A northbound BNSF manifest nears Trinchera on the old Colorado & Southern

A northbound Burlington Northern Santa Fe train led by SD40-2 No. 6351 crosses a trestle while departing the town of Trinchera on February 27, 1999. The freight just met a southbound train in the ... (more)

The trestle crossing County Road 119.5 is about to feel the weight of four Burlington Northern EMD SD70MACs nearing Trinchera, Colorado, with a southbound coal train on February 13, 1998.

Charging their way up to Trinidad, CO, a double empty coal train moves across the landscape of southern Colorado as it passes through Trinchera.

BNSF ES44DC #7675 rolls along the old Colorado & Southern

A monster 2.5 mile long empty coal train stakes it's way around the massive horseshoe curves on Trinchera Pass on the rails of the old Colorado & Southern on a late summer morning.

Three pumpkins bring a long manifest north nearing the small southern Colorado town of Trinchera.

A colorful Burlington Northern Santa Fe freight heads south over a wood trestle approaching the town of Trinchera, Colorado, on February 27, 1999. The railroad siding located just east of town is ... (more)

Trinchera Pass, built through the sparse dry cimarron ranchlands of Southern Colorado over 100 years ago, still hosts decent traffic (albeit not at the levels as the 1980s-1990s before BNSF), prim... (more)

A whole train in the frame. The mountains that border southern Colorado and northern New Mexico stretch to the left. The Sangre de Cristo range sets the far skyline.

Passing through Trinchera, CO on a quiet Saturday morning. Spanish Peak looms 80 miles away on the horizon.

Lead units (distance) and DPUs (nearby) are about a mile apart. They work their way up and down the grades via turns, including several horseshoe curves, between Des Moines, NM and Trinidad, CO.

DPUs at the back of coal empties bound for Wyoming are having no problem holding up the back of the train, as this train rolls by the quiet, lightly-populated ranching town of Trinchera, Colorado.... (more)

Winding down the curves of Trinchera Pass, approaching the tiny town of Trinchera, en route to Trindad and the next crew change.

Directional running in the sparse southern Colorado rolling plains. A pair of dedicated DPUs work the back half of empty coal through the continual curves of Trinchera Pass en route to a refill i... (more)