An eastbound UP coal load, which is a little shorter (78 cars) than coal trains traditionally found on the Moffat, approaches the east end of Barbara's Gulch between Rocky and Leyden.
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UP's MGJNY rolls east through a frozen winter scene in the middle of Arvada. The tracks run through a cut here between 66th Avenue and Carr Street. The train only a few miles to go before arriving at its destination in North Yard.
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A pair of UP GEs leads a short MGJNY (31 cars) through a (still snowing) winter scene at Blue Mountain road. The first 60% of the train is covered hoppers that came from Potash near Moab, UT. The remaining 40% are loaded coal cars.
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Moment earlier, the Zephyr passed over the rails in the foreground. It has now wrapped around the base of Coal Creek Canyon and has climbed the 2% grade up to Tunnel 1.
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AMTK 76 and AMTK 139 lead the westbound Zephyr through falling Colorado snow at the grade crossing at Blue Mountain.
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The morning Zephyr crossing Blue Mountain crossing in a December snow storm. The train departed Denver on time, but several 15 MPH slow orders is causing it to lose just a little bit of time on the journey west.
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The eastbound Zephyr was six hours delayed departing Emeryville, CA for its journey east to Chicago. Unfortunately, it lost a bit more time on the trip to Denver. Consequently, it was over 7 hours late when it emerged from Tunnel 1 and descended the 2% grade to the base of Coal Creek Canyon. I set up for a night shot of the tardy train as it traversed the rails shortly before 1am.
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A single SD70ACe brings up the tail end of this eastbound loaded coal train. The train was loaded at the West Elk Mine on the North Fork Branch. While the train is moving through Arvada, the skyline of downtown Denver is clearly visible in the distance.
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This eastbound coal load has the typical power configuration that UP has used on coal loads on the Moffat for years. In addition to the two units on the point and one on the rear, there are three mid-train DPUs assisting in the run. These three units were be cut out once the train reaches Denver, and the train will continue with just a 2x1 configuration.
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The Moffat wraps through a nice, long S-Curve around 66th Avenue in Arvada. Coal trains were once as common on the Moffat here as trees along the right-of-way. With the decline in coal, they virtually disappears from the Moffat for years. They have started to make a minor resurgence lately, however, and this eastbound load is rolling through the scene.
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An SD70ACe and an AC4400CW lead an eastbound coal load across 66th Avenue in the mostly residential suburb of Arvada.
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Coal has been making a little bit of a resurgence on the Moffat recently. Just in the last week, the number of coal trains has increased. The previous three days, I've seen at least one coal train per day. Such is the case with this eastbound load, cutting through Arvada just east of Leyden.
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The head end of this unit oil train is coming off of Big Ten and approaching a clear (green) signal at East Eisele (Clay). The crew can look over to the right and catch the tail end of the train, still on the rise up from Rocky.
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UP has been running far more trains on the Moffat lately than in many years. This westbound oil empty is an example of the most common type of train UP runs these days. There are, on average, at least 1-2 oil trains on the Moffat each 24 hours these days.
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Took this particular shot in order to highlight UP 2311. This SD60M was built by EMD and delivered to UP in May 1989 as UP 6156. It has three window panes on the front of the cab, which earned such units the nickname "Tri-clops". The unit is not powered on this train, and it is in fact headed for long term storage in Grand Junction.
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