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Photo ID: 113295
Date Shot
Photo By
Monday, November 10, 2025 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Rainbow Cut
Jefferson County, CO
36
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Subdivision
Railroad
Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF
An eastbound BNSF oil train rolls through Rainbow Cut on the main at Plain. It is actually slowing and it will come to a stop as soon as the end of the train clears the west switch. It'll wait here for the westbound Zephyr.
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Photo ID: 113237
Date Shot
Photo By
Friday, October 17, 2025 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
CP DS032 (West Crescent)
Jefferson County, CO
48
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak
At the west switch of Crescent, the westbound Zephyr rolls through the OS on a green signal. In the distance, construction continues on increasing the height of the dam at Gross Reservoir. The height of the dam was originally 340 feet. It has been increased roughly 60 feet so far, with another 71 feet to go. The dam will be 471 feet tall once complete, tripling the capacity of the reservoir.
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Photo ID: 113102
Date Shot
Photo By
Monday, September 15, 2025 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Tunnel 3 (MP 25.8, 369 ft)
Jefferson County, CO
308
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF
As the head end of this eastbound BNSF oil train crosses over the large fill between Tunnels 2 and 3, we can see even more of the train to the right of the shot, wrapping around and into Tunnel 4.
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Photo ID: 113101
Date Shot
Photo By
Monday, September 15, 2025 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Tunnel 7 (MP 26.6, 214 ft)
Jefferson County, CO
287
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF
An eastbound BNSF loaded oil train passes in and out of Tunnel 7, traversing along the Front Range of the Colorado Rockies. The crew on the train is running short on time, so the dispatcher is keeping them rolling east on green signals.
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Photo ID: 113094
Date Shot
Photo By
Monday, September 15, 2025 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Tunnel 16 (MP 28.7, 698 ft)
Jefferson County, CO
289
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak
The morning Zephyr is headed west between Tunnel 16 and Tunnel 17. This is one of the longest stretches between tunnels anywhere throughout the Tunnel District.
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Photo ID: 113044
Date Shot
Photo By
Friday, September 12, 2025 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Tunnel 3 (MP 25.8, 369 ft)
Jefferson County, CO
270
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific
UP 7816 leads a coal empty out of the west portal of Tunnel. Just around the curve behind the camera and to the right is Tunnel 4. Through the tunnel district, it can feel like you spend as much time in tunnels as out of them!
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Photo ID: 113043
Date Shot
Photo By
Friday, September 12, 2025 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Tunnel 3 (MP 25.8, 369 ft)
Jefferson County, CO
320
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific
It was this time of year roughly 12 years ago that a "500 year storm" hit Colorado when it rained for four days straight. In that storm, the fill between Tunnel 2 and Tunnel 3 completely washed out, shutting down the Moffat for roughly two weeks. Fast-forward to this day as a westbound coal empty crosses the fill, through the cut, and toward Tunnel 3. In the distance to the left, you can see the back half of the train, still coming through Plain.
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Photo ID: 113042
Date Shot
Photo By
Friday, September 12, 2025 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
CP DS025 (West Plain)
Jefferson County, CO
296
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific
At the west switch of Plain, a westbound coal empty is getting ready to dive into the Tunnel District! As the lead unit rounds the bend, the crew is looking straight into the east portal of Tunnel 2.
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Photo ID: 112845
Date Shot
Photo By
Sunday, July 20, 2025 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Tunnel 3 (MP 25.8, 369 ft)
Jefferson County, CO
280
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak
AMTK 146 and AMTK 78 lead the California Zephyr west as it exists out of Tunnel 3, a brief blast of sunlight before it will duck into Tunnel 4, out of view to the right.
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Photo ID: 112714
Date Shot
Photo By
Tuesday, July 1, 2025 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Plain to Crescent (MP 25.3 to MP 30.6)
Jefferson County, CO
257
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak
The westbound Zephyr is moving along one of the longer stretches without a tunnel in the Tunnel District, between Tunnel 16 and Tunnel 17. This area is known as South Draw, and is absolutely one of the highlights of riding the Zephyr (or other passenger trains) on the Moffat.
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Photo ID: 112713
Date Shot
Photo By
Tuesday, July 1, 2025 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Plain to Crescent (MP 25.3 to MP 30.6)
Jefferson County, CO
307
(1 Comment Posted)
Subdivision
Railroad
Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak
The westbound Zephyr heads west through a cut that is known as "Old Tunnel 17". When the Moffat Route was originally be built in the early 1900s, the tunnel presented a lot of geologic problems, includes frequent cave-ins. The tracks were rerouted around a shoofly outside of the tunnel. That shoofly is now beneath all the pine trees on the outside of the cut in this shot. Old Tunnel 17 was finally daylighted, and the tracks were moved to their current alignment, now moving through a cut instead of a tunnel.

While Tunnels 9 and 28 were daylight quite awhile after the route had been in operation, they retained their numbers. Since "Old Tunnel 17" had issues from the beginning of construction, at was ultimately bypassed, the next tunnel to the west was numbered Tunnel 17 from the start.
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Photo ID: 112712
Date Shot
Photo By
Tuesday, July 1, 2025 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Tunnel 16 (MP 28.7, 698 ft)
Jefferson County, CO
272
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak
Tunnel 16 is one of the longer tunnels in the Tunnel District, just two feet shy of 700 feet long. As a result, there is some exhaust that builds up in the tunnel, and you can see a bit of that exhaust coming out of the tunnel toward the left as the westbound Zephyr continues west in the Tunnel District.
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Photo ID: 112644
Date Shot
Photo By
Monday, June 23, 2025 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Crescent (5,550 ft)
Jefferson County, CO
224
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific
UP is hauling their EC-5 track geometry car through the siding at Crescent. The geometry car assesses the rail geometry as it moves, ensuring compliance with FRA standards. It is also a preventative maintenance tool to look for damage. The car uses laser systems and vehicle/track interaction (V/TI) systems to perform its work.
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Photo ID: 112643
Date Shot
Photo By
Monday, June 23, 2025 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Crescent (5,550 ft)
Jefferson County, CO
194
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific
UP 7232 is heading west through the siding at Crescent, hauling UP's EC-5 track geometry car. The train is slowly heading west and will stop at the west end of Crescent and wait for the Zephyr to overtake the work train.
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Photo ID: 112642
Date Shot
Photo By
Monday, June 23, 2025 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
CP DS030 (East Crescent)
Jefferson County, CO
192
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific
An C44ACM, rebuilt from an AC4400CW, is the sole unit on a short work train that includes UP's EC-5 track geometry car. The car used to be self-propelled, but now requires it be pulled by a locomotive.
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