Photo ID: 108429 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, August 2, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 27 (MP 36.4, 650 ft) Gilpin County, CO 1063 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak On the approach to Tunnel 27, the westbound Zephyr is nearing the end of the Tunnel District. Here toward the west end, South Boulder Creek is coming up to the level of the tracks. On the other side of Tunnel 27, which is about 650 feet long, the river will near the same level as the tracks. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108428 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, August 2, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 26 (MP 35.2, 320 ft) Gilpin County, CO 1085 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The westbound Zephyr emerges from Tunnel 26 still quite a bit above South Boulder Creek. The west portal of Tunnel 26 was the location of a terrible disaster on September 30, 1991. A large rock fell and landed on the tracks by the west portal. An eastbound manifest struck the boulder and the lead two units rolled down the embankment to South Boulder Creek! Sadly, two crewman - Ed West (60, engineer) and John Beaird (47, brakeman) - were both killed. Two others - John Sacco (54) and Roy Alexander (47) were both injured, but survived. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108317 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, July 7, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Cliff (6,900 ft) Gilpin County, CO 945 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF About halfway through Cliff on the main track, this BNSF Provo-Denver is rolling on clear signals alongside South Boulder Creek amidst a rapidly setting July sun. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108315 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, July 7, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed East of Tolland Gilpin County, CO 969 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The sun is getting low and is getting somewhat obscured by clouds, casting some crazy shadows as the Zephyr rolls east across South Boulder Creek just east of Tolland. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108314 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, July 7, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed East Portal (5,750 ft) Gilpin County, CO 916 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The westbound Zephyr rolls slowly through the siding at East Portal (to the left) as the eastbound Zephyr sits waiting on the main (to the right). The westbound Zephyr will stop very briefly to hand something off to the conductor on the eastbound Zephyr. Meanwhile, DS-78 is working on getting a clear signal for the Zephyr east. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108313 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, July 7, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed East Portal (5,750 ft) Gilpin County, CO 981 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak Here is a shot that you don't come across too often! The Zephyrs are meeting at East Portal, just a mile or so east of the Moffat Tunnel. Typically, the Zephyrs meet about 100 miles to the west. However, a broken UP coal train delayed the westbound Zephyr by about 9 hours and the eastbound Zephyr by about 2 hours. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108312 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, July 7, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed East Portal (5,750 ft) Gilpin County, CO 949 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The eastbound Zephyr sits idle on the mainline at East Portal two minutes after its scheduled arrival time in Denver. The train has been stuck here for nearly two hours due to a coal train that broke down at Rollins 13 hours earlier. It took a long time to get the coal train back together. That has finally happened, however, and the Zephyr is now waiting for its counterpart, making its way west. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108301 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, July 4, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed East Portal (5,750 ft) Gilpin County, CO 1117 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The eastbound California Zephyr passes by the seldom-used wye that still exists at East Portal just east of the Moffat Tunnel. The east leg of the wye (right side of the wye) used to be part of the mainline that ran up and over Rollins Pass. Once the Moffat Tunnel was completed and opened, the old mainline was torn out and just this leg of the wye remains from the portion that ran over Rollins Pass. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108300 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, July 4, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS050 (West East Portal) Gilpin County, CO 1263 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The Zephyr emerges from the east portal of the Moffat Tunnel and heads down the main track at East Portal, which is the name of the block (and siding). We are close to 9,200 feet above sea level here, the highest mainline on any Class 1 railroad, the highest elevation Amtrak reaches anywhere in the United States. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108070 Date Shot Photo By Monday, May 25, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed East of Cliff Gilpin County, CO 855 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak Today's westbound Zephyr crosses South Boulder Creek just east of East on a beautiful Memorial Day morning. The Zephyr today has a Transition Sleeper, a Sleeping Car, a Diner, a Lounge Car, and two Coaches. Not surprisingly, ridership has been way down the last few months during the COVID-19 pandemic. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108069 Date Shot Photo By Monday, May 25, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 29 (MP 36.4, 75 ft) Gilpin County, CO 934 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak On a crisp Memorial Day morning, the westbound Zephyr is on time just east of Cliff. The California-bound train is passing through the last tunnel in the Tunnel District (when heading west), tunnel 29. This also happens to be the shortest tunnel in the Tunnel District at only 78 feet in length. The train is about to cross South Boulder Creek as it approaching a clear signal at East Cliff, about 36 miles west of Denver Union Station. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108068 Date Shot Photo By Monday, May 25, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 29 (MP 36.4, 75 ft) Gilpin County, CO 826 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The westbound Zephyr, with six Superliners in tow, is approaching the east portal of Tunnel 29, the shortest tunnel in the Tunnel District. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 107991 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, January 11, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed East Portal (5,750 ft) Gilpin County, CO 943 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak If you very closely, slightly up and to the left from the middle of the picture, you can see the east portal of the Moffat Tunnel. The Zephyr is on the main alongside the last siding on this side of the Continental Divide. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 107990 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, January 11, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS049 (East East Portal) Gilpin County, CO 991 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The Westbound Zephyr, running right on time, is approaching the East Portal Road grade crossing, about a mile away from the east portal of the Moffat Tunnel. Many hikers (in the summer) and cross country skiers and snow shoeing enthusiasts (in the winter) come up to East Portal. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 107989 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, January 11, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS049 (East East Portal) Gilpin County, CO 967 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The Westbound Zephyr is about to knock down a clear signal at the east switch of East Portal. A very similar scene was repeated about an hour ago when the Winter Park Express passed over these same rails. 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