… And Just Then a Hole in the Clouds Let the Sun Through!
Don't let the sunny skies fool you - It was a cold day on Colorado's Joint Line! In fact, a few hours earlier, it was blizzard conditions at this spot called Spruce, just north of Palmer Lake, Colorado - and 33º F (.55º C) when this shot was made. BNSF Railway train H-LAUPUE1-04, a High Priority Merchandise train heading from Laurel MT to Pueblo CO (and 5013-feet in length and weighing 8707 tons) snakes around the S-curve near the Spruce Mountain Ranch on March 6, 2017. ES44DC 7644 is coupled to Dash 9-44CW 5484 and, at the end of the 80 car train, is Distributed Power Unit 4716, a Dash 9-44CW still wearing the popular "Superfleet" paint scheme.