Front Range Railfanning

Welcome to Front Range Railfanning! This group was founded by Chris Paulhamus, and is now under control of Carlos Ferran. This group is here to serve the needs of everyone who call the Joint Line their home railfanning line or to those visiting in the near future!

The Joint Line is a jointly owned piece of railroad between the Union Pacific and BNSF Railway running between Denver and Pueblo, CO, approximately 119 miles. The line became what it is because of the Joint Line agreement between the C&S and the ATSF. Until the mergers, the 3 railroads running on the Joint Line were D&RGW, BN, and ATSF. Of course there was Rock Island and MoPac, but that's another story.

Approximately 25-35 trains a day use the line as a connection between the Powder River Basin, and power plant customers in Texas, Kansas, Arizona, and elsewhere. Primary traffic on this line is coal...lots of coal. About 75% of the trains here are coal loads and empties, and almost all of them belonging to BNSF. Even with all the coal, the Joint Line has a lot of variety and is a must see for any visitor to Colorado.

Topics include heads ups of trains with some nice lashups, railroading news, heritage units, trip reports, questions on anything railroad related, nostalgia, and more! We also have materials to help catch locals, radio frequencies, and train symbols.

I hope to continue the legacy set by Chris, and make this group even more prosperous. Welcome to the group, and welcome to the Joint Line!

Two BNSF coal trains, one loaded, one empty meet at a famous Joint Line landmark, the Sag. Taken minutes before sunset on 12/20/12