The good old days... for me.

[4X2DSP]

This is Denver CO BN diesel shops facility in August of '78. Anyone know what it looks like today? Is it still there, any current pics? Who owned it before, C&S?

http://home.comcast.net/~jdabbott/Denver_shops_8-78.jpg

[Kurt Moose]

Wow! Nothing like a forrest of Cascade Green!! graemlins/wink.gif I miss the amber rotating beacons on the roofs too. You could always spot a train at night! :D

[Flash Blackman]

Hey!! Look at those two strings of engines on the left. The front is almost touching!! Looks like some of my sidings. graemlins/220.gif

It really does look like my layout as that far left track hasn't been ballasted yet! ;)

[4X2DSP]

A little more modern:
BN 8080 and 7825 (SD40-2s) lead westbound traffic down the Columbia river at the Dalles Dam in Sep of 92....

http://home.comcast.net/~jdabbott/BN_Dalles_dam_9-92.jpg

....with a couple of hacks on the rear.

http://home.comcast.net/~jdabbott/BN_Dalles_dam_rr_9-92.jpg

[Kurt Moose]

"Those were the days!!" as sung by Edith and Archie Bunker.

[HemiAdda2d]

Yep, It was owned by a CB&Q sub. Which one? I dunno, maybe both.
Fort Worth & Denver or Colorado & Southern...

Here's what it looked like in May of '04, from a window aboard the CZ:

http://www.railimages.com/albums/album71/aan.sized.jpg

[4X2DSP]

Cool shot Hemi!! Lots of different paint shimmies in that pic. Looks like your pic is looking the opposite direction, I think I see the bridge I was standing on in the rear.

[Alan]

Both pics look great to me, but I prefer the 'forest of green' one ;)

[Hoochrunners]

Now here's a forest I found on the net...
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-6/764021/PXLWD-Northtown_Stored_Engines.jpg

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-6/764021/Northtown_Stored_Engines_2.jpg

[HemiAdda2d]

Are those the surge fleet, LUGO, or retirement lines?

[Hoochrunners]

I don't know. I think someone called it the surge fleet once.

[Kurt Moose]

Do you think they would miss one if I borrowed one!! graemlins/wink.gif

[Alan]

I would guess that most of those are no longer around :(

[Ed Pinkley#2]

Those were all LUGO units.If I recall correctly they were waiting for business to pick up and then be dispatched.As for the first pic it sure is nice to see all the Cascade green at one place.I sure do miss them.They are still around but patched and worn out.Great pics by all of you.

[sd70mac]

This may be a view of the general vicinity. You can scroll around to see what you're looking for.

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=denver,+co&ll=39.771817,-104.987025&spn=0.006030,0.007982&t=k&hl=en

[HemiAdda2d]

DUUUUUDEEEE!!!!
That map is sweet!
I followed it from Denver North Yard to Rollinsville...... A neat modeling tool. Thanks for sharing!

[Alan]

Those Google images are wonderful, but you could spend hours tracing rail routes :eek: :D

[sd70mac]

Things have just gotten worse as far as wasting time following routes. Much worse. Observe:

http://earth.google.com/

[HemiAdda2d]

Schweet!
Thanks for sharing! I need to check that one out.

[Alan]

Downloading it now to check it out smile.gif

[mtaylor]

Now here's a forest I found on the net...
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-6/764021/PXLWD-Northtown_Stored_Engines.jpg

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-6/764021/Northtown_Stored_Engines_2.jpg

I have had my head in the sand and have never really looked at this thread....lots of cool stuff and lots of memories.

That pic I believe is Northtown yard just north of Minneapolis. I remember the huge fleets of locos parked there during my numerous railfanning trips there around 2000 and 2001. I now mainly railfan in Saint Paul, MN as time is short to get out and catch trains

[Triplex]

That has to be the most SD40-2s I've ever seen in one shot.

[BoxcabE50]

Wow! How recent were these photos? I wonder how many of these were sold off to leasers?

If only they had a yard or two, filled with grain hoppers, available.....

:omg:

Boxcab E50

[mtaylor]

If my memory is not too fried, I want to say these were parked in Northtown Yard in 2000, 2001? I could be wrong. I remember the huge sea of locos there but dont remember the actual date. I will search trainboard as I know I posted some info here at the time about it. There were SD45 locos in the mix as well :)

[mtaylor]

I see lots of Cascade green SD40-2 head end power on trains around here but like you said....it is all leased now (on BNSF trains no less). I dont get the logic of leasing locos you sold off. Is this really cheaper??

[mtaylor]

Looking back on some of my old posts.....in April 2000 in the BNSF forum, I posted about several SD45 locos parked much the way these SD40-2 locos are parked. I would suspect this is around that time frame. I am not sure though.

[doofus]

Ah, the big traffic slump of 2000!!!!!! Massive layoffs on the BNSF. There were SD 70 MACs stored in Alliance Nebraska that year!!!

Most locomotives are on some sort of lease. Not many are acutally purchased by a railroad. When the railroad decides to let the lease expire on certain locomotives, the lessor needs some place to store these engines. Most of those engines were "awaiting disposition" or looking for a new home. Some were stored for use later on when traffic levels picked up.

HLCX, FURX, CEFX, NREX or some other leasing company picks them up and leases them back on a short term basis to any one of a number of carriers and the railroad only has to worry about the maintenance while it is on property. Once it is turned back to the lessor, they need not worry as to where to park it, setting it up for cold storage and other maintenance factors that go along with a long-term lease or ownership.

[HemiAdda2d]

I wish I was in BN country when it was still BN. The good old days when I first moved to North Dakota, and saw dozens of unmolested BN 'deuces, in solid sets.... Back then, I wasn't the heardcore 'fan I am now--and rarely ever shot any of them. (kick) I have a few snapshots from bad photo angles, and that's about it. They are all from earlier BNSF years from 99-01. After that I started getting into the hobby.

[BoxcabE50]

Most locomotives are on some sort of lease. Not many are acutally purchased by a railroad.

Right. I was thinking of that change (sale) from the original holder, to one of the many alphabet companies we have these days.

:D

Boxcab E50

[mtaylor]

Well I guess that makes more sense now.....BAH still need more Cascade green SD40-2s :)