14-06-20 PHOTOS: Omaha! - Part 2

Time for Part two of my summer 2014 trip on the California Zephyr. This section covers the former CB&Q main line from Creston, IA through to Princeton, IL. Remember, one of our two P42DC engines has been shut down due to an air problem and combined with a large number of MoW possessions we are slowly losing time all across the route.

If you forgot you can find all of the photos here.

Like I said we begin a Creston, but instead of using the majestic old station we use the new BNSF station which also doubles as a crew base. At least it offers ice as an amenity.

A local short line is using Montana Rail Link SD9 #610.

Track 1 had a major tie replacement project going on. I was told this was due in part to the harsh 2013/14 winter.

East end of the Creston yard with BN painted SD70MAC #9438, SD70ACe #9232 and ES44AC #6179.

Remainder of the MoW gang with grain elevators in the background.

After crossing over to track #1 at CP-381 we forced a pair of unit coal trains to hold short of the Osceola Station to allow passengers to cross track 2. The first of these is headed by ES44AC #6430.

And the second by a pair of elephant style ES44AC's including #5948.

Amtrak Osceola station.

CSX AC4400 #663 was a bit far from home hauling an empty coal train near Woodburn.

ES44AC #5905 was pushing on the rear.

Another adorable ancient truss bridge.

Chariton, IA is an active BNSF station, but Amtrak no longer stops here.

Another east coast unit, NS C44-9W #9806, was on the head of a unit oil train.

The pointless arrow is alive and well at Ottumwa, IA.

For some reason the wooden roofs had been torn off the main line platform canopies.

14-06-20 PHOTOS: Omaha! - Part 1

Anyway it is time again to continue my latest transcontinental Amtrak trip featuring my second trip on the California Zephyr. Last time we reached the shining city of Denver and its brand new Union Station. After a refreshing night's sleep I awoke in Nebraska and by the time I had finished with breakfast the train had come to a stop in Omaha, which is located on the Missouri River. This is the home of Berkshire Hathaway, home f Warren Buffet, and Offut Air Force Base, home of the Strategic Air Command.

I don't have much else to explain in the preamble so if you are interested in the full set of photos you can view them here Due to the length of the set I am going to have to once again break things up into two parts.

We begin with a shot of Union Pacific TOWER B, which was installed as part of a large 1930's downtown station project along with two additional Towers, A and C. Of course we are on the former Chicago, Burlington and Quincy route through the city, now operated by BNSF.

The Amplatform is located in front of the old CBQ station.

Of course the majestic station is no longer used for Amtrak trains and sat dormant for decades. However it is currently being rehabilitated, although I believe it is for offices and won't host Amtrak trains.

You can see some of the workers working under the old station canopy.

Amtrak passengers were accomidated by an honest to God Amshack.

Our lead engine was P42DC #22.

Unfortunately our trailing engine, #173, blew a seam on the main air tank. In an effort to cut out the tank the engineer also shut down the engine. Remember this because it not only made us lose much more time, but almost doomed the train.

I only found this out later, but Omaha had both the CBQ station and a Union Station, which was located across the track. Seen here in this photo it had since been turned into a science museum.

While we were waiting a UP train with SD70MAC #4902 and KCS ES44AC #4810.

This was followed by a unit train of powder river coal powered by two AC4400s #5809 and #7218.

View departing the station with the UP connector tracks.

 South of town was the BNSF Omaha intermodal facility.

With a hi-rail truck waiting on the yard lead.

The route gives the train views of the E-4 Nightwatch airborne command posts stationed at Offut AFB. These are known as the Doomsday Planes. 

14-06-19a PHOTOS: Here We Go Denver - Part 2

Well its tine to finish to the remainder of my 2014 transcontinental trip across Colorado on Amtrak's California Zephyr. If you remember from last time I covered the route from Grand Junction through to the "Steven" Moffat Tunnel. Today we will be heading into Denver and checking out its brand new Union Station complex, which was still under construction when I last took this train in 2012. Finally I used some remaining daylight to take some photos on the former CB&Q route heading east out of the mile high city.

If you didn't remember from the last post you can find the full set of photos right here.

We begin heading down the crazy switchback that bring trains up from the flat plains and into the high Rocky Mountains. Hanging out in the aptly named "Rocky" siding is a westbound train with BNSF C44-9W #4862, BNSF ES44C4 #7132 and CSX ES44AC #3156. These were visible out the side window on a lower level of the switchback.

What's all this construction that's appeared since 2012? A new freeway? Nope...this is Denver's future commuter rail line to the airport. It will run along side the former DRG&W RoW until curving up towards the airport. 

Looking past the eastbound searchlight signal bridge at Utah Junction we can see the ramp that will be used by the commuter rail trains to bypass all the congestion of the Denver terminal area. Hopefully Amtrak will get to use it too as it could save 20-30 minutes on the running time.

Another rare find. CNW painted AC4400 #6712 on the front of a loaded coal train south of Utah Jct.

UP ES44AC #8146 on either the front or rear of another coal train at the south end of the old DRG&W yard.

Lots of classic DRG&W searchlights at Fox Junction.

To get into the station Amtrak trains have to pull past the BNSF diesel shop and then back all the way in. Here is the diesel shop as we pull down the east leg of the wye.

One of the crew of a nearby BNSF train was nice enough to throw the hand operated switch for us so our conductor didn't have to get out.

Here is a video I took of the back-in procedure featuring the conductor of train 6 carefully guiding the engineer all the way at the other end in the cab.



You heard the sign...TRAVEL BY TRAIN!

Modern take on the old idea of a train shed. I like it.

14-06-19a PHOTOS: Here We Go Denver - Part 1

Time for Part 5 of my 2014 cross-country Amtrak trip. As you should all know by now I was reprising my 2012 trip on the California Zephyr and we have now left the state of Utah and reached the city of Grand Junction in the square state of Colorado. This segment will cover the line from Grand Junction to the Moffat Tunnel with a few gaps on parts that I didn't feel necessary to re-shoot. I also managed to cover one of the sections I had previously missed from Glenwood Springs though the junction with the old Tennessee Pass siding and up to the Range siding.

Next week I'll cover the new Denver Union Station as well, but if you want to look ahead you can find the entire set of photos here.

We begin departing Grand Junction where BNSF ES44C4 #8818 sits on a siding.

Union Pacific yard tower at Grand Junction yard with a pair of flat switching Geeps.

Former DRG&W station at Glenwood Springs.

The DRG&W main line shares the Glenwood Canyon.

In 2012 I had missed all this scenery due to the call to lunch.

At a narrow place in the canyon one finds the Shoshone Dam which is part of a hydroelectric project. Behind the tunnel I70 crosses over the Colorado river and tunnels through the hillside.

I70 emerging a short while later from the Hanging Lake tunnel.

Another narrow section of the canyon next to the single bore Reverse Curve Tunnel.

One more scenery p0rn near the east end of the Glenwood canyon.

Dotsero Junction where the original DRG&W main line continued over the Tennessee Pass to Pueblo. In the 1920's the DRG&W constructed the Moffat Tunnel route directly to Denver. After the UP merger, UP shut down the Tennessee Pass route and now only parts of it are used for local freight service.

The tunnel at MP 159 got a new portal in 1986.

Out of Tunnel 34 and over the river just a few miles east of Bond, CO.

UP AC4400 #6696 on the end of a long coal train on the bond siding.

More AC4400's in the middle of the train including #6664. Damn, just too short of an interesting number.

No Southern Pacific units on this train. Head end of the coal train with AC4400's #5971 and #5569.

Another coal train was waiting on the Yarmony siding with yet more AC4400's providing help in the middle of the train. #6896 is actually a former AC6000 which was derated to 4400hp.

AC4400 #5520 on the front of the coal train on the Yarmony siding.

Passing our less-late Train 5 counterpart at the Radium siding. P42DC's #96 and #122 were providing power.