Photo ID: 113596 Date Shot Photo By Monday, March 23, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Crescent to Cliff (MP 31.8 to MP 36.7) Boulder County, CO 95 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific A trio of UP units represent the halfway point on this monster coal empty. The train is 209 cars long, and is 11,500 feet long. Even though this is the halfway point of the train, over a mile of the train has already passed by. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113595 Date Shot Photo By Monday, March 23, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 19 (MP 32.1, 1,059 ft) Boulder County, CO 111 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) CSX, Union Pacific The project to increase the height of Gross Reservoir is nearly completion, as you can see in the distance. In the foreground, we've got an extremely long westbound coal empty, led by a pair of CSX units and a newly painted UP C44ACM. CSX 1981 is one of 21 heritage units CSX has painted up, honoring the railroads that have gone in to making CSX. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113509 Date Shot Photo By Friday, February 6, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS036 (East Cliff) Boulder County, CO 32 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF Three elephant-style units, a pair of SD70ACes and a (Heritage 2) AC4400CW bring up the tail end of this eastbound BNSF oil train, leaving the siding and headed eastward toward Denver. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113508 Date Shot Photo By Friday, February 6, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Cliff (6,900 ft) Boulder County, CO 54 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF A trio of SD70ACes, running elephant-style, lead this eastbound loaded oil train toward the east end of Cliff. The train was in the siding here for the Zephyr, but DS-378 has set up the signal at the east end, and the train is on the move. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113507 Date Shot Photo By Friday, February 6, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Cliff (6,900 ft) Boulder County, CO 45 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF After meeting the westbound California Zephyr, this eastbound BNSF coal train has its lights back on bright and is ready to start rolling east toward Denver. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113100 Date Shot Photo By Monday, September 15, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS032 (West Crescent) Boulder County, CO 347 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak After knocking down a green signal at the west end of Crescent, the Zephyr is on the move and throttling up as it heads for Tunnel 19 and the upper end of the Tunnel District. The train will be meeting an eastbound BNSF oil train, currently waiting in the siding at Cliff. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113099 Date Shot Photo By Monday, September 15, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Crescent (5,550 ft) Boulder County, CO 373 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The Patrick Henry private cars in the foreground, on the back of the westbound Zephyr, have the Continental Divide as a fantastic background. The train is rolling west on a green signal near west Crescent. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113098 Date Shot Photo By Monday, September 15, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Crescent (5,550 ft) Boulder County, CO 353 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak These two Patrick Henry cars are probably the two most common private passenger cars that catch a ride on the Zephyr these days. It was great to see them again on this morning, heading west at Crescent. You can see Gross Reservoir to the right, slowly getting taller as part of a project to triple the water capacity of the reservoir. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113097 Date Shot Photo By Monday, September 15, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 18 (MP 30.0, 272 ft) Boulder County, CO 371 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The westbound Zephyr has just emerged from Tunnel 18. From this vantage point, you can see the east end of Crescent, the grade crossing at Crescent, and Gross Reservoir in the distance. Of course, even further in the distance, you can see the mountains of the Continental Divide. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113096 Date Shot Photo By Monday, September 15, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 17 (MP 29.5, 1,752 ft) Boulder County, CO 298 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak Two Patrick Henry private cars are just about the disappear into Tunnel 17 in the middle of the Tunnel District. It is a perfect day for a ride west through the Colorado high country. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113095 Date Shot Photo By Monday, September 15, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 17 (MP 29.5, 1,752 ft) Boulder County, CO 344 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak On a beautiful September morning, the westbound Zephyr, with two private cars in tow, head toward the east portal of Tunnel 17. Tunnel 17 is the longest tunnel between Denver west to (but not including, of course) the Moffat Tunnel. Note the two private cars (Patrick Henry cars) on the end of the Zephyr. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112983 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, August 31, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS036 (East Cliff) Boulder County, CO 509 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF BNSF 5830 just met the westbound Rocky Mountaineer, and is now departing Cliff on the main track eastbound. East Cliff is a bit of an interesting OS, as it is about 1,000 feet long. The curve of the track prevents the east switch from being visible from the grade crossing, so the signals at the east end are quite a ways west of the switch itself. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112927 Date Shot Photo By Monday, August 11, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 29 (MP 36.4, 75 ft) Boulder County, CO 450 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) NS, BNSF There are not that many Tier-4 units in the United States. Even less common (in Colorado) are Norfolk Southern ET44ACs. However, there just happened to be one leading an eastbound BNSF oil train on the Moffat this afternoon. The train is coming through the shortest tunnel in the Tunnel District, Tunnel 29. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112926 Date Shot Photo By Monday, August 11, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 29 (MP 36.4, 75 ft) Boulder County, CO 472 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) NS, BNSF It is certainly possible that shots like this will become way more common in the next few years. On July 29th, Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern officially announced their intention to merge. We are probably 18 to 24 months away from a final decision, but if all the regulatory approvals go through, a lot of Norfolk Southern units might show up on the Moffat until they are repainted in whatever scheme results from the merger. In this picture, an NS ET44AC leads a BNSF oil train out of Tunnel 29. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112925 Date Shot Photo By Monday, August 11, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 28 (Daylighted) Boulder County, CO 464 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific This is a classic perspective of the tracks between (daylighted) Tunnel 28 and Tunnel 29. The red-ish rock just behind the last passenger car marks what is left of Tunnel 28. The reason for this passenger train was not known to any railfans. At least, no railfans I know. It was supposedly a deadhead move, although there was some speculation that perhaps it was related to the UP/NS merger announced on July 29th. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.

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