04-28-2014, 11:01 AM
Green_Elite_Cab Wrote:Not to surprising, considering "UP" stands for "Unlimited Power"!
That is a weird one though. Perhaps it was part of a light engine move? Is there anywhere else on the line those diesels may have come from? Perhaps they were testing the units?
They had to have come out of Pueblo, since that is the only place in this area where they still operate. That's part of the mystery:
The track into the Royal Gorge now belongs to the Royal Gorge Railroad, so the the through route is closed.
The power plant shut down, and that ended UP's service providing coal.
Incidental switchng in Florence and all of this surrounding area including the Portland cement plant is provided by Rock & Rail, a pay-as-you-go contract switching outfit.
This is the first UP consist of any kind to come into town for over a year, and no one seems to know why. My personal theory is that UP was running a road test, because last year they spent a lot of money upgrading the grade crossings, traffic barriers and track, so a good way to test the track would be to run four locos through with a minimal drag.
The tracks still run all the way through the Gorge to Buena Vista and form there to Leadville, the site of the Climax Molydenum mine, largest one in the world, and the train up there now operates as a tourist train. I sometimes wonder if there are plans to re-open the Climax to full capacity. Otherwise, a rail trip up the Arkansas River would be a huge tourist draw. It's a beautiful drive and Leadville is a quaint place to visit.
Otherwise...??