Photo ID: 112587 Date Shot Photo By Friday, June 13, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Arvada to Leyden (MP 7.5 to MP 11.9) Arvada, CO 45 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Rocky Mountaineer Afternoon clouds roll through the area as the Rocky Mountaineer heads east on the main through Arvada between Leyden and Arvada. RMRX 8021, the other GP40-3, is in UP's North Yard, receiving some maintenance. In the meantime, The RM's leased SD40M-2 (ex-SD45), RMRX 8600, is leading the train east. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112562 Date Shot Photo By Monday, June 9, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Eisele to Plain (MP 21.8 to MP 24.0) Arvada, CO 58 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak Just west of Tunnel 1, the morning Zephyr is running about 45 minutes late. You can see Canyon Pines Drive, the road that accesses the new Arvada neighborhood of Canyon Pines. The neighborhood will have custom home builds, but several years into the project, no houses have actually popped up just yet. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112561 Date Shot Photo By Monday, June 9, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 1 (MP 23.4, 366 ft) Arvada, CO 61 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The westbound Zephyr approaches the east portal Tunnel 1 above CO-72 at the base of Coal Creek Canyon. When the Denver and Salt Lake (or, at the time, the Denver, Northwestern, and Pacific) first started investigating routes to head west through The Rockies, Coal Creek Canyon was one of the routes surveyed. The route would have necessitated a 2-3 mile long tunnel. As such, the route along the Front Range and South Boulder Canyon, through the Tunnel District, was chosen instead. Today, of course, CO-72 heads west up Coal Creek Canyon. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112560 Date Shot Photo By Monday, June 9, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Blue Mountain Drive (MP 22.43) Arvada, CO 57 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak This spring has been quite a bit cooler in the Denver area than the average area, and it certainly has been a wetter spring than on average. In May, 3.9" of rain fell in Arvada, nearly double the average of 2.2" for the month. The result has been the greening up of the area. The valley here at Blue Mountain Drive looks fantastic and alive as the morning Zephyr heads west. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112559 Date Shot Photo By Monday, June 9, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Eisele (Clay) (5,780 ft) Arvada, CO 49 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak Since COVID in 2020, the Zephyr has pretty consistently been running with a baggage car and seven Superliners. A few weeks ago, a third coach started appearing on the Zephyr, increasing the length of the train to eight Superliners. On this particular morning, as the Zephyr heads west on the main at Eisele (Clay), the train is a bit longer with nine Superliners in tow. Granted, the very last car is a sleeper that is just deadheading out to California. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112558 Date Shot Photo By Monday, June 9, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 47 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak AMTK 51 and AMTK 14 lead the westbound Zephyr by the recent construction site on Big Ten, where Union Pacific spent a few weeks putting new rock down to reinforce the grade here on the north end of Big Ten Curve. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112557 Date Shot Photo By Monday, June 9, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS019 (West Rocky) Arvada, CO 47 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak After several weeks of overcast, gloomy morning, there isn't a cloud in the sky as the Zephyr departs the west end of Rocky, starting the climb up Big Ten Curve. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112556 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, June 5, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rocky (7,330ft) Arvada, CO 47 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific Under partly-cloudy skies, a westbound BNSF oil train heads west on the main at Eisele. Most BNSF oil trains have six units on the head end, which are reconfigured 3x3 for the trip east. This train, however, only has three units. BNSF will likely bring in three other units on a different train, dropping them off at the transload facility at Wash. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112555 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, June 5, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rocky (7,330ft) Arvada, CO 51 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific An SD70M and a well-worn SD70ACe lead a 22-car ballast train. The ballast is in the classic green-ish ballast cars that UP has used for decades. The train is about to leave the siding at Rocky eastbound on a green signal. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112554 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, June 5, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rocky (7,330ft) Arvada, CO 49 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific After meeting a westbound oil train, whose head end is just coming around Big Ten Loop in the distance, UP 4630 and train are slowly starting to roll eastbound on the siding at Rocky, having receiving a clear (green) signal at the east end. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112553 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, June 5, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rocky (7,330ft) Arvada, CO 54 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific A fairly short eastbound ballast train sits on the siding at Rocky, having just met a westbound oil train. The two cars that have been in the house track at Rocky for several weeks, one of which derailed on Big Ten, are finally gone, having been taken back to Denver. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112552 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, June 5, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rocky (7,330ft) Arvada, CO 38 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific This SD70ACe has certainly seen better days. The flag is almost entirely gone on the long hood on the conductor's side. The unit is currently on a ballast train. It's possible the unit has seen a lot of time on work trains. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112551 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, June 5, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rocky (7,330ft) Arvada, CO 55 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific Not too often you find an SD70M on the point of a mainline train these days. UP 4630 happened to be the leader on an eastbound ballast train. The train took the siding at Rocky to meet a westbound oil train. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112550 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, June 4, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 1 (MP 23.4, 366 ft) Arvada, CO 66 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Norfolk Southern, BNSF Classic shot of a colorful consist. Under partly cloudy skies, this westbound oil train is approaching the east tunnel of Tunnel 1. It has been an exceptionally wet and cool spring, so the scenery is still very green. An incredibly welcome sight. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112549 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, June 4, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Eisele to Plain (MP 21.8 to MP 24.0) Arvada, CO 78 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Norfolk Southern, BNSF This oil train is running on UP rails, with a Norfolk Southern leader, and a BNSF crew! Quite the interesting mix. The yellow hand rails on the lead unit really pop in the scene as the train curves toward Tunnel 1. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.

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