Photo ID: 111266 Date Shot Photo By Monday, November 4, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 268 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The morning Zephyr is running right on time as it climbs the north side of Big Ten Loop. Roughly two inches of snow fell over the Denver area, marking the first snow fall of the 2024-2025 winter season. Fortunately, temperatures have not fallen too far yet, and it is currently right around 32°F (0°C) out as snow continues to lightly fall. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111265 Date Shot Photo By Monday, November 4, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 213 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak On the morning of the first snow of the 2024-2025 winter season, AMTK 144 and AMTK 180 lead the westbound Zephyr out of Rocky and on the climb up toward the top of Big Ten Loop. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111264 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, November 3, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Leyden (7,020ft) Arvada, CO 114 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific This open gondola, tied down in a string of over 100 gondolas in the siding at Leyden, seems to contain a but of metal cubes. Not entirely sure what they are, or why they are sitting in a gondola that is being stored at Leyden for an indeterminate amount of time. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111263 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, November 3, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Leyden (7,020ft) Arvada, CO 141 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific At the start of 2024, UP tied down a long string of empty well cars in the siding of Leyden for long term storage. The cars stayed in the siding for roughly four months. Now, it seems that Leyden is once again host to cars in need of being stored! A string of over 100 gondolas has been tied down in the siding at Leyden for about a month. How long will they remain here? That is anybody's guess! Even when Leyden is not plugged up with stored cars, UP avoid using it for meets. Over the years, the residents of the (new) neighborhoods around Leyden have complained about the noise and exhaust of trains that stop on the siding as Leyden has transformed from rural to suburban. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111262 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, November 3, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Leyden (7,020ft) Arvada, CO 144 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific These gondolas that are currently being stored in the siding at Leyden are, for the most part, empty. There are a handful of scraps from various old loads in the bottom of most of the cars, but they are generally empty. The string of cars is roughly 7,000 feet long. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111261 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, November 3, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Leyden (7,020ft) Arvada, CO 118 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific 20 years ago, when coal was king on the Moffat, UP invested in permanent derails at the east end of Leyden, Rocky, Cliff, and Rollins. Coal trains were frequently tied down on any one of those sidings when waiting for a recrew. While coal is now extremely rare on the Moffat, the derail here at east Leyden is coming in handy as there is a long string of gondolas tied down in the siding. You can clearly see the switch on the north rail that will lead to the cars derailing away form the mainline, should they roll east. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111260 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, November 3, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Leyden (7,020ft) Arvada, CO 116 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific A gondola loaded with old ties sits tied down with a long string (nearly 7,000 feet) of gondolas on the siding at Leyden. The gondolas appear to be here for long term storage. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111253 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, November 3, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS007 (Arvada) Arvada, CO 159 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific UP 6558 leads UP's MGJNY east on Main 2 at CP DS007 (Arvada), just a few miles west of North Yard. The train is on Main 2 as it approaches the grade crossing at Lamar Street on the eastern edge of Arvada. To the left is the Arvada siding and to the right is Main 1. The train departed the yard in Grand Junction the previous day. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111252 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, November 3, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS007 (Arvada) Arvada, CO 121 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific Are you familiar with a moveable point frog as it related to a switch (turnout)? Most switches have a frog that is a single piece of steel with groves for wheel flanges. However, in situations where the turnout needs to support higher speed and/or it needs to support heavier trains, railroads will sometimes install a moveable point frog. Similar to the standard switch point, a moveable point frog requires a second turnout motor and it moves the frog back and forth, create a far smoother (and safer) turnout for heavier trains at higher speeds. This particular moveable point frog is located at CP DS007 (Arvada). When UP added a second main track between C&S Junction and Arvada, the added this turnout for coal trains. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111240 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, October 30, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Blue Mountain Drive (MP 22.43) Arvada, CO 115 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak Plenty of fall colors to be found here at Blue Mountain Drive, despite the cold winter weather that has blown into the area overnight. Passengers in the two coaches are hopefully enjoying the view as the Zephyr heads away from the camera. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111239 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, October 30, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Blue Mountain Drive (MP 22.43) Arvada, CO 150 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak On the first day that truly is starting to have a wintery feel to it, the westbound Zephyr passes through a rather foggy seen at Blue Mountain Drive. A cold front moved in overnight, and the temperature is only 30°F (-1°C) at the moment, with some slight drizzle falling. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111238 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, October 29, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 1 (MP 23.4, 366 ft) Arvada, CO 175 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak AMTK 144 and AMTK 180 lead the westbound Zephyr toward the east portal of Tunnel 1. I am not sure what type of foliage is on the side of the hill, but it makes for a very nice (and rather unique) red color in the fall time. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111237 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, October 29, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS022 (West Eiesle (Clay)) Arvada, CO 180 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak Most of the leaves have been blown off the trees and brush here at the west switch of Eisele (Clay) as the Zephyr passes by the last few fall colors still hanging on. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111236 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, October 29, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Eisele (Clay) (5,780 ft) Arvada, CO 196 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak Fall colors are still apparent in certain parts of the Front Range area here in late October, this tree near the west end of Eisele (Clay) being no exception! The Zephyr is rolling west on the main. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111235 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, October 29, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 162 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The shadows down around the bottom of Big Ten Curve are in the shadows now as we are getting late in the year! The westbound Zephyr climbs toward the top of Big Ten with AMTK 144 and 180 for power. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.

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