by Denver Dude
For the last two Sundays I have headed south of Denver, going to Larkspur and then Palmer Lake.
I caught some great action this Sunday. In Larkspur I saw a coaltrain pushed by two SD70ACEs. They were really loud and and I heard a lot of wheel slip. I followed them down to Palmer Lake but was disappointed that they were near idling at that point.
Going back toward Larkspur I caught a southbound BNSF freight train with three DC units in the back. They were roaring, blasting sand on the track, and doing about 14 MPH. I couldn't believe how loud they were. I turned the car around and followed them back to Larksup, slowly for a while, a little embarrassed that the crew in the pushers would notice me. Is that normal behavior for railfans?
Does anyone know what the grade is in that area? Also, I'm sure that the prime movers could handle that kind of workload, but how about the DC traction motors?
I caught some great action this Sunday. In Larkspur I saw a coaltrain pushed by two SD70ACEs. They were really loud and and I heard a lot of wheel slip. I followed them down to Palmer Lake but was disappointed that they were near idling at that point.
Going back toward Larkspur I caught a southbound BNSF freight train with three DC units in the back. They were roaring, blasting sand on the track, and doing about 14 MPH. I couldn't believe how loud they were. I turned the car around and followed them back to Larksup, slowly for a while, a little embarrassed that the crew in the pushers would notice me. Is that normal behavior for railfans?
Does anyone know what the grade is in that area? Also, I'm sure that the prime movers could handle that kind of workload, but how about the DC traction motors?
