Boeing airplane fuselages roll on the rail through Denver

Denver commuters were treated to an unusual sight Friday when a trainload of Boeing 737 fuselages passed through the city.

The fuselages, manufactured in Wichita by Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems, were bound for the airplane maker’s assembly plant in Renton, Wash.

Boeing spokeswoman Candace Barron said the BNSF railroad is using a new system to optimize its traffic flow and to avoid bottlenecks.

“This train was routed through Denver due to some issue on the Nebraska route,” she said.

Denver entrepreneur Tom Filippini — president and co-founder of NextGreatPlace, an online business that handles high-end travel planning for its members — was on 20th Street near Coors Field when he spotted the train.

“Don’t see this everyday Denver! 737s on the tracks downtown,”Filippini said in a tweet that included the photo.

Ken Evans, a spokesman for Spirit AeroSystems, said his company, formerly a Boeing division, makes all the 737 fuselages for Boeing and ships them to Washington by rail. He said the company is producing nearly 38 of the fuselages a month this year and expects that to increase to 42 a month in 2014.

“This is the fastest 737s have been produced,” said Evans. “We are at record rates now.”