Photo ID: 113648 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, April 7, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS020 (East Eisele (Clay)) Arvada, CO 28 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Rocky Mountaineer The Canyon Spirit had a 10 MPH slow order coming around a part of Big Ten Curve. Now that the train is at Eisele (Clay), the slow order is behind the train, and the engineer has throttled up to speed back up. The Canyon Spirit GP40-3s acknowledge the throttle command by kicking up some exhaust! Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113647 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, April 7, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 35 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Rocky Mountaineer Black and white seemed appropriate for this morning shot of the westbound Canyon Spirit, as it leaves Big Ten Curve behind, and heads toward a green signal at the east switch of Eisele. The mesa in the background is North Table Mesa, on the north side of the town of Golden. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113646 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, April 7, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 35 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Rocky Mountaineer Today is the first revenue run of the Rocky Mountaineer for the 2026 season. One thing you might immediately note is that the train has actually be rebranded this year as the Canyon Spirit. The train, which is climbing Big Ten Curve, has expanded its service and is now running from Denver all the way to Salt Lake City (and back), making one round trip every six days. The train departs Denver west on Tuesdays and returns to Denver the following Sunday. It will not run at all on Mondays. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113645 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, April 7, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Eisele to Plain (MP 21.8 to MP 24.0) Arvada, CO 31 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak This Tuesday morning started with overcast skies that would eventually clear up for some sun. The clouds actually added some nice dynamics in this shot of the westbound Zephyr, which just left Tunnel 1 and is approaching the east switch of Plain around the bend to the west. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113644 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, April 7, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 1 (MP 23.4, 366 ft) Arvada, CO 34 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak A scene that has been repeated thousands of times over the years, the westbound Zephyr emerges from the west portal of Tunnel 1, on its journey west toward Emeryville, CA. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113643 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, April 7, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Coal Creek Canyon (MP 22.8 to MP 23.4) Arvada, CO 51 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The morning Zephyr is just about on time as it wraps around the base of Coal Creek Canyon, on the climb toward Tunnel 1. This is a bit of a different view of this location, as the camera is located up at Tunnel 1. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113642 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, April 5, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Arvada to Leyden (MP 7.5 to MP 11.9) Arvada, CO 60 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak Amtrak celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2021, and painted up two units (a P42DC and a Charger) in a special commemorative scheme. For five years, the P42DC has managed to elude me, but I finally caught it on this beautiful Easter Sunday. AMTK 100 and AMTK 25 lead the eastbound Zephyr through the Denver suburb of Arvada, running about 25 minutes late. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113641 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, April 5, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed 66th Avenue (MP 9.25) Arvada, CO 51 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The eastbound Zephyr is running about 25 minutes late as it rolls east through Arvada at 66th Avenue. Spring has sprung on many of the trees in the Denver suburb. Leaves are starting to return and, despite a very dry winter, things are starting to green up a little bit. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113602 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, March 25, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Arvada to Leyden (MP 7.5 to MP 11.9) Arvada, CO 47 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific A C44ACM, sporting some fresh paint in UP's latest scheme, and a Tier-4 SD70ACe-T4, bring up the tail end of an eastbound coal train. The train is running 2x3x2. Traditionally, coal load have run 2x3x1, so there is one extra unit on the tail end. Not sure if one will be removed in Denver along with the mid-train swing helpers. The two DPUs here are passing by Oberon Lake Number 1 in the midst of the suburb of Arvada. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113601 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, March 25, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Arvada to Leyden (MP 7.5 to MP 11.9) Arvada, CO 56 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific Three GEs are serving as the mid-train swing helpers on this eastbound coal load. Coal trains have increased slightly on the Moffat in the past few months. It seems that UP has picked up a few new contracts for West Elk coal from the North Fork branch. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113600 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, March 25, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Arvada to Leyden (MP 7.5 to MP 11.9) Arvada, CO 55 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) CSX, Union Pacific CSX 1981 and CSX 5477 are a pretty unusual site here in Colorado! CSX 1981 is the Pan Am Railways heritage unit. Pan Am Railways was a New England railroad purchased by CSX in 2022. After arriving in Denver, the mid-train swing helpers will be cut out, and the train will continue east on the Limon Sub. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113599 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, March 25, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Kipling (MP 9.8) Arvada, CO 52 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) CSX, Union Pacific CSX 1981 led an 11,500-foot westbound coal empty on Monday. Two days later, CSX 1981 is once again leading on the Moffat! This time, it and a sister CSX unit lead half of that 11,500-foot coal train east across Kipling Street in Arvada. Longs Peak, one of the 14ers (mountain peaks that exceed 14,000-feet in elevation) is clearly visible in the distance to the right. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113598 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, March 25, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed 80th Avenue (MP 11.75) Arvada, CO 58 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific Three units, a pair of SD70ACes with an ES44AC splice in between, are all elephant style on the MGJNY as it rolls east out the east end of Leyden and across the 80th Avenue grade crossing. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113597 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, March 25, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Leyden (7,020ft) Arvada, CO 54 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific UP's MGJNY can often been found headed east on the Moffat on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings. This Wednesday morning was a great example, as the thrice-weekly manifest heads east on the main track at Leyden. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113594 Date Shot Photo By Monday, March 23, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Eisele (Clay) (5,780 ft) Arvada, CO 50 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) CSX, Union Pacific This is the longest train I've ever personally seen on the Moffat. The train is effectively two coal empties stuck together into one. Behind the three lead units (including a pair of CSX ES44AHs) is 105 cars. Then, there are three mid-train DPUs (hidden behind the hill at Big Ten). Behind those three mid-train DPUs is another 104 cars. The train is 11,500 feet long. When the head end reaches East Plain, the tail end will just be passing West Eisele (Clay)! At that length, there are only two sidings between Denver and Grand Junction in which the train could fit between switches: Allen in Glenwood Canyon (at 14,250 feet), and Palisade just east of Grand Junction (at 12,200 feet). Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.

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