A 49-car military train heads to the US Army’s Fort Carson, not far ahead at Kelker, what the railroad calls the section of Colorado Springs where the connection to Ft. Carson is made. Despite the presence of CSX ES40DC 5382 on the point (teamed with Union Pacific AC4400CW 6204, which is the former Southern Pacific 157), this is a Union Pacific train that originated in East St. Louis, Illinois. The UP’s symbol for this train is S-ESFC1-06, while the BNSF’s symbol is F-SESFC1-06. This is the famed Joint Line, in which BNSF and UP trains operate on each other’s trackage as if they were on double track, so why BNSF considers this a “detour” (as denoted by the “F” in the symbol) is a mystery. (Palmer Lake, Colorado – March 9, 2020)
