Railroad Enthusiast - Winter 2015

Cover Photo: Michael Berry Produced By: Railroad Enthusiast Publications

Colorado,Illinois, and Kentucky

Photography: Michael Berry, Cameron Applegath, Kevin Morgan, John Shine, Jim Thias, John Crisanti, Davis Strench, Jordan Hood, Gerald Sharp, Mathieu Tremblay, Andrew Sax, Lorence Toutant, Jason Boring, Kymberley Garcia, Stephen Schmidt

Editor/Publisher: Maximillian Curry

Art Director: John Crisanti

Staff Writers: Jon Hill, Jason Boring

Advertising Director: Cameron Applegath

Contact us: [email protected] Submissions: [email protected] Advertise: [email protected]

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04 John Crisanti The Ski Train: The beginning of a new era?

18 Andrew Sax After-Hour Photography: The guide to railroad flash photography

12 Cover: Extreme Winter: Railroading through mother nature’s extremes

30 John Crisanti Dusk on the Semaphores

36 Jon Hill Model Railroading: Winter on the plains...

38 Jon Hill Models in review

40 Featured Photo Gallery

TABLE OF CONTENTS

2 RAILROAD ENTHUSIAST | WINTER 2015 WWW.RRENTHUSIAST.COM

ABOUT THE

EDITOR

Maximillian CurryPaducah, KY

Maximillian Curry started out as a managing editor for Hotshot Magazine before stepping up to Publisher and Editor after Hotshot changed over to Railroad Enthusiast in February 2015. He works with all of the operations of the magazine in coordination with the Art Director (John Crisanti) and the Advertising Director (Cameron Applegath).

Coordination, correct formatting and help with the editing of the issues overall are essential tasks in this position. He has learned these skills by working with the public relations department at his local community college. He is currently studying to become a RN and puts his communication, organization skills, and critical thinking to their full use.

3WINTER 2015 | RAILROAD ENTHUSIASTWWW.RRENTHUSIAST.COM

A blanket of fresh snow has covered the Colorado Front Range as the eastbound Ski Train led by SKTX F40PH no. 242 races through Arvada, Colo., east of 72nd Ave., on Mar. 26, 2009. Photo by Kevin Morgan



For 69 years, the Ski Train traveled 50 miles west from Denver, Colo., to the ski resorts at Winter Park,

carrying skiers to the slopes. The Ski Train was not just a train ride – it was a tradition filled with a rich history. The service was first oper-ated by the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad (DRGW) in 1940.

During the 1950’s and 1960’s, the Ski Train was mostly youth orient-ed and mostly carried Eskimo Club Members of ages 7 to 17. In later years, the Ski Train and the Eskimo Club helped introduced many older Denver natives to skiing.

The Route

The Ski Train originates at Denver Union Station, which is located next to downtown. Once the train departs Union Station, it travels through north-west suburban Denver towards the Front Range Foothills. From there, the train climbs a couple hundred feet in a few miles to the eastern rim of Coal Creek Canyon. The train then passes through tunnel number one, and soon rumbles through Plainview and twenty eight more tunnels. After passing through Crescent and Pinecliffe, the train reaches the tiny village of Rollinsville. Upon leav-ing Rollinsville, the train parallels South Boulder Creek and Rollins Pass Road for the remainder of the climb up to the Moffat Tunnel. Between Rol-linsville and Tolland, passengers are treated to a small canyon where both the rail line and Rollins Pass Road are separated by South Boulder Creek. At Tolland, the scenery changes as the tracks enter a valley where there is nothing but a few houses and the local sheriff office. Just a couple of miles later, after negotiating numerous curves, the train reaches the 6.2-mile long Moffat Tunnel. The tun-nel was completed in 1927, which eliminated the longer and steeper route over Rollins Pass (Coro-na Pass). About fifteen minutes later, the train ex-its the west portal, 100 yards from the base of the ski resort, having climbed over 4,000 feet since it left Denver. Once the skiers dismount, the train travels ten miles west to Tabernash to be wyed. Afterwards, the train heads to the small town of Fraser, four miles to the east, to lay-over until later in the evening for the return trip to Denver.

The Equipment

Up until 1988, the Ski Train operated with heavy-weight passenger cars built in 1915. Once the Ski Train was bought by Denver based Ansco-Investment Company, “Tempo” cars were bought from Canada (eight coaches, one Retreat class, three Club Car class car, and two cafe-lounge cars). The heavyweight cars were sold to the Napa Val-ley Railroad, now known as the Napa Valley Wine Train. The DRGW had four steam generators, two of whom were former ALCO B-units, numbered 252 and 253. The other two were former Baldwin Class L-105 steam locomotive tenders, numbered 250 and 251. Before the Rio Grande Zephyr was discontinued in 1983, all four steam generators

A problem with one of the three F40’s (SKTX 289) typically used on the Ski Train resulted in a rare treat! UP loaned the Rio Grande Heritage Unit to the Ski Train for the weekend to assist with the pull. Here, un-der crystal clear blue skies, the train is about to duck into Tunnel 1 in Coal Creek Canyon on Feb. 04, 2007. Photo by Kevin Morgan


Top: Three DRGW F9s and a Steam Generator lead the Ski Train up Big Ten Curve on a sunny winter’s morning in 1984. The F9s found service on the Ski Train after the Rio Grande Zephyr dis-continued in 1983. Photo by Gerald Sharp

Right: The Utah and California private cars bring up the rear of the train as they depart Tabernash after wying the the equipment. The train will head over to Fraser and lay-over for most of the day before returning to Denver in the evening. Photo by John Shine


were used in passenger service, includ-ing the Ski Train. After 1983, steam gen-erator unit 253 was the only one used on the Ski Train, while both tender gen-erators were used occasionally in pas-senger service, including the Ski Train, up until 1987, when they were taken out of service. Steam generator 253 was re-built with a generator producing 480V head-end power (HEP). The newly re-built HEP unit rode on four-axle bloom-berg trucks and had a GE style fuel tank. The unit was named “Moffat Tunnel”, but was later renamed to “Joseph G. Harris”, a former DRGW mechanic who was also instrumental in keeping the Ski Train’s heavyweight equipment in working condition. For the next 13 years, the “Joseph G. Harris” provided HEP for the train until Ansco acquired three former Amtrak EMD F40PH diesel locomo-tives, which provided the HEP starting in the 2000-2001 winter season. With the purchase of the three F40PHs, HEP unit 253 was no longer needed and was sold in September 2006 to the Algo-ma Central Railroad, a subsidiary of the Canadian National, where it became AC 76. The unit now provides HEP on the Agawa Canyon trains. For the next nine years, the Ski Train would continue to run until Ansco discontinued the service in 2009. The equipment, including the three F40PH’s were sold off to the Al-goma Central.

Bottom: Southern Pacific GP40M-2’s nos. 7297 and 7129 head westbound at the West switch of Rocky siding in February of 1993. Photo by John Shine

Top: Three Rio Grande GP40’s lead the Ski Train westbound near Pinecliffe in December of 1989. Photo by John Shine

Right: The California, Utah, and Kansas bring up the rear of the Ski Train at Tolland on Feb. 8, 2009. Photo by Kevin Morgan


The Ski Train climbs the 2% grade towards Tunnel no. 1 in Coal Creek Canyon on Mar. 22, 2002 with three EMD F40PH’s. Photo by Gerald Sharp

Union Pacific AC4400CW no. 7126 leads the Ski Train equipment through Eaton, Colo., for the last time through Colorado in daylight on May 08, 2009. The train is headed for Council Bluffs, Iowa and eventually the Algoma Central. Photo by Kevin Morgan

2009 – Present

Shortly after the Ski Train service was discontinued and the equipment sold off, Chicago-based Iowa Pacific Holdings had plans to restart service between Denver and Winter Park using equipment from one of their own railroads, the San Luis and Rio Grande based in Alamosa, Colo., and Amtrak crews. However, due to lia-bility and insurance issues that involved lawsuits against Amtrak, the service was canceled, and the money from tick-ets sold for the train were fully refunded. A few years later, on February 28, 2015, Amtrak announced that they would be running a one day excursion between Denver and Winter Park for the 75th an-niversary of the ski resort, on March 14, 2015. This was also a demonstration trip to see how much demand there was for a possible Ski Train beginning next season. Tickets for the excursion were sold out in less than ten hours for over 400 seats. There were 600 more people that wanted to purchase tickets for the train, but could not since the trip was sold out. Amtrak decided to add a second day trip the next day. Those tickets sold out in less than four hours. Power used for the two day

excursion on March 14th and 15th were Amtrak’s “Veterans” painted GE P42DC locomotive, no. 42, and a regular Phase Five P42DC, no. 183. Seven Superliners (four coaches and three coach-baggages) provided the 400 seats. The equipment arrived on Amtrak’s westbound California

Zephyr train from Chicago on March 13th. The equipment was set-out on Track 5 at the newly renovated Den-ver Union Station, where the train was washed and prepped for the trips over the weekend.


The Future

Both trips on March 14th and 15th were a success, and Amtrak is willing to permentatly run the Ski Train be-tween Denver and Winter Park from January to March beginning next sea-son. However, Amtrak must get the approval of the Union Pacific Railroad, who owns the rail line the train travels on. There are high hopes in the Den-ver area that the Ski Train could return next season, giving skiiers an option that does not involve travelling on an already-congested I-70.

DENVER

Union Station

Utah Jct.

C&S Jct

Arvada

Leyden

Rocky

Big Ten Curve

Plainview

Crescent

Pinecliffe

Rollinsville

Tolland

East Portal

Moffat TunnelWinter Park

Fraser

EiseleN

W E

S

Amtrak’s westbound Ski Train races through Tolland, Colo., while overtaking a west-bound Union Pacific manifest parked in the siding, on Mar. 14, 2015. Photo by John Crisanti


DENVER

Union Station

Utah Jct.

C&S Jct

Arvada

Leyden

Rocky

Big Ten Curve

Plainview

Crescent

Pinecliffe

Rollinsville

Tolland

East Portal

Moffat TunnelWinter Park

Fraser

EiseleN

W E

S

The weather in Colorado is never predictable. Case in point: the high temperature in Denver on Mar. 26, 2006 was 55 degrees. In Winter Park, the snow was horizontal and you couldn’t see more than 200 yards away! Passenger hurry to get off the train and head for the slopes. Photo by Kevin Morgan




DONNER PASSUnion Pacific’s Global III (Rochelle), Ill., to Oakland, Cali., intermodal train led by UP SD70ACe no. 8637 battles the harsh conditions near the summit of Donner Pass in the northern Sierra Nevada Mountains of Cali-fornia, on Dec. 11, 2014. Photo by Davis Strench

MONTREALAgence métropolitaine de transport (AMT) train no. 186 stops at the Blainville, Qué., station with ALP-45DP no. 1359. It’s 07:44hrs on Dec. 08, 2013 and all trains on the Montreal/St-Jérôme line run on time despite the horrible weather.Photo by Lorence Toutant


On Nov. 14, 2014, the tem-peratures are around zero as Amtrak train no. 6, the east-bound California Zephyr, de-scends the grade at Big Ten Curve west of Arvada, Colo., with the Denver Metro area in the background. Photo by John Crisanti

THE MOFFAT ROAD

Running seven hours late due to Winter Storm Octa-via, the southbound Amtrak Crescent quickly gets back underway for the next stop in Atlanta after stopping for a malfunctioning crossing in downtown Oakwood, Ga., on Feb. 17, 2015. Photo by Jordan Hood

WINTER STORM OCTAVIA


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Donner Pass, CA

The Moffat Road, CO

Montreal, QC

Oakwood, GA


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Let’s say you get a heads up about a CSX SD60I leading a CSX C40-8 on the BNSF. You do not get the chance to shoot

that power very often, so you want to go out for it. There are only two problems: it is night time and snowing. Sure, you could shelter your camera in your jacket until it is time to take it out, and you could stand at a railroad crossing or on a lit platform and try a pan shot. However, would it not be better to get the whole train lit up and have a solid image with no fuzziness, no movement – just a solid photo? For most people, the answer would be yes, but getting such a result requires external flashes. Through this article, I will be giving you pointers and advice on what products to consider for purchase, how to set up for your shot and what to do if a negative situation comes up.

GETTINGSTARTED

The scene description in the first paragraph of the article is this picture. A CSX SD60I and CSX C40-8 combo cruise west on the BNSF Chicago Subdivision passing by Lisle, Ill., on a snowy evening.Photo by Andrew Sax

A flash photography kit – as I call it – is far from cheap. I define a kit as flashes, receivers, tripods and a

transmitter. Those items are minimally required to produce a flash shot. There are many brands of flashes, many brands of transmitters and receivers, and even more choices of tripods. To truly save money, you need to shop


online. I bought all my equipment through Amazon, and purchasing my three flashes, three receivers, three tripods and my transmitter only cost me $360. That might sound like a lot of money to some, but when you consider what you are getting, that price is beyond remarkable. It is obvious to say that each item is sold individually, with the exception of the

receivers and transmitter, so when shopping online you will want to build a shopping cart for yourself. Odds are the shipping order will be the least convenient for you, as your flashes will most likely be coming from Japan, your receivers and transmitter will probably come from China, and your tripods will almost certainly come from either the USA or China. The unfortunate

thing about buying online is that after purchasing, you have to wait before you can start playing with your brand new equipment.


FEET FROM TRACKS MM SETTINGS

20 to 30 24 to 48

30 to 40 35 to 70

40+ (depends on height) 70 to 105

STEP ONE STEP THREE

STEP TWO

BATTERIES: These flashes require 4 AA batteries in order to operate. If the flash bulb is facing away from you, the battery compartment is on the right. Changing batteries is a frequent need and a frequent pain. The compartment is poorly labeled, and changing the batteries in a hurry at night may be a challenge. You know you need to change the batteries when it takes a long time for the flash to charge, when it starts constantly beeping or when it shuts itself off only 20 seconds.

TURNING ON THE FLASH: My Speedlite YN560’s have an ON/OFF button on the bottom right corner. To turn it on, you have to hold the button down until all the lights on the board are on and or until you hear the beep and or zoom moving. The same goes for turning it off, though the opposite will happen. Some of the newer YN560’s, such as the YN560 II and YN560 III, have an auto shut off feature, which comes in handy when you are letting the batteries sit while waiting for a train. If you have a model that includes the auto shut off feature, the proper way to turn it back on is by hitting the shutter button twice (once to activate the receiver, and a second time to wake your flash up). I will get more into that process later on in the article. If you scramble to turn your flash back on manually, remember that you have to hold the button down for the full duration of the power up process for your flash to turn on.

SETTINGS: All models of the Speedlite YN560 have an array of buttons. On the bottom of these particular flashes, you will see a circular pattern of buttons with a circle in the middle: leave them alone. If you accidentally hit one of those buttons, wait for your flash to return to the home screen, or turn it off and on manually. The home screen is when either all lights are on or all settings are being shown. When you change a setting, the lights (screen if you have a newer model) changes to accommodate to that setting. Five seconds after you changed the settings, the flash will revert back to the home display.

WHAT I’M USING: Three years ago I purchased my first flash photography kit. It consisted of three Yongnuo brand Speedlite YN560 flashes, three Trigmaster receivers, one Aperture brand Trigmaster transmitter and three 72” Pro Tripods.

WHAT TO BUY: There is a wide range of flash brands to choose from:

• YN/TT560 by Yongnuo• DBK• Altura• Sun Beam• Panasonic

Since I own the Speedlite YN560, let’s use them as an example on how to properly set up.


ZOOM

ON/OFFPILOT

MODE

STEP TWOON/OFF BUTTON

To turn on, hold button down until all lights on the board are on, or until you hear a beep. To turn off, hold button down and the opposite will happen.

STEP THREEZOOM BUTTONS

The two buttons on the top right are for your zoom. You can change the zoom of your flashes by hitting the plus or minus button. When you hit the button, your screen tells you how to many millimeters your distance is set at, and then reverts to the home screen. Using the zoom is only necessary when you’re shooting something that is far away from where you are standing. If your flash is between 20 and 30 feet away from your target, keep the zoom between 24 and 28.

STEP THREEMUSIC NOTE BUTTON

This is the sound button. The flashes emit a high pitch quick song when firing a flash and when turning on. All this button does is turn that sound on and off.

STEP THREEMODE BUTTON

If you are using a separate receiver, set your flashes to display an “M” on the screen. If you want to use your flashes to set off other flashes without using receivers, you must set them to slave mode (S1 or S2). Bear in mind that if you choose S1 or S2, you will need a flash on your camera (not recommended), and your flashes will need to be spaced roughly 10 feet apart (also not recommended).

STEP THREEPILOT BUTTON

After you turn on your flash, it will need to charge. Charging time varies depending on how fresh your batteries are. They will also need to recharge after firing. If you do a test shot and one of your flashes doesn’t go off, you can manually test the flash unit with the Pilot button. Shield your eyes.


Puzzling operations, two UPY MP15’s power a switch job in the business park that makes up Northlake, Ill. With the help of the parking lot being abandoned this shot was made possible how ever upon coming back to this location there is a new gate in place that keeps the parking lot closed. Photo by Andrew Sax

With the basic functions of the flashes covered, I’ll now be discussing how to work with your

transmitter/receiver/transceiver setup. Because I own three Trigmaster receivers and a Trigmaster transmitter, I will be using the Trigmaster set as a demonstration point. There are many of other options for receiver/transmitter/transceiver setups.

The difference between a receiver/transmitter set and a transceiver set is that the transmitter gets placed on the hot shoe of your camera, and your receivers get mounted onto your tripods with each flash sitting in the hot shoe of a receiver. The transmitter emits a signal to your receivers, which in turn sets off the flash unit on each receiver. The transmitter is activated through pressing the shutter button on your camera. In a transceiver setup, a transceiver is placed upside down on the hot shoe of your camera and on each tripod, and the flashes are mounted on top of them. Because each transceiver acts as both a receiver and a transmitter, transceivers give you the ability to stretch out your range

and space your flashes further apart.Be careful when buying a transmitter/receiver set or a transceiver set, as different pieces fit different cameras. Make sure the equipment you buy is compatible with the specific camera you own. Like all setups, the Trigmaster set has its pros and cons. To begin you’ll have to mount your transceiver set onto your tripod mount. Simple right?

REMOTESETUP


Anything and everything on the BNSF Chicago Sub as a CSX SD40-2 leads two other CSX motors on a manifest bound for Clearing Yard in Chicago passing under the now taken down CB&Q era signal bridge in Downers Grove, Ill.Photo by Andrew Sax


STEP ONEBATTERIES

The battery compartment cover is in the back (there is a small door that you gently push down on). The labeling for the way the batteries to go in is already nearly invisible during the day, so if you have to changing batteries at night is even more challenging. These Trigmaster sets require two AAA batteries. When you are looking at the batteries they should appear as follows: right, “+”, left, “-”.

STEP SIXPLACING THE TRANSMITTER

Place your transmitter onto the hot shoe of your camera. It might be a tight fit, so be gentle. Do not turn on the transmitter until it is on your camera, and do not turn on your transmitter until your camera is on.

STEP TWOMOUNTING TO TRIPOD

Screw in your transceiver set to your tripod mount. Depending on what tripods you get, they could have a completely plastic coating or they could have a rubber top. If they have a rubber top, I suggest that after use you remove the radio set from the tripod mount to prevent the radio set from sticking heavily to the tripod mount. If you completely take the screw out and you are still fighting with your radio set, take it off very gently by twisting it from side to side. That way, the platform of the radio set will not break off, but you can still access the batteries. Depending on the tripod mount, you may not be able to access the batteries with the tripod mount screwed in.

STEP FIVETURNING ON RECIEVER

With the Trigmaster receivers, the on/off switch is located at the end tip, next to a LED light. On Trigmaster versions, there are three options (left to right): Flash, Off, Camera. To turn it on, set it to Flash. The only time you use the Camera setting is when you have wires connecting your camera body to the receiver and have no transmitter. On the Trigmaster II receivers, the options are (left to right): Off, Camera, Flash. Again, set it to Flash. If you accidentally set it to Camera, the LED next to the switch will blink red. If you set it to Flash, it will blink green. If you set it to Flash and it blinks red, then it is time to change your batteries.


STEP SEVENTURNING ON TRANSMITTER

Just like the receiver, there is a difference between Trigmaster and Trigmaster II products. If you have a Trigmaster transmitter, turn the on/off switch on the side to the “on” position, and make sure that the unit is set to Flash. If you have a Trigmaster II transmitter, then just set it to Flash. If anything is wrong with the transmitter, the LED will either blink red or be solid red. Be sure your transmitter shows the same channel you have your flashes on by using the aforementioned method.

STEP THREEYOUR CHANNELS

One of the great things about the Trigmaster set is that it comes with 16 programmable channels. Each receiver is equipped with small moveable numbered buttons. These are the channel programmers. It comes in handy if you are with a friend who is also using a Trigmaster set, because you and your friend wont interfere with each other as long as you use different channels. When all the buttons are in the up position you are on channel 15. When all the buttons are on the down position you are on channel 0. For example, if buttons 1 and 4 are up and buttons 2 and 8 are down, the channel is set to 5.

STEP FOURATTACHING YOUR FLASH

Most camera mount flashes work in the following fashion: just above the hot shoe inset on the flash is a disc. Turn the disc counter clockwise to raise it all the way up. If you don’t raise it all the way up, you wont be able to put your flash on the receiver. Once you get your flash into your receiver, turn the disc clockwise to tighten it down and prevent the flash from falling. Please note that some models might vary in direction, but the point is to open the flash before you put it on the receiver, and tighten it once it is on the receiver.


20ft from ROW

You are here


With the basics of how to work your flash and radio set covered, the next thing to grasp is

how to properly set up for your shot. Setting up for your shot varies on your surroundings. You want your tripods at a certain height, you want your camera to be set a certain way, you want your flashes to be set a specific way, and you want your space to be completely lit up. Setting your flashes up takes some getting used to but, it is fairly easy to comprehend.

For example, take the above situation. You have a train coming toward you on the center track. You want your flashes to be between 20-25 feet from the right-of-way (ROW), and you want them to be as elevated

as possible. If you have your flashes too close to the ground, the ground will be completely blown out. Notice where the person is standing in the example, i.e. between the first and second flash. If you stand behind all of your flashes, there will be a dead space in your picture, and the safety stripes and reflective tape on the train will be blown out. This way, you have control of your light and have an even canvas.

BL&E no. 658 heads the L520 enroute back to Joliet crossing the DuPage river in Plainfield, Ill. Photo by Andrew Sax


Dusk on the semaphoresC l o s i n g t h e c h a p t e r o n t h e f o r m e r S a n t a F e S e m a p h o r e s

W r i t t e n b y J o h n C r i s a n t i P h o t o g r a p h y b y S t e p h e n S c h m i d t a n d K y m b e r l e y G a r c i a

Photo by Stephen Schmidt



The last remaining active semaphore signals on a mainline in North America dot the landscape of North Central

New Mexico. Beginning in the late 19th century, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (ATSF), built their original mainline over Raton Pass in Southern Colorado and Northern New Mexico. From 1878-1879, Railroad Wars between the ATSF and William Palmer’s Denver and Rio Grande created tense situations as they wanted to build west over Tennessee Pass. However, Palmer also wanted to build a rail line from Colorado down into Texas and eventually Mexico City. Once the Railroad Wars ended, the rights to build over Raton Pass were given to the ATSF, while the Rio Grande built west from Pueblo. The route went through a mountain pass along a line of

On Mar. 02, 2015, Amtrak train no. 3, the westbound Southwest Chief, races through the west end of the siding at Levy, N. Mex., with Amtrak’s Phase IV heritage unit on the point. Interstate 25 can be seen to the left of the trainPhoto by Stephen Schmidt

Semaphore signals protect the west end of Chapelle siding on Mar. 02, 2015. Photo by Stephen Schmidt


volcanic mesas that extends east from the Sangre de Cristo Mountains along the Colorado/Wyoming state line, and furnishes offers a direct land route between the valley of the Arkansas River to the north and the upper valley of the Canadian River towards Santa Fe to the south. In order to climb up to the summit of 7,834ft, the route required gradients up to 3.5% and the only tunnel in the state of New Mexico. By 1996, the ATSF was absorbed into the BNSF Railway, which continued to run freight traffic over Raton Pass. Amtrak’s Southwest Chief between Chicago, Ill, and Los Angeles, Cali., traverses the route. However, with the completion of the Belen Cut-Off in 1908, the majority of ATSF’s freight traffic was diverted to a less steep route (1.25%). The Belen Cut-Off is now part of BNSF’s Southern Transcontinental Route between Chicago and Los Angeles. Due to the lack of freight traffic on the route, BNSF lost interest in maintaining the route and keeping it up to standards for Amtrak, which created a problem. Beginning in 2012, there were talks of rerouting Amtrak’s Southwest Chief off of the original, current routing to the Belen Cut-Off due to BNSF’s unwillingness to maintain the route. The states of Kansas, Colorado, and New Mexico did not approve of this, as it would remove train service to passengers that use the train as their mode of transportation to the outside world.

Amtrak train no. 3, the westbound Southwest Chief, rounds the curve at the east end of Watrous siding with Amtrak’s Phase IV heritage unit on the point, on Mar. 02, 2015. One of the replacement tri-light signals can be seen in place, but not in service just yet. Photo by Stephen Schmidt

Raton SubdivisionGlorieta Subdivision

Gallup SubdivisionClovis Subdivision

Note: trackage from Lamy to Belen is under ownership of the New Mexico Rail Runner



The moon rises over the horizon along the New Mexican desert in Chapelle, closing another day along the former Santa Fe mainline on Apr. 04, 2015. Photo by Kymberley Garcia

As of March 2015, the fear of losing the Southwest Chief along its original route through Kansas, Colorado, and New Mexico has finally come to an end. In 2014, the states of Colorado and Kansas aggressively moved into securing a federal grant for repairs on their sections of the route. Even though New Mexico was not as willing as their neighboring states, Amtrak was convinced that all three states have a sound plan to keep up maintenance of the track. This also lifted the Jan. 1, 2016 deadline for funding the project and keeping the service. This is certainly great news for people living along the original ATSF mainline, but unfortunately, the news is not all good. While upgrades are coming to the Raton and Glorieta Subdivisions, the classic semaphore signals are slated to be replaced with tri-light signals. The last chapter for these signals is coming to a close soon. For now, however, the semaphores continue to dot the landscape like they have been doing for over a hundred years.


Winter may halt some normal transportation, but it doesn’t stop the railroad. Here we have a BNSF local that will be switching out this grain elevator. Locomotives detailed and supplied by Dillon Harrison. Module and photo by Jon Hill

MODEL RAILROADING

Winter on the plains...BNSF trudges forward



Models in reviewP h o t o s a n d r e v i e w s b y J o n H i l l

Atlas Master HO Trinity 25,500 gallon tank

Recent releases of modern oil tankers in HO scale have been sorely needed for several years.

Thankfully, Atlas has a production that will start to fill the void.

With an MSRP of $37.99, these cars won’t be for the value minded modeler, but for someone with deeper pockets. Some retailers are offering these at under $30 per car, and Atlas has made available unnumbered

versions with extra decal sheets that can be bought in bundles. This allows you to make your own unit trains without repeating car numbers.

In hand, these cars are wonderfully detailed and fairly durable to the touch. The only negative aspects about them are the bulky Accumate couplers that are factory-installed, and their light weight. Thankfully, these issues can be easily remedied:

Kadee makes the usual replacement couplers, and these tankers have end panels that pop off, which makes adding some weight a quick and painless job. I highly recommend these new oil tank cars to any modern modeler.

Rating: 85 out of 100


Bluford Shops HO transfer caboose

Bluford starts production of rare plastic caboose models.

Over the past year, Bluford Shops has started a vast production of transfer cabooses and shoving platforms. Starting at a MSRP of $49.95, these are a bit expensive, but – as you will find out– are well worth the cost.

The various versions of these very nice models are mostly proto-typically correct, but several road names are either one-offs or near-fantasy versions.

I personally own the Conrail version, and also tested the Indiana Harbor Belt version. They are very durable cars, and it would take quite a bit to break even the smallest of details on these, which is fantastic. Upon

opening the boxes, the one thing I noticed is that they are using Atlas trucks and wheels. They roll freely, as most Atlas wheels do out of the box.Previously only available in brass, these cars are a great addition to the HO scale marketplace.

Blufords transfer caboose models are highly recommended.

Rating: 90 out of 100

About Jon Hill:

Jon joined Railroad Enthusiast as a Staff Writer. Currently Jon splits his work with the Menards Distribution Center as a forklift operator and with the family farm. He has over 20 years of Model Railroading expertise and know how.


PHOTO GALLERYFrostbite at RatonThe Southwest Chief has just completed its journey through the frostbitten Raton Pass and is now moments away from its stop in Raton, N. Mex., on Mar. 02, 2015. Photo by Stephen Schmidt

Top: A Union Pacific Maintenance-of-Way section gang performs a “Rope Burn” on a section of rail on the main track in the yard at La Salle, Colo., on Dec. 07, 2013. Photo by John Crisanti

Top Right: Amtrak’s westbound Southwest Chief races through the semaphores at the east switch at Cha-pelle, N. Mex., on Jan. 03, 2015 . Photo by Kymberley Garcia

Bottom Right: With a snow storm settling in over the Alleghenies in Feb. 17, 2013, one of the very few Con-rail painted SD50ss leads a slab train into the city of Johnstown, Pa. Photo by Jason Boring

Rope Burn

Semaphores at Chapelle

Winter Flashback



Running as D700, CSXT 6448 and 2212 lead a short train of boxcars across the Kalamazoo River in New Richmond, Mich., on Feb. 08, 2013. Photo by Jim Thias

Crossing the Kalamazoo River

Kawartha Lakes WinterCanadian Pacific operates an internal shortline called the Kawartha Lakes Railway (KLR), that carries frack sand between Havelock and Toron-to, Ontario. On Jan. 12, 2015, eastbound KLR train T08 trundles down the Havelock Subdivision at a brisk 10 mph, along a lightly snow-covered Oak Ridges Moraine. Photo by Cameron Applegath


Catfish in the SnowThe daily Allentown-Buffalo manifest no. 12T is flying west through Wellsburg, N.Y., between Waverly and El-mira on Feb. 21, 2015. Photo by Mathieu Tremblay


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Railroad Enthusiast - Winter 2015

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