The sun is shining brightly on a scene of freshly fallen snow as a pair of Phase 7 P42DCs pull the Zephyr up to Tunnel 1. This is the first snow fall of 2025-2026 winter season, and the perfect morning for a ride west on the Zephyr.
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The morning Zephyr has wrapped around the base of Coal Creek Canyon and is now heading geographically east as it heads timetable west, climbing up the grade toward the east portal of Tunnel 1.
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It is a winter wonderland here at the west switch of Eisele (Clay) as the morning Zephyr heads west on time. As much as I enjoy getting shots of trains in the midst of a blizzard, I also really love getting shots of trains in fresh snow under crystal clear blue skies.
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For the past two weeks or so, one of the Zephyr trainsets has been running with a pair of Phase 7 P42DCs. The train is headed west on the main, passing two UP maintenance vehicles. The second truck will be used to haul 250 ties from Eisele (Clay) up to Tunnel 14 today. Only 40 ties can be taken per trip, so about seven trips will be required!
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A significant herd of deer are grazing for food in the snow as the morning Zephyr rolls west on the main at Eisele. In winter months, when it is colder out, deer and elk are more likely to be spotted at lower (warmer) elevations.
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A UP ES44AC was added to the point of the westbound Zephyr at North Yard this morning, delaying the train by about an hour. Overnight, around six inches of snow fell, and it is lightly continuing here this morning. This is the first appreciable snowfall the Front Range have seen this winter season.
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The first real snowfall of the season came very late this year, at the start of December. The westbound Zephyr is about an hour late after stopping in North Yard to pick up a UP unit to run on the point. Presumably, one of the P42DCs on the Zephyr is having some mechanical issues, necessitating the addition of the UP unit.
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Last night saw the first snow in Arvada for the 2025-2026 winter season. And it was just barely a trace. It was just enough for the westbound Zephyr to kick up a bit of snow as it hustles west on Main 2 between C&S Junction and Arvada. The MOW cars to the right are UP, tied down in the Arvada siding.
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The paint on the nose of AMTK 83 is a little worse for wear as the Zephyr climbs the north edge of Big Ten.
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An eastbound BNSF train arrived in the siding here at Rocky about two hours earlier and was promptly tied down. The train is setup in the standard (for BNSF) 3x(0)x3 oil train configuration. Piles of new ties waiting to be installed line both the main and the siding.
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The westbound Zephyr is running just a few minutes behind schedule after knocking down a green signal at the east end of Rocky. There are two diners and no lounge cars on the train today. Most likely, a few lounge cars are at Amtrak's repair shops in Beech Grove, IN, meaning there isn't one available for the Zephyr today.
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On the busiest travel day of the year, the day before Thanksgiving, the westbound Zephyr heads west through Barbara's Gulch. Interestingly, the Zephyr is running without a lounge car this morning, instead running with a pair of dining cars.
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A Canadian National SD70M-2 and a C44-9W, both DC units, are leading a westbound coal empty. I assume the train originated somewhere on the Canadian National, and transferred to Union Pacific without swapping out power.
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Welcome to mid-November! The sun has fully set behind the mountains here at 4:30pm as a westbound coal empty, with a pair of Canadian National units for power. The two cars to the right are at a local industry that has a lot of tanks that presumably hold petroleum products.
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CN 8840 has slowed to a stop on Main 1, facing a red signal ahead at Arvada (CP DS007). The train will hold here for a little over an hour, waiting for the eastbound Zephyr to come by on main 2.
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