Shot
between 2007 and 2020, we take you to mostly western venues to see a
wide variety of diesel power and scenic locations. We begin with an
Amtrak segment, but on BNSF’s Raton Pass line which features some
semaphore shots made in 2020. These were the last ones on the line, and
may be gone by the time you read this. We see both trains 3 and 4, The
Southwest Chief on two different days of operation. So this is an
interesting way to start our show.
Next we move into
Colorado to Palmer Lake south of Colorado Springs. This is the Joint
line of the BNSF and the Union Pacific. We see 3 different BNSF trains
including some with distributed power on the rear. Next we move over to
the front range west of Denver and see a Union Pacific Train, and a BNSF
descending the grade. These have distributed power helpers as well.
Staying in Colorado
we head to Fort Collins where we see some street running. We see a Union
Pacific local train, as well as two BNSF trains heading north. It’s
interesting to see the trains mix with the city traffic and pedestrians.
Next we venture to
the Powder River basin for coal train action. This is mainly shot not
far from Gillette, but a bit south of there. We see a parade of loaded
and empty trains, mostly with distributed power helpers. There is also
some older power on a ballast train, and a local train. You will also
see some oil well pumps bobbing in the foreground of some scenes. This
is all shot in fine weather as well.
Now we move to
further north and west to the Wind River Canyon region. This scenic area
follows the Wind River and the canyon is very scenic. We see some
foreign power as well as some older units, besides the usual modern
wide-cabs. Most trains are manifest mixed freights. This area is not
seen too often.
Our final segment is
one of the longer segments feature the Montana Rail Link trackage. We
begin with an MRL local train, then see mostly BNSF trains using the MRL
to get to the Pacific NW parts of Portland and Seattle. Most of the
footage is shot west of Helen in the helper district over Mullan Pass.
Most trains are BNSF with helpers, or distributed power or both. A
couple of MRL trains are seen, including one that has manned helpers cut
in mid-train. Trains are working hard, and the scenery is great, with
many shots around Austin Creek trestle, and Austin, among others.
As you can see there is a lot packed into this contemporary diesel video.
