Loveland
Stack Train With Nice Power
On April 26, BNSF ran an Omaha to Tacoma stack train up the Front Range Sub with a nice consist: BNSF 8300 and BNSF 1038. Of course, the weather wasn’t the best, but it was a nice consist to see anyways.
When we heard it coming, we decided to try a spot we’d never done before, so we chose near downtown Loveland where the tracks are in kind of a trench, surrounded by houses. Here, they would hopefully be accelerating out of a 5-mph slow order over a mile to the south. The train was longer than we thought, so we didn’t get the heart of their accelerating, but they still had to work hard.
Sulfur Empty Heads North
Mid-spring, BNSF started routing the Bonneville to Galveston and return sulfur trains via the Brush Subdivision. On April 24, a sulfur empty was routed via the Front Range Sub with BNSF 965 leading 2 H2 dash-9s. Unfortunately, the sun disappeared shortly before the train popped into sight and re-appeared shortly after the train went by. At least it wasn’t something spectacular!
Here the train is approaching Milepost 63 in north Loveland.
A Matched Set of Screaming SD40s
On April 23, I got a call from my cousin in Fort Collins, CO, about the Longmont switch returning to Longmont with 2 HI SD40-2s as power. It’s roughly 20 minutes from when it goes by him, so to plan where I wanted to get it, I asked him how long the train was, and his response was 56 cars.
Not expecting them to pick up from the Great Western in Loveland, I headed for the south part of town, where they’d be climbing the 3-mile long, 1.7% Derby Hill. Shortly after I got there, I heard them talking on the radio. Turns out they were indeed picking up from the GW! I headed back into town, and made it to the BNSF-GWR transfer track with about 5 minutes to spare before they pulled out with 21 cars.
More Variety on the Front Range Sub
On April 14, the ever-so-power short BNSF ran a couple trains along the Front Range Subdivision with some excellent power. First up on the list was an oil empty. I had heard them blowing for downtown Loveland, so I headed for MP 64 just east of my house. I made it with enough time to get everything set up, and the oil empty had a BNSF gevo leading a CN SD70M-2, #8834, and a CN C44-9WL, #2521.
Return of the Sulfur Train and Some Leasers
On April 7, BNSF ran a Denver, CO, to Great Falls, MT, manifest up the Front Range Sub with a nice consist: CREX 1346, BNSF 928, and CEFX 3184. The train had to wait for two others in Broomfield, so I didn’t bother doing anything with them until they got closer.
While I was waiting, I heard the dispatcher talking to BNSF 5613 south. Southbound in the afternoon this time of year? I’ll take that. So I waited until they got close and headed out.
I went to Trilby Road between Loveland and Fort Collins where the defect detector is as well as the start of Loveland Hill. I only waited about 3 minutes before I saw the headlight to see it was the Bonneville, WY, to Galveston, TX, sulfur train, which had been running on the Brush Subdivision to save crews on the FRS.
Power for this train was 5613 and BNSF 7849 up front and BNSF 4485 on the rear.
Three-Train Day on the FRS
On Saturday, April 5, two different trains went by northbound before I woke up. The sun was shining and it was a nice day, so the way things usually work, those would be the only two trains that would go through all day.
Things didn’t go that way, though, as BNSF 6727 north was heard getting warrants to move northward. Around 12:00 noon, it went through Longmont, meaning it would be a little less than an hour before reaching me in north Loveland.
The time passed, and I decided to go to 57th street in north Loveland to get a long-lens shot since the light was as rotten as it was.
Odd Empty Work Train
On Friday, April 4, BNSF ran an empty work train southbound on BNSF’s Front Range Sub. The train wasn’t known about until it was “approaching Loveland.” Trains call in “approaching Loveland” when they are roughly 2 miles from Loveland siding (same with Owl Canyon, North Yard, etc.), but I had the scanner on all day and hadn’t heard them go by.
So, on a whim, I headed north of Loveland in hopes of seeing something. I got to the top of the hill, and what do I see? BNSF 5983 south coming through a small cut near the top. So I whipped off the road and got a couple grab shots of the train.
Orange GEs dominate the day
On Thursday April 3, Denver received a little bit of snow, but up in Loveland we only got some light rain overnight. That morning, I got a call from my cousin in Fort Collins saying a southbound oil train was going by with a BNSF ES44C4 and a H2 Dash-9 up front.
Knowing that isn’t the most exciting power, I went for an exciting location. I decided to get the loaded train climbing the short, 1.7% Derby Hill in south Loveland, CO, as I knew they’d be working pretty good. After a little bit of a wait, the train showed up.
Bad for Great Western, Good for Me
On February 17, the Great Western ran its normal nighttime operation, taking a train from Johnstown, picking up at Officer Junction, into Loveland yard for drop off to the BNSF, and to pick up from the BNSF, and take cars back to Johnstown.
However, at some point a couple lumber cars came off the track. So this morning (Feb 18), when I was going north through downtown after getting an oil change, I was rather surprised to see the HLCX sitting by the depot. I drove around the area and saw several vehicles sitting by the derailment spot, so I kept my distance. I walked in and got a couple shots before being scolded by an employee for taking pictures on private property without permission (I’m 100% honest when I say I didn’t know I was on their property. I’m still not sure I was).
He said next time just ask, and told me to have a good day. As I was walking back to my car, I saw the former Hudson Bay Railway GP9 (incorrectly labeled as a GP20) was no longer sitting where it had been. At that point I took off to find that it had left with what train the HLCX GP38s had put together.
SB Stacker Races By
On February 16, a Tacoma to Omaha stack train came down the Front Range Sub with BNSF 4431 and BNSF 1072 leading. I heard them meet BNSF 4928 north at North Yard in Fort Collins, so I knew roughly when they would be getting to me.
After a little bit of waiting, I headed over to 37th street in north Loveland where I waited. I passed the time by watching a handful of prairie dogs do prairie-doggie things. Finally, I heard the train blowing for 57th street and it was time to shoo off the critters.
KO Trains 