Grand Junction Locals, part 1

: Sep. 11, 2017 Grand Junction, CO

The Rio Grande relied on bridge traffic. But, as we viewed in the previous posts, the Rio Grande at Grand Junction had quite a number of customers; industries or businesses served by the railroad at sidings or industry trackage.

The Rio Grande local trains originated in Grand Junction also served the customers along its route. They switched and picked up cars at remote sidings or industry trackage, brought to the East Yard and forwarded east or west to the final destination. The method continues to this day.

Unfortunately, however, as of Dec. 4, 2018, Trains News Wire, the introducing of Precision Scheduled Railroading at Union Pacific will be implemented by the middle of 2019. It is already announced that MNYRO/MRONY(manifests between North Yard at Denver and Roper Yard at Salt Lake City) was switched to tri-weekly MNYGJ/MGJNY since Dec. 2018. These may bring some changes to the local traffic at Grand Junction and its vicinity. Here, I represent my record of the local traffic at Grand Junction and its vicinity as of summer 2017.


Today, several local trains still originate and terminate at Grand Junction. Union Pacific local trains originate at East Yard and go east as far as Gypsum, go west as far as Potash, and go south as far as Montrose. BNSF local runs between Grand Valley and Railhead.

Google Map below shows the Grand Junction Locals territory. The green line shows the BNSF local and the others show UP locals.

: map of Grand Junction Locals


小口の車扱い貨車を連ねたローカル貨物列車も、こんにちでは洋の東西を問わず、見かけることは少なくなってきた。小口の貨物が発着する側線や引き込み線が以前に比べ随分減少したこともその一因だろう。旧D&RGW沿線においてもその例外ではない。それでもまだ、コロラド州Grand Junctionのヤードを基点に幾本か、D&RGW時代からあるローカル列車が生き残っている。しかし、Union Pacificにおいても、今後Precision Scheduled Railroadingの導入を拡充するとTrains Newswireで報じられていたので、予断を許さない。一昨年、今のうちと考え訪ねてきたので以下で順次紹介する。

Grand Junctionを基点とするUnion Pacificのローカル貨物列車は、東はGypsumという駅、西はPotashという駅、南はMontroseという駅まで運行されている。乗り入れているBNSFのローカル列車は、東はGrand Valleyという駅、西はRailheadという駅まで運行されている。各々「駅」と記しているが、実際は側線分岐地点の名称だったり、企業敷地内引き込み線の名称だったり、といずれの「駅」もさほどフォトジェニックでないのが残念なところ。

下記Google mapsの緑色の線・ピンが上に記したBNSFの、黄・赤色の線・ピンがUPの、各々ローカル列車の経路および「駅」である。