Photo ID: 109652 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, October 19, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rocky (7,330ft) Arvada, CO 404 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific A westbound oil train, a bit shorter than is typical, rolls in to the siding at Rocky. The train is in the siding to allow the westbound Zephyr to run around the train. However, the Zephyr is running late getting out of town, and after 35 minutes, the train will continue up to Plain to let the Zephyr run around it there. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109651 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, October 18, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rocky (7,330ft) Arvada, CO 353 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF An eastbound BNSF manifest sits in the siding, tied down at Rocky. It arrived a few hours earlier and is currently waiting for a relief crew to take it the rest of the way in to Denver. The view is out the pilot's window of a Cessna 172R. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109516 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, October 1, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Blue Mountain Drive (MP 22.43) Arvada, CO 342 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak Blue Mountain road crossing is one of the most popular photography spots anywhere on the east slope of the Moffat. Here is an overview of the road and crossing as the westbound Zephyr has just passed by on its trip west. The house located on the right side would be a pretty slick place to live for train watching! Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109515 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, October 1, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS022 (West Eiesle (Clay)) Arvada, CO 421 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak There are some great colors in the shrubs at the west end of Eisele (Clay). Hopefully, passenger on board the morning westbound Zephyr are taking in the fantastic sights the train has to offer. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109514 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, October 1, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 390 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak West of Rocky, the morning Zephyr is right on time as it climbs its way up toward Big Ten Loop. The train has shifted from seven Superliners (the post-COVID summer standard) to six Superliners (the post-COVID winter standard). Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109513 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, October 1, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rocky (7,330ft) Arvada, CO 427 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF An eastbound BNSF Provo-Denver is tied down in the siding at Rocky, awaiting a recrew to come out and take it in to Denver. The train tied down about an hour earlier and will actually sit here for next 26 hours when a crew is available to take it in to the yard. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109459 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, September 17, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Coal Creek (MP 23) Arvada, CO 450 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF Just west of the hotbox detector at MP 22.6, three BNSF units (elephant style) navigate the curves at the base of Coal Creek Canyon. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109458 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, September 17, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Plain (6,530 ft) Arvada, CO 356 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific An empty unit oil train is stopped short of the grade crossing at Plain, waiting for maintenance to clear up. Indeed, one of the hyrailers the train is waiting for is in the process of setting off of the main. In the distance, a westbound BNSF coal load pulls west on the main at Eisele (Clay). Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109457 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, September 17, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Plain (6,530 ft) Arvada, CO 374 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific In the early 2000s, when coal trains were "a dime a dozen" on the Moffat, it was quite common to find a westbound coal empty stopped short of the grade crossing at Plain. The tail end of the hoppers would hang out the east end of Tunnel 1. That does not happen often these days. However, on this afternoon, a westbound empty oil train is stopped short of the grade crossing. Indeed, its tail end is out the east end of Tunnel 1. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109456 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, September 17, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Little Ten Curve (MP 18.7 to MP 18.9) Arvada, CO 362 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific While BNSF mechanical inspects the BNSF coal load on the main at Rocky, which goes in to emergency when attempting to load, an empty UP oil train slowly passes by the coal train through the siding. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109455 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, September 17, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rocky (7,330ft) Arvada, CO 369 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific A westbound UP oil train, running through the siding at Rocky, overtakes a BNSF coal load that is stopped between switches on the main. As I thought a bit about it, I realized the irony of an oil train overtaking a coal train, as oil has very much overtaken coal and the primary unit bulk trains found on the Moffat. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109454 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, September 17, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS016 (East Rocky) Arvada, CO 385 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific A westbound UP oil empty sits stopped just east of the east end of Rocky. The train has been looking at a red signal for close to two hours due to a BNSF coal load that is broken down ahead. Shortly after this shot was taken, the BNSF coal load would roll back between switches at Rocky on the main, and the oil empty would get a light to head in to the siding around the load. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109453 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, September 17, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Little Ten Curve (MP 18.7 to MP 18.9) Arvada, CO 494 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF Looking past the nose of BNSF 9021, the lead unit on this westbound BNSF coal train, we see the three DPUs at the tail end, just beyond the grade crossing at Little Ten. The train has gone in to emergency each time it attempts to load. You can see a BNSF mechanical truck sitting near the DPUs. It would be determined that a low-hanging air hose was bumping against the plow of one of units, causing the air to be lost and the train to go in to emergency. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109452 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, September 17, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 495 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF This westbound BNSF (loaded) coal train, headed for Valmy, NV, has been stuck in this spot for nearly two hours. When the train was climbing out of Rocky, it went in to emergency. After a second attempt, it happened again when the train started to load. BNSF mechanical has been called out to check out the train and attempt to find the cause. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109451 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, September 17, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS019 (West Rocky) Arvada, CO 407 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF For the past few months, BNSF has occasionally run a loaded westbound coal train up the Moffat. The train is loaded in the Powder River Basin in Wyoming, and is on its way to Valmy, NV where BNSF has picked up a contract to provide coal for a power plant. BNSF is running the train with three units on the point and three units on the end. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.

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