A Super Coal Empty... Looks Like They Are Combining Two Trains as One. in Tales of the Jointed Track

I took my son home yesterday, since he doesn’t drive. He lives in the old Harvey Park, Ruby Hill area in South Denver. So that means traversing the old Joint-Line on Highway 85 or South Santa Fe Drive.

About MP 13, past the Mineral Lite Rail station a grain empty, with DP, plus a 2 unit manned helper. There was another staging at MP 10.3. The DP’s were just south of the Oxford Lite Rail station.

I found this interesting, LOL, since it was the first time I had seen it. There was a Coal empty, I thought staged with the head end at Evans Ave. The DP’s were around Dartmouth Ave. An old tired SD-70-Mac was the rear unit and marker.
Coming up to Evans Ave, there was the head end, about 8-10 cars past the signal. Odd. the looking further, they are coupled to the DP remote. The Head end is by Mississippi Ave for the Crew Change. So a ‘super empty”, for lack of terminology on my part. 2 X 4 X 2, yeah that’s the ticket.

From the old running days, we had to isolate down to 3 on line, for fuel conservation. Wonder what was online on the consists? Two on the head end, one on the swings, on on the rear? Total cars? just a guess, from the old, coal empties we ran, at 128 cars now this train is what 256 to 305 cars?

Train length, I am guessing 2 and 1/2 miles. That’s a nice easy small train to handle. They might fit between Rio Grande Buttes and MP 95.3, where Old Pueblo Road crosses the main line north and south. Wilson Road, yeah, might just, clear Old Pueblo Road, just north of old Rio Grande Buttes. Pulling up to Crews, not an option. Colorado Springs. Yeah up to the North end, the rear end, should be clear of Sierra Madre and Las Animas, probably around the Martin Drake Utility Academy, no biggie they’ll hang out by a train length, but no crossings. Castle Rock, well hold at MP 32,5, to get off the circuit. rear end will be close to the Hot Box detector at MP 35.

Makes me think of the logistics in this. The BNSF adage, It will work whether it works or not. A great idea on paper, till something goes wrong. I know of a few rails out of Lincoln,NE, that have handled these to Alliance,NE.

Could I run this yes. I am glad I am retired.