Just returned from a trip to Colorado. On a drive west of Canon City along the Arkansas River we saw several 25-car cuts of stored coal hoppers on the out-of-service UP (ex-DRGW) Royal Gorge/Tennessee Pass line. The stored cars begin around Spike Buck and continue for a few miles west of there. We only went as far as Texas Creek so I don’t know if there are more cars beyond there. At least you can see what a train would look like in that beautiful canyon. Except for the siding at Spike Buck the cars are on the main line.
Called the economy when there is low demand the store them anywere there is a siding or extra trackage. I know the IL railnet is storing anything they can on their trackage they can. Right now they have BNSF Boxcars a few hoppers for the NS and IIRC even a few Autoracks in other Loactions.
While all these freight cars are sitting idle someone has to get photos of them before they are moving too fast to capture or before they are scrapped for a new generation of rolling stock.
Andrew Falconer
The former DRGW line west of Monte Vista CO has had literally MILES of TOFC cars sitting there for several years now.
If it wasn’t cut off through downtown Stillwater, the Zephyr line behind my house might be filled with parked cars.