Photo ID: 113180 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, September 27, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 113 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific At first glance, this might appear to be a unit covered hopper train. While it is almost exclusively covered hoppers, you can see two tank cars off in the distance. This is an extra train, with the symbol MDVBOX-27. All the cars on this train are headed for industries on the Craig Branch. Normally, the cars would be added to the MNYGJ and the cars would be set out at Bond. However, the sheer volume of cars have necessitated this extra train. A rare sight indeed on the Moffat. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113104 Date Shot Photo By Monday, September 15, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Plain (6,530 ft) Arvada, CO 300 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF An eastbound BNSF oil train passes by a UP work train at Plain. UP is in the process of changing out ties on the Moffat. The work train has tie plates in the gondolas, and will drop tie plates in piles along the right-of-way so they are ready to be used with new ties. The conductor from the work train is on the ground, giving a roll-by to the long BNSF oil train. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113103 Date Shot Photo By Monday, September 15, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rainbow Cut Arvada, CO 287 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF A trio of GEs, setup elephant-style, lead a loaded oil train east at Plain. The train is on the main as it comes through Rainbow Cut. I really like this perspective as you can see back to the west end of Plain, Tunnel 2, and Tunnel 3. The train is still making its way through both of those tunnels. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113093 Date Shot Photo By Monday, September 15, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS016 (East Rocky) Arvada, CO 258 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The Zephyr has reduced its length from nine Superliners to seven Superliners, cutting one sleeper and one coach. This is pretty common at the end of the summer, when demand for Amtrak rail travel decreases a bit. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113092 Date Shot Photo By Monday, September 15, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS016 (East Rocky) Arvada, CO 296 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak Two Patrick Henry cars are catching a ride on the back of the westbound California Zephyr. The Zephyr is taking the siding at Rocky to meet an eastbound BNSF manifest, which you can see holding the main in the distance. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113091 Date Shot Photo By Monday, September 15, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Barbara's Gulch (MP 15.9 to MP 17.2) Arvada, CO 257 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak AMTK 169 leads the westbound Zephyr this morning, the train coming around the curve at the narrow, west end of Barbara's Gulch. The train is passing underneath CO-93, on the approach to the east end of Rocky. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113090 Date Shot Photo By Monday, September 15, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rocky (7,330ft) Arvada, CO 340 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF A relatively short BNSF Provo-Denver has slowed to a stop on the main at Rocky. The westbound Zephyr departed just a few minutes late and is on its way west in Barbara's Gulch. Not quite sure why DS-378 held BNSF on the main rather than routing them into the siding. It is also a fairly short manifest today. Maybe 40-45 cars. No DPUs. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113045 Date Shot Photo By Friday, September 12, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Barbara's Gulch (MP 15.9 to MP 17.2) Arvada, CO 274 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The westbound Zephyr is making track speed here in Barbara's Gulch as it hustles west, right on time this morning. The dust you see is actually from a lot of fresh ballast that was recently laid along the mainline here. Wind from the fast-moving Zephyr is blowing the dust up around the train. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113041 Date Shot Photo By Friday, September 12, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Plain (6,530 ft) Arvada, CO 304 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific As this westbound coal empty, with four units on the point, heads west on the main at Plain, you might notice that there is ballast that appears much lighter in places. UP is in the process of essentially re-ballasting the entire Moffat right now! A project, along with tie and tie plate replacements, is supposed to last the next three months. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113040 Date Shot Photo By Friday, September 12, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Plain (6,530 ft) Arvada, CO 320 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific If you are familiar with the Moffat, then you are probably well aware that in the early 2000s, coal was king on the line. You could expect to see as many as 16-20 coal trains (half westbound empties and half eastbound loads) in a 24 hour period. Now, coal train have essentially become the rarest train type (of the train types that run) on the Moffat. UP 7861 leads this westbound at Plain. Note the missing number board on the engineer's side. there is an array of LEDs providing lights for the should-be number board. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113039 Date Shot Photo By Friday, September 12, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS016 (East Rocky) Arvada, CO 313 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific Not the best lighting, but I could not pass up an opportunity to grab a shot of the Rio Grande Heritage Unit! It is pretty hard to believe that this unit is nearly 20 years old! It was unveiled at North Yard in June 2006. The paint is a bit dirty and could certainly use some touch up. The unit is headed to North Platte, NE for engine work. Perhaps it'll end up getting a paint job before its 20th birthday next summer. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113038 Date Shot Photo By Friday, September 12, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS016 (East Rocky) Arvada, CO 319 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific The clouds were kind of all over the place this morning, which was casting some crazy shadows and creating a lot of contrast. UP's MGJNY, led by a graffiti-ridden ES44AC, rolls into the OS at East Rocky. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113037 Date Shot Photo By Friday, September 12, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rocky (7,330ft) Arvada, CO 331 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific After meeting a westbound coal empty (which is visible in the distance), UP's thrice-weekly MGJNY is ready to roll east out of Rocky toward North Yard in Denver. The train is quite short this morning, with only 30 cars or so (give or take). Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113036 Date Shot Photo By Friday, September 12, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rocky (7,330ft) Arvada, CO 306 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific Hello old friend! It's been just over two years since I last saw UP 1989, the Rio Grande heritage unit here in Colorado. This morning, it is the third unit on UP's MGJNY on the main at Rocky. Turns out the unit has been flagged as a bad order, and it is making its way toward North Platte, NE so it can be repaired. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113035 Date Shot Photo By Friday, September 12, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rocky (7,330ft) Arvada, CO 315 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific UP's eastbound MGJNY is holding on the main at Rocky as a westbound coal empty rolls by in the siding. The coal train will run through the siding without stopping. A ballast regulator and a tamper are tied down on the Rocky Flat Industrial Lead. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.

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