Colorado Unit Coal Trains 2000-Present | |||||
Copyright 2009 | |||||
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What Happened to the Steel-Bodied Unit Trains? | |||||
Fans of pre-2000 Colorado coal train operations have probably noticed that many of the steel-bodied unit coal trains from the 1980s/1990s-era have disappeared in favor of newer lightweight high-capacity railcars. The list below attempts to document when some of the better-known older steel-bodied Colorado coal trains vanished - and what they were replaced with.
FPPX (Fayette Power Project) steel cars: Replaced in 2009 by the FPPX 52000-series cars. A few cars are still in operation but their days are numbered. CSUX (Colorado Springs Dept. of Utilities) steel cars: Disposed of in 2000, replaced by CSUX 1-series cars. PSCX (Public Service Co. of Colorado) steel cars: Disposed of in 2006-2007, replaced by XCLX 060000-series cars. RTPX (Wheelabrator Coal Services) steel cars: Disappeared in 2003; likely replaced by AMTX/KLLX/TLKX trains. SDEX (Swindell-Dressler Energy Supply) steel cars: Disposed of in 2003; replaced by AMTX/KLLX/TLKX trains. TSXX (Tri-State Generation) steel cars: Disposed of in 2008; replaced by WFAX 08000-series cars. UFIX (Utility Fuels / Houston Power & Light) steel cars: Disposed of in 2006-2007; replaced by TGNX trains. WCSX (Wheelabrator Coal Services) steel cars: Disappeared in 2003, likely replaced by AMTX/KLLX/TLKX trains. WFAX (Western Fuels Association) steel cars: Disappeared in 2006, replaced by 05000-series and 65000-series aluminum cars. WFCX (Western Farmers Co-Op) steel cars: Disappeared in 2004; replaced by newer aluminum cars and re-routed out-of-state. As of Summer, 2009 only a handful of Colorado coal trains were still running steel-bodied cars. On the UP, several trains of 1970s-era railroad-owned steel hoppers (UP/DRGW/CHTT/CNW/MP marks) still operate. On the BNSF, the only regular steel-bodied unit coal train is the Rawhide (RAWX) train. The BNSF NPPX train to Gerald Gentleman Station may also still operate steel cars but I haven't seen it in several years. Last Updated: 08/19/09 |
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