The westbound Zephyr is right on time as it climbs its way west out of Rocky, up and around Big Ten. Leaves are just starting to bloom on the trees.
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Mid-April is not too late for snow to fall in the Denver-Metro area. Indeed, the area got a surprise blast of snow overnight! The westbound Zephyr is making it way up the grade on the north edge of Big Ten.
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A look down from the plateau where CO-72 is located, down to where Rocky is located. The westbound Zephyr, with AMTK 83 and AMTK 151 are in charge this morning.
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A single DPU, facing into the train, brings up the tail end of this eastbound MGJNY in Arvada. This particular unit has been rebuilt as a C44ACM, but was in fact originally delivered to UP as an AC4400CW in September 1996.
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This eastbound train might look like a coal train, but in fact it is UP's MGJNY (manifest). These IPPX hoppers have likely been stuck in long term storage either somewhere in the Grand Junction yard, or in a siding in the Utah desert. Where are they headed now? Not sure...
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A C44ACM and an AC4400CW lead the MGJNY through the cut in Arvada between Carr Street and 66th Avenue. The first unit was recently rebuilt at UP's North Little Rock shops. UP 6410 was originally SP 327, delivered in scarlet and gray in July 1995.
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UP's thrice weekly manifest, the MGJNY, is crossing 66th Avenue in Arvada. The train has a handful of covered hoppers, followed by at least a full trainset of empty coal hoppers.
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Overnight, there was a light dusting of snow that fell in the Denver-Metro area. This might be the last snow of the 2024-2025 winter season, but that certainly is not guaranteed. The morning Zephyr rolls west on the main at Plain.
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From a railfan "keeping an eye on the rails when I can" perspective, it seems as though UP has been running more trains on the Moffat lately. Note only has there seemingly been an slight uptick in oil train traffic, but I have noticed several coal trains run on the Moffat in the last 10 days as well. Here, an eastbound oil train, with three GEs on the point, is approaching the west end of Leyden.
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An eastbound UP oil train rounds the curve that will take it to a clear (green) signal at the west end of Leyden. If you look closely, you can spot the trio of DPUs that have been cut in to the train, roughly 2/3s of the way back.
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This GP40-2 (now designated as a GP40N after UP did some rebuilding) is no stranger to these rails! It has been roaming on the Moffat off and on for 53 years! It was delivered to Rio Grande as DRGW 3105 in April 1972. Today, it is leading the West Local back toward North Yard with a string of 41 gondolas in tow.
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A former Rio Grande GP40-2 (ex-DRGW 3105), now a UP GP40N, leads the West Local east at the intermediate at MP 9.8 on the way back toward North Yard. These 41 gondolas have been stored in the siding at Leyden for six months! With the local taking them back to town, the siding is finally available again for the dispatcher to use for meets.
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With the West Local airing up, about ready to return to Denver with a string of 41 gondolas that have been stored in the siding of Leyden for six months, the train will have to wait a little bit longer. A westbound UP coal empty charges west on the main track, a freshly painted C44ACM leading the way.
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The engineer on the West Local is hanging out in the cab as the conductor walks back along the train, knocking off hand brakes on a strand of 41 gondolas.
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When I was a kid, I remember seeing "Rail Box" boxcars and "Rail Gon" gondolas. Rail Box boxcars are pretty rare in 2025, but you can definitely still find Rail Gon gondolas. One such example is one of 41 gondolas that have been tied down in the siding at Leyden for the past six months.
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