BNSF/ATSF/BN photos Click here to return to the index.

ATSF Photos:

Picture Location Date Description / Notes
East Portal 6/14/03 ATSF 635 leads BNSF 751 and 4539 east bound out of the Moffat Tunnel.  From our vantage point high above the rails the train is dwarfed by the Continental Divide.
East Portal 6/14/03 With the telephoto lens we can zoom in a little more to see ATSF 635, BNSF 751, BNSF 4539.
East Portal 6/14/03 Another view of the same train as above.
Tunnel 17 5/21/00 ATSF 647 leads an eastbound manifest freight out of the east portal of Tunnel 17.
Tunnel 10 3/4/00 ATSF 653 and 655 head into the west portal of Tunnel 10.
Crescent 7/17/99 One of my all-time favorite shots - great view of the Continental Divide in the background. ATSF 670 is the lead unit.
Pinecliffe 6/22/02 The crew of this eastbound BNSF train pauses while a westbound UP empty coal train passes by.

BN Photos:

Picture Location Date Description / Notes
Coal Creek Canyon 8/21/97 Here we see a westbound BN manifest train chugging upgrade towards Tunnel 1 led by BN 5531, a C30-7. Photo by Gary Hannes.
Crescent 3/13/99 BN 7109 and 7006 idle on Crescent siding.
Tunnel 29 1/7/01 BN 8072 and BNSF 8064 are end-of-train pushers on the westbound coil steel train. They are seen here cruising over the bridge at MP 36.45.
Tunnel 27 1/7/01 BN 8072 and BNSF 8064 are now running light downgrade after helping the coil train up to the Moffat Tunnel. Here we see them in the afternoon shadows of South Boulder Canyon.
Tunnel 27 1/7/01 Same engines as above...they are just about to enter Tunnel 27. A very chilly day in the canyon...15 degrees Fahrenheit, plus a brisk wind chill.
Tunnel 13 6/16/01 BN 9480 leads a westbound BNSF coal train through the tunnels of South Draw. Here we see it between Tunnels 13 and 14.
Tunnel 14 6/16/01 BN 9480, 9411, BNSF 8864, and BN 9599 are westbound between Tunnels 14 and 15.
old Tunnel 17 6/16/01 Having rounded the horseshoe in South Draw, the BN coal train swings to the right to continue westward towards Tunnel 17.
old Tunnel 17 6/16/01 I've zoomed out to show the extent of the horseshoe. The four locomotives are on the far right, while the rest of the train is trailing at the left through Tunnels 14 and 15.

BNSF Photos:

Picture Location Date Description / Notes
East Portal 8/9/98 A sad sight for hardcore Rio Grande fans....Warbonnets coming out of East Portal. That's BNSF 707 leading an eastbound manifest freight.
Tunnel 1 2/23/02 BNSF 737 leads an eastbound manifest into Tunnel 1.
Tunnel 3 6/1/02 BNSF 793 heads up an eastbound soda ash train seen here exiting Tunnel 3.
Bull Gulch 6/1/02 BNSF 793, 1005, and 641 cruise across the high fill over Bull Gulch.
Rollinsville 5/7/00 BNSF 1099, 4819, and 4832 head westbound through Rollinsville. That's South Boulder Creek in the foreground.
Tolland 9/23/06 BNSF 4476 leads a colorful assortment of motive power on an eastbound manifest freight at Tolland.
west of Rollinsville 9/23/06 The train above is seen here rolling eastbound in the canyon west of Rollinsville. This is the first time I have been able to capture the golden aspen with snow.
Tunnel 29 9/25/99 Eastbound BNSF freight train passing through fall foliage east of Tunnel 29. Lead unit is BNSF 4480.
Tunnel 5 4/1/01 BNSF 4540, 1048, and 4905 are westbound, heading into Tunnel 5.
near Tunnel 1 2/16/02 Here's a colorful motive power mixture: BNSF 4630, ATSF 672, EMD 9051, BNSF 8053, and BNSF 8008. This train is eastbound approaching Tunnel 1.
near Tunnel 1 2/16/02 Same train as above.
Tunnel 7 1/19/02 A great Tunnel 7 shot. Motive power is BNSF 4659, 4461, and 7073 on this eastbound manifest.
Crescent 5/7/99 An eastbound BNSF train waits on Crescent siding.
Tunnel 5 7/15/00 BNSF 4772, ATSF 861, and BNSF 4392 lead a train westbound into Tunnel 5.
Crescent 11/4/00 BNSF 4783, 4736, and ATSF 657 are eastbound at the west end of Crescent siding.
Crescent 7/16/00 Nice shot of BNSF 4812 in fresh paint.
Rollinsville 4/29/01 BNSF 4834 (eastbound) passes UP 7270 (tied down on the siding).
Tunnel 14 6/16/01 BNSF 4859 and 4938 lead an eastbound ASHX soda ash train between Tunnels 14 and 15.
Tunnel 13 6/16/01 The soda ash train enters Tunnel 13 on its eastbound journey. Eldorado Mountain serves as the massive backdrop.
Tunnel 12 6/16/01 Here we see BNSF 4859 and 4938 entering Tunnel 12 with the trailing ASHX covered hoppers at Tunnel 13.
east of Tunnel 29 1/7/01 BNSF 4940, 4324, and 4776 lead the westbound coil steel train in the early morning winter sunlight.
Tunnel 29 1/7/01 BNSF 4940 and friends roll across the bridge over South Boulder Creek on the west side of Tunnel 29.
Tunnel 29 1/7/01 Another shot of the coil train at bridge 36.45.
Crescent 4/21/01 Believe it or not, this day started out sunny and warm. But springtime in the Rockies is unpredictable, and 5 hours later we find ourselves in dense fog and rain. BNSF 4967 is leading an eastbound manifest towards Denver.
Tunnel 1 6/22/02 BNSF 4982, 8229, and ATSF 923 lead an eastbound ASHX soda ash unit train towards Tunnel 1, south of Plainview.
between Tunnels 14 and 15 8/17/02 A trio of BNSF Dash-9s is eastbound in South Draw on a late summer afternoon. This shot was taken from Tunnel 17 looking east through a 300mm zoom lens.
South Draw 8/17/02 The BNSF train in the previous picture has now wound its way through the 180 degree turn in South Draw. The lead engines are approaching at the right, while the rest of the train is still in the background across the canyon.
Tunnel 17 8/17/02 The engines now reach our photo position at the east side of Tunnel 17. The motive power is BNSF 5374, 4302, and 5478. Wildfires in the front range on this weekend gave the afternoon sky a smoggy kind of appearance.
NEW! Tunnel 9 (site) 3/28/07 BNSF 5466 is leading an eastbound manifest freight across the "shelf" leading into the old Tunnel 9 site.
Crescent 6/10/01 On June 10, 2001, a BNSF special passed through the Moffat Route on its way back to Denver. The special was for the dedication of the American Soda facility in Parachute, CO. Here we meet the special at Crescent.
Crescent 6/10/01 The four-car BNSF special passes a waiting UP coal train at Crescent siding. Passenger cars were: "Donner Pass," "Mountain View," "Lake Superior," and "William B. Strong."  This is a nice shot of the ex-ATSF theatre-observation car "William B. Strong."
Tunnel 1 6/10/01 BNSF 5485 and the four passenger cars head out of Tunnel 1 down the steep grade into Coal Creek Canyon.
Coal Creek Canyon 6/10/01 The BNSF special approaches Blue Mountain Road.
Coal Creek Canyon 6/10/01 BNSF 5485 is about to cross Blue Mountain Road.
Clay siding 6/10/01 From Highway 72 we catch a view of the BNSF soda ash special rolling along Clay siding.
near Leyden siding 6/10/01 Here we see the BNSF special rolling along pretty quickly on the approach to Leyden siding. We also finally get to see some bright sunlight, typical of afternoons in the Colorado Front Range.
near Leyden siding 6/10/01 View to the east as the train rolls towards Denver. The train was really cooking at this point. We had hoped to hike to a different (better) spot, but the train beat us to it.
Tunnel 5 4/1/01 BNSF 6728 and 8067 are end-of-train power on a westbound manifest freight. It's rare to see blue-and-yellow on the Moffat, but every now and then you get lucky.
Tunnel 17 8/17/02 BNSF 6810 and 7006 are rear DPU's on the westbound manifest train led by BNSF 5374.
Crescent 1/8/00 BNSF 6836 leads an eastbound manifest at Crescent, on a chilly (but clear) winter day.
Pinecliffe 9/25/05 BNSF 7753 (in the new paint scheme) passes through the east end of Cliff siding.
Pinecliffe 9/25/05 BNSF 7753 and 7851 look quite small from my vantage point high above the tracks.
Bridge 36.45 9/25/05 I love the bridge shots like this because the trains always look like models.
Coal Creek Canyon 9/25/05 I was able to catch the new BNSF unit again coming out of Tunnel 1 in Coal Creek Canyon.
west of Rollinsville 9/16/06 BNSF 7757 leads a colorful mixture of motive power eastbound. NS 8411 and 7589 are trailing units, along with four BNSF DASH 9s.
west of Rollinsville 9/16/06 Another shot of the train above.
west of Rollinsville 9/16/06 By zooming east down the road a bit, I was able to get another shot of 7757 in sunlight.
east of Pinecliffe 9/16/06 BNSF 7757 and friends are seen here in the canyon east of Pinecliffe, just before the bridge at MP 36.45.
Tunnel 4 9/16/06 Once again, another encounter with BNSF 7757 - this time shot through the telephoto lens from about 1/2 mile away. The train is seen here exiting Tunnel 4.
Tunnel 1 9/16/06 BNSF 7757 is seen here rolling downgrade into Tunnel 1 south of Plainview.

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All photos by MATT HANNES unless noted. Any other images used on this page are used with permission of the original photographer.

This entire web page is Copyright 1999-2007 by MATT HANNES. The images contained on this web page are for personal viewing only, and may not be reproduced commercially (i.e. to make money from). If you would like to use any of these images on your web page please e-mail me for permission. Thanks...