Photo ID: 112697 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, June 29, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Plain (6,530 ft) Arvada, CO 29 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific The final bit of sunlight for the day is reflecting off some thunderclouds over the plains, the Denver skyline visible toward the left in the distance. This UP officer special has come to a stop just short of the grade crossing at Plain. The train will wait here for the eastbound California Zephyr. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112696 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, June 29, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 1 (MP 23.4, 366 ft) Arvada, CO 34 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific On average, once or maybe twice a year, UP will run an Officer Car Special over the Moffat. Usually, the passenger cars are deadheading between Council Bluffs, IA and somewhere in California. That seems to be the case here, as nobody is actually on the train itself. The train is emerging from Tunnel 1, running on a Approach Diverging (yellow over yellow) signal, reading to take the siding at Plain. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112695 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, June 29, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 1 (MP 23.4, 366 ft) Arvada, CO 37 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific Although the sun has ducked behind the mountains, it is technically still 20 minutes to sunset as a pair of SD70Ms lead a UP OCS (Officer Car Special) into Tunnel 1. The train is deadheading 11 cars (plus a power car) from Council Bluff, IA west toward California. The train will spend the night tonight in Glenwood Springs. The train was expected to head west about six hours earlier, but some maintenance around town resulted in a much later departure west. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112694 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, June 29, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Eisele (Clay) (5,780 ft) Arvada, CO 20 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific A relatively small downpour south of Big Ten toward Golden reveals a small hint of a rainbow as a UP passenger special rolls west through the siding at Eisele (Clay). The train was going to stop here to meet the eastbound Zephyr, but DS-378 decided to take the train up to Plain for the meet. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112693 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, June 29, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 24 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific UP 4404 and UP 4533 throttle up and kick up some exhaust after clearing a slow order, picking up speed while climbing out of Rocky, up and around Big Ten Curve. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112692 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, June 29, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rocky (7,330ft) Arvada, CO 27 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific A UP officer's special wraps round Little Ten Curve at Rocky as a rainbow forms toward the south over the town of Golden. A few small afternoon showers let a bit of rain fall today. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112691 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, June 29, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Leyden to Rocky (MP 13.4 to MP 17.4) Arvada, CO 24 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific Under some partly cloudy skies, 40 minutes before sunset, a pair of SD70Ms lead a Union Pacific officer's special west out of Leyden. UP sold off quite a bit of their passenger equipment, but still has enough to make a great looking train! The train is headed for Glenwood Springs tonight, and will continue west tomorrow. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112690 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, June 29, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Leyden to Rocky (MP 13.4 to MP 17.4) Arvada, CO 33 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific A pair of SD70Ms, with some great looking paint, lead a UP passenger train west out of Leyden. You can see the Denver Skyline in the distance. Note the pair of antenna on the cab of UP 4404. Not sure if those are related to PTC, or something else. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112689 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, June 29, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS013 (West Leyden) Arvada, CO 29 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific This westbound OCS (Officer Car Special) is headed slowly west, operating under some slow orders through Leyden. The train is about to knock down a clear (green) signal at the west end. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112668 Date Shot Photo By Friday, June 27, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Leyden (7,020ft) Arvada, CO 18 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific The crew for this westbound coal empty was called about five hours earlier at 8am, before the train had actually arrived on Bypass 1 in Denver. Once arriving, the crew had to shuffle some power around. Alas, the SD70ACe in the fourth position is not loading, and the train is limping into Leyden to check the problem. It would turn out to be a faulty MU cable, and not a problem with the unit itself. After replacing the MU cable, the unit started loading and the train continued west after a 15 minute delay. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112665 Date Shot Photo By Friday, June 27, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 1 (MP 23.4, 366 ft) Arvada, CO 19 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak While the Operation Lifesaver unit, AMTK 203, it obviously different from the normal Phase 5b paint scheme, I am little curious what the blue stripe on the nose of the lead unit, AMTK 51, is all about. The train is approaching the east portal of Tunnel 1. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112664 Date Shot Photo By Friday, June 27, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Detector (MP 22.6) Arvada, CO 17 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The westbound Zephyr, with a baggage car and nine Superliners, crosses Blue Mountain Drive and passes by the hotbox detector at MP 22.6 on a morning in which the temperature has already reached 80°F (27°C). Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112663 Date Shot Photo By Friday, June 27, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Eisele to Plain (MP 21.8 to MP 24.0) Arvada, CO 19 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak One of the most uniquely painted locomotives is certainly AMTK 203. It was painted in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Operation Lifesaver. I think the designers did a very good job of using one of the two parts of the cross in the railroad crossing signal to wrap around the base of the nose. Unfortunately, the unit was the trailing unit this morning. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112662 Date Shot Photo By Friday, June 27, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS022 (West Eiesle (Clay)) Arvada, CO 21 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The westbound Zephyr, having departed Denver only about seven minutes late, has knocked down the green signal at the west end of Eisele (Clay). AMTK 203, Amtrak's Operations Lifesaver unit, is second out in the consist. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112661 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, June 24, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 36 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF BNSF 8523 and two GEs work to pull an empty oil train up and around Big Ten Curve. BNSF frequently runs oil trains with six units on the head end, so the power is present to run eastbound (on the oil load) in a 3x3 configuration. However, these three units are the only units on this westbound. BNSF will be getting three additional units from somewhere else when the train is ready to head east. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.

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