diningcar Am I missing something here? I believe that BNSF has not for some time, and will not, run its trains between La Junta and Trinidad, or vice-versa. This is trackage they have declared they do not need and it is available only for Amtrak. Crews are bussed or vanned between Trinidad and La Junta or vice-versa.
Am I missing something here? I believe that BNSF has not for some time, and will not, run its trains between La Junta and Trinidad, or vice-versa. This is trackage they have declared they do not need and it is available only for Amtrak. Crews are bussed or vanned between Trinidad and La Junta or vice-versa.
If BNSF can get itself out of any Stracnet obligation, things could get interesting quickly. With New Mexico welching on the deal, unless somebody comes up with an OFA for the line, say BYE-BYE!
Living in Lincoln NE and seeing all the trains stacked up and looking like a BNSF parking lot - I think, with Mudchicken's help, I am finally getting a handle on all this mess. And that handle is very, very sticky!
She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw
If a train from La Junta to Pueblo is going via Trinidad, that would necessitate a reversal in direction for the train at Trinidad as there is no direct connector and no wye at Trinidad, correct? If BNSF does that on a regular basis why don't they just build a direct connector... Or have they built one and google earth is just out of date?
Welcome to the wonderfull, wacky world of BNSF crew districting in SE Colorado. BNSF is using everybody on the extraboards during the rerouting of all the trains off the old BN lines to the north. The old C&S line, Amarillo-Trinidad-Pueblo is also in use, until it runs out of people. The big limiting factor in all of this is that the triangle , La Junta-Trinidad-Pueblo-La Junta is run as a one way loop on two of the three sides and little other than Amtrak runs EB against the current of traffic, TRinidad to LJ.
Everything coming from Newton, KS and going to Pueblo on the old ATSF Northern Transcon is going via Trinidad as well, including the UP trackage rights trains.
Looks strange, sounds strange, but it keeps the traffic moving and keeps the railroad fluid. The key to this is the Pueblo Sub not getting clogged-up with meets for WB movements at Rocky Ford, Baxter (Pueblo Airport) or Manzanola and putting crews on the hoglaw.
If a train is going to Pueblo via Trinidad, why would it go to Las Animas Junction then La Junta then Trinidad instead of just taking the line directly from Amarillo to Trinidad? I did see another empty coal train on the direct line as we passed underneath it as well...
You saw a detour train taking the long way around (avoiding the Pueblo Sub) due to the Platte River/ Missouri River flooding shutting down the northern BN transcons. Started 4 days ago. Coal will eventually come out of Trinidad/Jansen again, but 15 miles of recently abandoned railroad has to go back in.
Empty train most likely came Amarillo to Boise City to Las Animas Junction to La Junta to Trinidad to Pueblo (on the Crooked and Slow) to Denver to Sterling to Alliance and back to the PRB coal fields. (The joint line is now gone nuts, limited only by qualified crews)
York Canyon is gone. (now one of Ted Turner's Bison ranches)
So I just saw an empty westbound coal train on the BNSF tracks between La Junta and Trinidad CO - I'm actually on Amtrak and the conductor said that BNSF just recently started running these trains again... which best the question -
Which mine is it going to? I know that on google earth there is a spur that goes directly west from Trinidad and then another spur to a mine southwest of trinidad, but to get to that mine you need to go over Raton pass...
On google earth both mines look long closed but the imagery in these areas is quite old...
Or is that empty coal train going somewhere else? If it is going somewhere else, where could it be going to? I can't think of any place an empty coal train would be going on these tracks if one of those two mines had not reopened...
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