The westbound Zephyr has just emerged from Tunnel 1, with three privately owned passenger cars bringing up the rear of the train. The train is sliding by the fresh development on the new Canyon Pines neighborhood currently under construction.
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Climbing up from Coal Creek Canyon toward Tunnel 1, the westbound Zephyr has seven Superliners and three privately owned passenger cars today, making it quite a bit longer than a typical Zephyr.
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Near the west end of Eisele, a trio of privately owned passenger cars make for a colorful sight as the westbound Zephyr rolls past a colorful cut in the side of the mountain.
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Winter runoff and a very wet 10 days or so in May has resulted in a very green Front Range! A wonderful time to get shots of trains like this westbound Zephyr. 10 to 11 months out of the year will find areas like this far more brown than green.
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The east two thirds of Eisele (Clay) is relatively straight. However, as you can see in this shot, there is a little dog leg to the left before an S-curve to the right and then left toward the west end. The westbound Zephyr, running almost four hours late, is headed toward the less-than-straight stretch of track on the main.
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The Salsbury Beach sports the steel-fluted sides of many of the Pullman-built passenger cars from the early-to-mid 20th century. The car, lettered for the Boston and Maine railroad, is now privately own and catching a ride on the westbound California Zephyr.
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The Colonial Crafts passenger car was built by the Pullman Car Company and is now privately owned. It sometimes gets out along the rails, as seen here, catching a ride on the rear of Amtrak.
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Originally delivered by the Pullman Car Company in 1918, Lamberts Point looked like it might be headed for the scrap yard at one point. However, about a decade prior to this picture, a project was put together to refurbish the car and get it back on the rails.
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A small look in to yesteryear at the east switch of Eisele (Clay) as an open-ended passenger car brings up the tail end of the westbound California Zephyr. No doubt the passengers in that car are having an incredible ride.
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Three privately owned cars bring up the tail end of the westbound Zephyr. The cars are passing by the open hoppers that have been on the inside of this curve for over 50 years, serving as a wind break.
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It is becoming less and less common to find "private varnish"...privately owned passenger cars...on the tail end of Amtrak. Amtrak has raised the rates and limited the cities they'll pick up or drop off. However, on this afternoon, a nearly four hour late #5 has three as the train climbs toward Big Ten Loop.
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As somebody that grew up on (EMD-only) Rio Grande, it is great listening to the classic two-stroke prime movers in RMRX 8020 and RMRX 8021 as they pull the Rocky Mountaineer west up the grade.
I should probably clarify my statement of Rio Grande being "EMD-only". While it is true that, over the years, Rio Grande did own some GE and ALCO units, by the time I was old enough to go train chasing with my dad, Rio Grande was an EMD-only railroad.
GP40-3s RMRX 8020 and RMRX 8021 kick out a bit of exhaust as the train throttles up approaching the grade crossing at Blue Mountain. In the next three days, the train will run out to Moab, UT and then return back to Denver, CO.
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The clouds have descended in the area, creating a layer of fog. Headlights from the westbound Rocky Mountaineer cut through the fog as the train approaches the Blue Mountain grade crossing.
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Despite the explosive growth of the Denver suburb of Arvada, there are still a few places where, with the correct perspective, you can get a rural feel! This shot, just west of Leyden, is one such spot. In reality, there are relatively new neighborhoods both to the right of the frame and to the left of the frame.
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