Showing posts with label Great Western. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Great Western. Show all posts

Sunday, September 18, 2022

San Luis & Rio Grande Railroad May Have A Buyer But Questions Remain

San Luis & Rio Grande Railroad steam engine number 1744 steams lit up by the rising sun as it continues eastbound up and out of the San Luis Valley of southern Colorado, USA
SL&RG 1744 steams eastward into the sunrise toward La Veta Pass
Photo by Mike Danneman
After an auction ordered earlier this summer by a bankruptcy judge, the San Luis & Rio Grande Railroad, operating for years without an owner in the San Luis Valley, may actually have new life and a new owner. Officials are quick to stress that nothing is final or binding, but the details are being ironed out with long-time Great Western Railway of Colorado owner OmniTrax

Another company, North Central Railcorp headed by Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, Inc. President Tim Tennant, has indicated its interest to Roni Wisdom, Alamosa County Administrator, and should be working with the court and trustees, says Alamosa News

Hopefully, in OmniTrax we have a clear winner. Even if we do, the possibility exists that if OmniTrax fails in the San Luis Valley, it could file to abandon the historic branch like it did recently. According to AlamosaNews.com

On Aug. 9, 2019 – just three years after purchasing the line – OmniTrax and CTXR petitioned STB to abandon the line, citing the loss of millions of dollars in acquiring and operating the line and asserting the cost of continuing to maintain and operate the line far outweighed the potential revenue from shippers. STB approved the petition, and the line was abandoned.

That is not to say that the San Luis & Rio Grande Railroad would be in the same boat as the Central Texas and Colorado River (CTXR) Railroad, which was purchased by OmniTrax on the assumption demand for fracking sand would drive their railroad's profitability. When the demand didn't materialize in 2017, the railroad stalled. The San Luis & Rio Grande has the demand already in hand.

The rising sun glints off the special photo freight of the SL&RG
Photo by Mike Danneman
One question would be whether OmniTrax, if awarded the sale, can couple the existing demand for the valley's agriculture with its existing business model of rail-driven real estate. Having a client commit to using OmniTrax in the San Luis Valley would settle a lot of nerves. So would public funding or tax breaks to spur new business growth. But no one can expect either to show up on demand.

On the other hand, one thing is certain: If SL&RG were to shut down for any reason, Coors' Rocky Mountain barley and other clients' products would be forced over La Veta Pass via US 160, and I know from personal experience the highway would never handle such a load without tens or hundreds of millions of dollars spent to improve it. Thus, the San Luis & Rio Grande Railroad had better keep those steel wheels rolling, whatever happens. We can't afford for it to stop. ⚒


Friday, July 16, 2010

Photos of UP 844 In Milliken

Kimm Wierema, who lives with a family of railfans, managed to capture some really nice photos of UP 844 on its visit to Milliken, Colorado. The last-purchased, never-retired steam locomotive of the Union Pacific was on hand on June 26th to help the City of Milliken celebrate its centennial this year.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Great Western Trestle Fire Ruled Arson

Great Western, the short line on the northern Front Range that served the Great Western sugar plant, suffered a serious blow to its infrastructure when a trestle crossing the Cache la Poudre River northwest of Greeley caught fire the morning of February 9th. The fire was reported by an employee of Noble Energy. OmniTrax, which manages the short line, says it will be seven weeks before materials to repair the trestle arrive. The source of the fire, which started in some weeds next to the trestle and spread from there, is now believed to be arson because all non-human sources have been ruled out. A full beer bottle and a half-empty (half-full?) whiskey bottle were found nearby.


View Larger Map

The loss of the trestle has effectively severed the line from Greeley to Windsor. OmniTrax is working with area clients to find alternative shipping until repairs are complete, currently estimated to be in late March or early April. Damages are estimated at $1 million. Anyone with information about the fire should call the Union Colony Fire Department at 970-350-9500.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Article On Former Great Western Decapod #90

Way back before Denver's suburbs ever thought of going past Northglenn and Thornton, folks on the northern part of the Front Range were treated to a rare sight: a 2-10-0 Decapod steam engine operating over the Great Western Railway. Today, #90 is the newest and strongest in the stable at the Strasburg Railroad in Pennsylvania. (Read the article)

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Windsor Railroad Museum Reopens After Tornado

The Windsor twister that destroyed buildings and caused one death May 22, 2008, left its mark on the Colorado community, but there are signs that life is slowly returning to normal. One such sign is the Windsor museums re-opening at Boardwalk Park. Although there was damage to a beet shanty showing home life for immigrant sugar beet farmers, several other buildings--including the railroad depot and exhibits--went largely undamaged. The museums will be open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays this summer.

Friday, May 23, 2008

Tornado Tips Tankers - Windsor Takes It On the Chin

The tornado in Windsor was estimated as an F3, a major tornado. It cut a swath through the southeast section of town. While it's not clear whose railcars these are, it's obvious that the twister packed quite a punch. Our prayers are with the families involved in this storm.

Update: Great Western (OmniTrax) owns the rails, but it might not be their cars.

Sunday, May 4, 2008

Colorado's Railroads Driving Fuel Efficiency, Clean Energy

The Denver Post picked up an article titled Rolling With the Wind by Steve Raabe on the ways railroads in Colorado are not only fuel efficient movers of freight. They are also building the clean energy industry by serving a windmill manufacturer in Windsor, Colorado by way of the Great Western Railway. It's a good read, especially for those who want to understand why rail is so vitally important to Colorado's economy, especially in light of the energy boom.

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Two Derailments In 36 Hours

Great Western had a road unit in the ditch on Monday out on US 34 west of I-25 near Kelim just south of the bedroom community of Windsor. No injuries were reported. A crane was brought in from Cheyenne to lift it out of the mud. Longmont FYI has the story.
HT: John Barnhill


Additionally, BNSF lost some coal hoppers at the stock show in Denver on Tuesday. The mainline was cleared relatively quickly. No injuries reported at this derailment either. Additionally, no cause has been determined in either derailment, but no one has ruled out the recent spate of cold weather that's been in the state for weeks.
HT: Steve Brown