made it into town ahead of the local. Here it is coming through the siding, since the Cañon City & Royal Gorge’s passenger cars are occupying the main line. Also, the generating station is served from a spur off the siding.
Pushing the incoming loads into the west end of the plant, under the watchful eyes (or rather, cameras) of fellow fan Ken Graczyk and myself.
It just won’t be the same next year when it’s a UP geep on the front.
With the loads dropped, 3111, 3118, and 3109 sit near the west end of the siding.
Finished switching the new loads into the plant, the crew takes the power to the other end of the facility to pull out the empties from Monday.
Backing through the east plant gate…
Everything put back together and the brakes set up, the crew prepares takes DRGW 3111 east towards Pueblo. It’s now about 1330h. They do need to stop twice on the way back – first at the convenience store for some lunch, and second at Portland to deal with the cars from earlier.
While the crew stopped for something to eat, I ran over to see these four Progress Rail Services units. They’re ex-GP35s (now rebuilt to who-knows-what), and were parked on the spur near S. 8th Street.
With everybody back on board, 3111 heads east across East Main Street in Cañon City. Somehow in the last ten minutes, the skies had gone from hazy to cloudy. This horrid lighting would hold for the rest of the day.
Arriving back at Portland, there’s work to be done for Holcim cement. The loads need to be brought out of the yard and the empties put in, which will consume nearly an hour.
Even though the weather’s gone to hell, I arrived at Portland to find that Ken was already there, video camera set up to capture their arrival.
3111 and train round the bend at Swallows after completing their work at Portland.
The last shot of the day is the returning eastbound climbing along the Arkansas River canyon near Swallows. It’s now 1540h, and in another twenty minutes the train will tie up in Pueblo. Unfortunately, due to road conditions, I’ll be about 90 seconds too late to photograph its arrival.
The Colorado Springs Local – Jan 24, 2003
Next is my morning out with the Colorado Springs local job (UP symbol YCO65). This train serves industries in and around Colorado Springs, especially those north of Fillmore. While Rio Grande power used to be common on the job, lately it’s usually been held by a UP or SSW geep. So, when the job got a Rio Grande again (DRGW 3109), I took a morning to go follow it around. It’s not an overly challenging piece of railfanning, but it’s some interesting industrial trackage, as well as a piece of the old Rock Island main through town. With only a short run of a few miles, there are limited photo opportunities, but it was a beautiful morning to railfan. The entire job for the day was to switch about three industries north of the former Rock main, and then head back to the yard, but this took a few hours and provided a number of interesting shots.
Getting a not-so-early start, the Colorado Springs local crew crosses over Beacon Street in the shadow of Pikes Peak. This is the former Chicago, Rock Island, & Pacific mainline into Colorado Springs. Somewhat ironically, I grew up along this same line, except nearly a thousand miles east of this point.
The heavily-vandalized Rio Grande crummy, DRGW 01513, tags along on the end of the train due to the reverse moves that are often necessary on this job. Even if it does look bad, how many jobs in 2003 do you see with a Grande caboose on the end? It’s passing near where the old Santa Fe main crossed this former Rock Island line.
The first task of the day is to switch some empty centerbeam flats out of an industry just north of East Harrison Street and then shove these loads back to replace them.
Loads delivered, 3109 squeals back off the spur onto the main branch.
That accomplished, the crew pulls the DRGW 3109 back down the former Rock to go service the next spur. The one in the foreground is the one just serviced, and the one with the centerbeam off to the right is the one that crosses Fillmore Street between Stone Ave. and El Paso St.
After retrieving a few more boxcars from what remains of the local (over on the branch itself, a few blocks south of here), 3109 and crew are back and shoving them the other way through this switch.
No, I’m perfectly safe and in the clear. There’s a jog in the tracks that, with the help of my telephoto, just makes it look like I’m having a stare-down with 3109. It’s returning to the switch near the Arby’s parking lot on Fillmore from switching loads into the industries along North Century St.
Nothing says small radius like industrial trackage…
As you can see, many of the curves on this line are really old turnouts that have been woven together into today’s spurs. There used to be a great number more…
With its work done for the day, 3109 returns light across North Century Street, just north of Fillmore.
The crew backs 3109 around this corner, where they’ll bring her to a stop and head on in to Arby’s for lunch.
How more fitting than the last holdouts of General Palmer’s road living out their last days in the town he founded.
The Dirt Train – Nov 23, 2002
Finally, Helper, UT’s Dirt Train (UP symbol LJP45) is probably the best known example of a local that still draws Rio Grande power. Thanks to the dedication of several people, Helper has been the last bastion of large Rio Grande power. Four of the five remaining tunnel motors are based out of there (5377 is on the loose as I write this, wandering about Texas), and they have a very good record of keeping them around and keeping them running. It would appear that, for the moment, it’s a safe haven from the Armour Yellow paint gun and the endless onslaught of SD70Ms. On my way to California in late November to visit family, I routed us through Helper so that I’d have yet another morning watching the four motors work.
Nearing the longest day of the year, the sun had barely broken the horizon by the time the four motors showed up in Price, UT, with the Saturday Dirt Train.
Just one of those cool morning sunlight shots of the four motors leading through Price.
Below the Grassy Creek trestle, the four units and trailing trash cans work up the Sunnyside branch.
That has to be one sight I’ll never be tired of – watching solid Rio Grande power out in the desert. Even if it is just moving trash.
It wouldn’t really be a Helper trip without at least the mandatory “arriving the ECDC landfill” shot, taken from the grade crossing to the west.
Work completed, the four drift back towards the mainline near Mounds.
While parking the truck, I wondered why the East Mounds signal was lit and green over red. Well, the reason shot past before I could even get the camera out – a westbound BNSF Denver-Stockton manifest with KCS 2030 in the consist.
It may officially be Union Pacific now, but thanks to the efforts of some devoted individuals in and around Helper, it still looks like the Grande runs the place.
Photo 42
5349 heads around the curve to bring the Sunnyside branch down to align with the main at Mounds.
Bringing up the rear, 5371 trails through the corner.
With the BNSF manifest out of the way, the four motors get a highball off the branch.
Back on the road towards California (after lunch at Grogg’s), we spotted UP 8557 (a real, 6000hp SD90MAC) leading this Utah coal trail just north of Castle Gate. Note this is run-through power – this is actually a Utah Railway train and crew. The Utah is using more UP power, since its six MK5000Cs are all out with engine/alternator problems (broken cranks, spun bearings, etc.)
Manned helpers are alive and well on Soldier Summit, at least as far as the Utah Rwy is concerned. The previous train, led by 8557, has these six units spliced in the middle.
Near Detour, UT, Utah 9005 leads an eastbound empty beneath a crystal blue sky.
And finally, just as evidence that the Utah will never fail to amaze, MPEX 5000, the world’s only SD50M-3, is the third unit in the consist. It’s an SD45 shell combined with SD50-style innards and a spare MK5000C cab – a true Morrison-Knutsen original. It’s out here providing power while the real MK5000Cs are in the shops being repaired.
All shots in this trip report were taken with a Canon EOS D30 with a Sigma 28-80mm f3.5-5.6 lens or a Canon 75-300mm f4-5.3 IS/USM.
This work is copyright 2024 by Nathan D. Holmes, but all text and images are licensed and reusable under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license. Basically you’re welcome to use any of this as long as it’s not for commercial purposes, you credit me as the source, and you share any derivative works under the same license. I’d encourage others to consider similar licenses for their works.
