CZ Trip to Glenwood Springs

LegomanBill Aug 20, 2017

  1. LegomanBill

    LegomanBill TrainBoard Member

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    A few weekends ago, I (along with the rest of the family) took a trip out to Glenwood Springs aboard the California Zephyr. It was my introduction to long distance passenger service (only took 21 years!). Naturally, the camera came along for the ride. Below you'll find the photos I took while on said trip. They are all ordered chronologically on the trip (well excluding the first photo).

    Already posted this first one, but here it is yet again.
    [​IMG]

    Denver West:
    The first five views were all shot within sight of Denver.
    CP AC44CW 8556
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    BNSF SD40-2 1833
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    A waiting yard job
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    A TTX well car
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    The northern edge of North Yard
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    The train winding its way through the Rockies (I don't recall exactly where this was)
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    Glenwood Springs:
    Superliner Diner 38016
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    The conductor looking out as the train departs Glenwood
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    Sierra Hotel
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    A Rio Grande speeder on display inside the depot
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    More to come!
     
  2. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Cool! (y)
     
  3. gjslsffan

    gjslsffan Staff Member

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  4. Eagle2

    Eagle2 Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Looking back, I so much wish I'd bothered with some pictures of rides between St Louis and Chicago in the early 80's. Couldawouldashoulda. Keep'em coming!
     
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  5. gjslsffan

    gjslsffan Staff Member

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    I agree totally, please post more pictures!!
    :):)
     
  6. LegomanBill

    LegomanBill TrainBoard Member

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    Glenwood Springs Part 2:
    Half of a sequence of photos of a UP coal train
    The Head End Power
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    Assorted Hoppers
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  7. fitz

    fitz TrainBoard Member

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    Will, you made a real railfan trip out of your travels. Nice job.
     
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  8. HemiAdda2d

    HemiAdda2d Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Very nice. I miss that area. The unknown location photo looks like the bend around old Tunnel 17.
     
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  9. LegomanBill

    LegomanBill TrainBoard Member

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    Much to the slight annoyance of the rest of the family. :LOL:
     
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  10. LegomanBill

    LegomanBill TrainBoard Member

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    Glenwood Springs Part 3:
    The other half of the coal train sequence
    Mid-Train DPUs
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    Another Hopper
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    The Rear End DPU
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  11. gjslsffan

    gjslsffan Staff Member

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    " (quote)
    The train winding its way through the Rockies (I don't recall exactly where this was)
    [​IMG]
    end (quote)"


    This is at mile post 29 (the MP is just at the rear of the trailing unit) a bit less than 1/2 mile east of Crescent. In the "tunnel district". If you have a heavy train, like less than 2.0 HPT, this is a miserable, slow, hot, and maybe smokey part of the Moffat. This as well as between Crescent and Cliff are the hardest pull on the Moffat., as far as units heating up de-rating or just plain shutting down. Amtrak is powered to the point they make a lot less smoke and a much more enjoyable ride for the crew and passengers. Us, freight train folks, especially on a lousy train, see a side of this, that is not so flattering.
    But this also the most pretty railroad I have ever worked over, time and again (20+ years), when the sun is coming up, and you are headed East, you look back at your train and see it wrapped around all these curves and so many levels above you, well I dont get tired of it. BTW that solar thing ahead of the power is just one of many, many flange lubricators (oiler's) that are back to back to back here too. Ensuring that if you have any
    GE C-4's your gonna loose like 2-3 MPH per unit.

    Thanks for the pictures. Out of all the time I have sat at the Glenwood Depot waiting, I have never gone inside. That's my bad.
    I am glad you got to see some mountain grade territory, first hand.
    Sometimes the show is on the Colorado River too :)
    Please carry on,
     
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  12. Hytec

    Hytec TrainBoard Member

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    Tom, why would only the GE's lose speed? Is their truck design such that the oil migrates up onto the tire, or is it something else?

    BTW, I admire the love you described of your job. Thanks for sharing it, not many would. :cool:
     
  13. gjslsffan

    gjslsffan Staff Member

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    Thank you,
    Those GE C-4's are only powered on 1,3-4,6 axles, of course GE says that more weight transfers to the 4 drivers and looses minimal tractive effort.
    Well, I can tell you that is not the case when you have all these lubricators, I have been on trains with 1 C-4 on the HE and a couple 70MAC's 2,3rd
    back and when you go over an oiler the GE C-4 drops its load and those EMD SD70 MAC's are just digging in back there and smacked that C-4 in the rear and pushed it as well as pulled the train till the C-4 decides it was OK to start pulling again. The really lousy thing is the RR I work for, is rebuilding those older Dash 9's from 6 powered DC axles (which are good locomotives BTW) to 4 powered AC axles. I am sure the proverbial bean counters are convinced this will be a cheaper over all, loco to own and maintain. They just better figure on dropping the tonnage rating in certain territories and dogging a bunch more crews, cause I'm tellin you, if you have 3 C-4's on the HE of a WB train up the Moffat, especially if there is a drop or two of rain, you stand a good chance of stalling out, or if you have to stop for some reason, you prolly aint gonna get the train going. I dont care what GE says you cannot put 6 powered axles into 4, maybe in Erie PA on a flat, dry test track, but on my territory. Now, they work great when there is enough of them. I'm just sayin...
     
  14. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    How many times have we read these stories? The sad "Bean Counters vs Reality" scenario, which backfires far too many times. :(
     
  15. Mike VE2TRV

    Mike VE2TRV TrainBoard Member

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    I don't know where the bean counters get their ideas, but it goes all the way back to steam that what counted was how much weight is on the drivers. Unpowered axles don't contribute to TE - in fact, they take away from it.

    Whatever they're smoking (beans, maybe?), ban it!
     
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  16. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Too many come to the railroads, (or other businesses), straight from so-called "college". They have little, if any experience working at anything. Very, very few have the slightest knowledge of what a railroad is, why it is and how it operates. They bring theories to the table, and rarely anything else. One way of diminishing this problem would be a system such as apprenticeship. Or better yet, starting on the bottom ladder rung and working up through the ranks, via actually carrying a shovel, repairing equipment, etc. Then they *might* better appreciate the effects of their decisions. I said *might*....
     
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  17. HemiAdda2d

    HemiAdda2d Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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  18. Mike VE2TRV

    Mike VE2TRV TrainBoard Member

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    Oh goodness, no! They might get their hands dirty with actual dirt!:eek:
     
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  19. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Ha ha. They might actually experience reality, or even more horrific, learn something vital about life.
     
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  20. gjslsffan

    gjslsffan Staff Member

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    Great stuff guys, :) I have worked with some of these "90 day wonders" that didn't know which end of the engine to get on. But I gotta say some of them have turned out pretty darned good too.
    The thing that people need to understand is, in the past all these folks came out of the "ranks", trainmen, engineers, yard master and so on.
    And all these folks when entering exempt management status, still had a tool that when they have had enough of the corporate stuff, they could tell their boss how the cow ate the cabbage and "markup" back to where they came from. These people hired off the streets don't have that luxury as they hold no craft seniority. Thats kind bad for the ranks but may be good for the company. Bad for cause they generally, don't have a clue, good for the company cause these folks dont have many options but to do wants the company wants, or quit. Its also been said they don't get enough "qualified people" wanting to come from the ranks to take these positions, to that I say, well maybe they should do something to make it more attractive to the "ranks". Also consider these exempt jobs are much more difficult to do than they used to be, there are so fewer of them now to do the job "right" They have one person running sometimes up to 1000 miles of RR 24hr a day 5-7 days a week, some have worked weeks on end without a day off. I actually kinda feel for them sometimes, especially when you see a good one trying their best.
     
    Last edited: Sep 1, 2017
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