The BNSF/UP Joint Line south of Denver was busy on the first weekday of the year with southbound coal trains nipping at each others' heels throughout the afternoon. In this scene south of Larkspur, a BNSF coal drag moves through a landscape with all the elements of a stereotypical Colorado photo: distant snow-capped peaks, red buttes, a working ranch, and bluebird skies.
A leaded BNSF coal train approaches the crest of the Palmer Divide at near Palmer Lake along the Joint Line south of Denver.
Curving along the old code lines, a BNSF coal train nears Palmer Lake on the Joint Line.
A full moon combined with the last remaining moments of twilight gently illuminate the snowy foothills as an empty coal train climbs and curves toward Tunnel 1 on its journey over the Continental Divide.
Dusk settles over the front range as a UP coal train makes its way up the grade near Coal Creek Canyon.
It's last light at Big Ten Curve as a loaded coal train descends toward Denver. The three mid-train helpers are moving Right to Left, while the front portion of the train is moving Left to Right below.
Having descended through the Tunnel District and Big 10 Curve, this UP freight is now in the home stretch on its journey into Denver, visible in the distance.
Leaving Coal Creek Canyon and the rugged Rocky Mountains behind, a train full of the black diamonds snakes its way through Little Ten Curve heading toward Denver.
A productive morning on the ice at Palmer Lake as evidenced by the trout pulled out of the shallow lake only moments before the train's arrival.
The BNSF/UP Joint Line south of Denver was busy on the first weekday of the year with southbound coal trains nipping at each others' heels throughout the afternoon. In this scene south of Larkspur, a BNSF coal drag moves through a landscape with all the elements of a stereotypical Colorado photo: distant snow-capped peaks, red buttes, a working ranch, and bluebird skies.
The BNSF/UP Joint Line south of Denver was busy on the first weekday of the year with southbound coal trains nipping at each others' heels throughout the afternoon. In this scene south of Larkspur, a BNSF coal drag moves through a landscape with all the elements of a stereotypical Colorado photo: distant snow-capped peaks, red buttes, a working ranch, and bluebird skies.
The BNSF/UP Joint Line south of Denver was busy on the first weekday of the year with southbound coal trains nipping at each others' heels throughout the afternoon. In this scene south of Larkspur, a BNSF coal drag moves through a landscape with all the elements of a stereotypical Colorado photo: distant snow-capped peaks, red buttes, a working ranch, and bluebird skies.
See photo in original gallery.