POTD - A Plow In Aspen Gold

Photo of the Day: James Belmont

With the weather turning colder again, it's only fitting for the mind to turn to the one thing that made Colorado winters famous--or infamous, to the minds of railroad presidents and their accountants: snow. First in the line of defense of the high mountain passes and deep canyons were the plows, of which the Denver & Rio Grande Western railroad's X-67 is one of very few built for them by the Russell Car & Snow Plow Company. Further, she was listed by the Rio Grande as a plow, rather than a plow and spreader. Nevertheless, she looks fantastic sitting in Minturn on a relatively hot spring day in June 1981, awaiting the call to action in a fresh coat of Grande Aspen gold with wide-vision caboose 01509. Since Tennessee Pass has been dormant for 20 years now (grrr!), X-67 has been summering in Glenwood Springs, not a bad way to spend one's time!⚒

POTD: Tunnel Motor at Minturn

Photo: Mike Danneman

Today's Photo of the Day comes from Mike Danneman. His photo, titled Tunnel Motor at Minturn, captured Rio Grande SD40T-2 #5398 at the head of a westbound coal train waiting for a new crew in Minturn before departing for Dotsero, Glenwood Springs and points west. Mr. Danneman's choice of including the rail for the foreground is no mistake. The top of the rail is where everything happens for this train and the entire Rio Grande Railroad! The more I look at this photo, the more I like it. That's a good sign!◊