Pullin' At The Sag: BNSF Coal Train Starts Up On a 1.2% Grade

Along Colorado's Joint Line, heavy coal trains battle ruling 1.2% to 1.4% grade over the Palmer Divide. While Joint Line is known for the BNSF owning main track 1 and Union Pacific owning main track 2, there is a section of single track railroad from Palmer Lake to Crews that causes a bottleneck.

Going southbound, one of the steeper parts of the climb is right at the top of Palmer Lake. These loaded coal trains can not stop at Palmer Lake due to not having enough horsepower to get going again. As a result, trains hold back at location known as "The Sag". With the train on a 1.2% grade, there is slight sag in the grade at this location; hence the name. This small amount of undulation is just enough to help these 17,000 ton trains moving again.

Enjoy the sounds of EMD motors roaring with life as they battle against gravity.