Photo ID: 110413 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, April 14, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 373 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The terrain around Big Ten is really starting to green up here at the halfway point through April as we get a bit deeper in to Spring. The evening eastbound Zephyr descends down the grade from Big Ten Loop toward a clear (green) signal at the west end of Rocky. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 110412 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, April 14, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 429 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak AMTK 54 and AMTK 147 lead the eastbound Zephyr along the south edge of Big Ten Loop. The open hoppers that serve as a wind break are just out of the frame to the left. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 110411 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, April 14, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Blue Mountain Drive (MP 22.43) Arvada, CO 433 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak It's always great to get a bit deeper into Spring, it is always great to have late running later in the day, allowing for some daylight shots of the eastbound Zephyr as it descends toward Denver. Here, running almost exactly on time, the eastbound Zephyr rolls through the grade crossing at Blue Mountain Drive. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 110410 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, April 14, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Detector (MP 22.6) Arvada, CO 346 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak Partly cloud skies result in a patchwork of shadows being cast around the area of Blue Mountain Drive. The head end of the eastbound Zephyr is in the sunlight while most of the rest of the train is still cast in shadows. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 110409 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, April 14, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Coal Creek (MP 23) Arvada, CO 384 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak At the base of Coal Creek Canyon, the eastbound Zephyr crosses over CO-72, finding a pocket of sunlight in and area of building clouds that has the foreground entirely engulfed in shadow. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 110408 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, April 14, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 1 (MP 23.4, 366 ft) Arvada, CO 398 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak Running about 10 minutes behind schedule, the eastbound Zephyr pops out of Tunnel 1, descending down the 2% grade toward the S-Curves at the base of Coal Creek Canyon. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 110372 Date Shot Photo By Friday, April 12, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 3 (MP 25.8, 369 ft) Arvada, CO 626 (1 Comment Posted) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak For me, Amtrak's Phase 3 scheme, which dominated through the 1980s and early 1990s on the F40PHs, is my favorite of all of Amtrak's paint scheme. The new Phase 7 scheme has become second place for me. Phase 7 unseated the original Phase 1 scheme from second place. I always enjoyed the Pointless Arrow in particular. Which scheme was your favorite? Leave a comment and let everyone know! AMTK 161, the Phase 1 Heritage unit, leads the westbound Zephyr on a very pleasant April morning. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 110368 Date Shot Photo By Friday, April 12, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Plain (6,530 ft) Arvada, CO 395 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak Amtrak's "Pointless Arrow" (or "Bloody Nose") Phase 1 Heritage Unit, AMTK 161, leads a P40DC (AMTK 817) on the westbound California Zephyr as the train rolls west at Plain, approaching Rainbow Cut. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 110367 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, April 11, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Arvada to Leyden (MP 7.5 to MP 11.9) Arvada, CO 416 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific, Southern Pacific Only five units of the original 279 Espee AC4400CW still wear scarlet and gray paint. All five are, of course, patched and now have UP numbers. One of those five units was the first of two DPUs on the tail end of an eastbound loaded oil train. This AC4400CW was originally SP 280. In fact, if you look closely, you can still see the outline of "280" on the cab behind the UP patch. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 110366 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, April 11, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Arvada to Leyden (MP 7.5 to MP 11.9) Arvada, CO 314 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific When Class 1 railroads were significantly smaller 40-50 years ago, it was not too hard for all the units on the roster to carry the same paint scheme. Today, when there are 7,000-8,000 units on the roster, it takes years (or even decades) to get everything repainted. UP changed their official paint scheme last year, removing the American flag from the long hood. But it will likely be many years before the "flag" units are gone. Here, two flag units and an ES44AC in the newest scheme, lead a loaded oil train east out of Leyden. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 110365 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, April 11, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS012 (East Leyden) Arvada, CO 312 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific A trio of elephant-style units lead an eastbound loaded oil train out the east end of Leyden on a beautiful Spring day in April. The trees have not yet sprouted leaves, but it should only be another few weeks before they are green once again. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 110364 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, April 10, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Eisele to Plain (MP 21.8 to MP 24.0) Arvada, CO 352 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Horizon Leason, Rocky Mountaineer HZRX 187 is a rather unique engine. It was built as an SD18 in the early 1960s. There were only 114 such units produced by EMD. 60 of those were actually built as export units, meaning only 54 units were in the US. It has since been rebuilt and is now classified as an SD18M. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 110363 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, April 10, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Eisele to Plain (MP 21.8 to MP 24.0) Arvada, CO 354 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Horizon Leason, Rocky Mountaineer HZRX is a leased SD40M-2 from Horizon Rail Leasing. It started life decades ago as an SD45 and has now found life after Class 1 railroads. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 110362 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, April 10, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 1 (MP 23.4, 366 ft) Arvada, CO 515 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Rocky Mountaineer Test Run 2024! With the 2024 season of the Rocky Mountaineer's Rockies to the Red Rockies starting in two weeks, a test run ran today, heading west from Denver toward Glenwood Springs (tonight) and Moab (tomorrow). The GP40-3s sporting the RM paint had some mechanical issues last year and the RM had to borrow power from UP several times. This year, two six-axle units have been brought in (leased) to help out the train. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 110361 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, April 10, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 1 (MP 23.4, 366 ft) Arvada, CO 510 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Rocky Mountaineer Just east of the east portal of Tunnel 1, four units are kicking up some exhaust, pulling the up the 2% grade. The train is (mostly) empty, as this is just a test run for the upcoming 2024 season. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.

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