If you are specifically referring to the locations near where the photos were taken, There is a public grade crossing on Blue Mtn Rd (south side of Colo 72) with plenty of shoulder and off road parking. You will actually have the train wrapped around you on three sides. Uphills are slow enough that you can drive normal and set up at Pinecliffe.
A Colorado gazetteer will do wonders. Also there is an old issue of CTC magazine with the Front Range as the headlining articles. Exellent maps in there if you can find it.
Mentioning Fort Collins, Colo. ... at lunchtime, weekdays the U.P. LaSalle - Fort Collins local is usually in town and can be seen working local industries along Jefferson St.
Drive north on College Ave. (U.S. Hwy. 287) through downtown Fort Collins. After crossing the U.P. and BNSF tracks, continue northwards a short ways. At the first traffic light north of the Cache la Poudre River bridge turn east (right) onto Vine Drive. Less than a mile east of there is the BNSF "North Yard." The Great Western Railway shares that yard and uses it as a staging point for the Anheuser-Busch brewery located north of town. At times the yard is full of covered hoppers (barley malt, rice, and corn) and railroad-owned insulated boxcars assigned to "adult beverages" service.
At least one BNSF mixed-merchandise train can be seen trundling down the middle of Mason St. each afternoon.
Old town Fort Collins near North Yard is a wonderful place to visit. Lots of funky shops, a great Ace Hardware store, and most of the finest dining in the city can be found there. Also, there's Coopersmith's Brewpub - a very good, reasonably priced dining spot. Rumor has it that August Busch IV likes to dine there when he's in town because the place doesn't serve any of the family's brews.
Try going on Santa Fe road at 285 and head south untill you find a station. there's plenty of Coal and other stuff like Shuttle trains (I think)
Also, try going up to Fort Collins and catch a good deal of street running of BNSF trains.
If you head out of town to the east, stay on I-70 and avoid the long business loop 70 which runs thorugh Aurora.
Unless you're really careful with your gas pedal, you are subject to some major-league speed traps in that city. Combine very low maximum limits with plenty of radar-equipped motorcycle officers, and what do you get?
You have been warned.
Enjoy your visit, though. Lots of neat stuff to see in metropolitan Denver.
Thank you for this information, if you ever need information about Ft Lauderdale Fl let me know
TRAINS magazine, Sept. 2010, has wonderful pictures of UP trains descending the Front Range near Clay, Colo. Are there places available there to "safely" watch and photo action taking place?
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