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 46 (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. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. 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 75 (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. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. 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 104 (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. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. 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 87 (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. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112644 Date Shot Photo By Monday, June 23, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Crescent (5,550 ft) Jefferson County, CO 86 (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. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112643 Date Shot Photo By Monday, June 23, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Crescent (5,550 ft) Jefferson County, CO 81 (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. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112642 Date Shot Photo By Monday, June 23, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS030 (East Crescent) Jefferson County, CO 77 (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. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112641 Date Shot Photo By Monday, June 23, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Plain (6,530 ft) Jefferson County, CO 81 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific Five UP maintenance workers are walking the rails between Tunnel 2 and Tunnel 3, checking for defects. They found several tie plates that needed to be replaced, and marked them accordingly for a maintenance crew that will come out of Plain and replace them. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112640 Date Shot Photo By Monday, June 23, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Plain (6,530 ft) Jefferson County, CO 81 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak While the east half of Plain is one of the most commonly photographed portions of the east side of the Moffat, the west half is likely one of the least photographed portions as it is quite remote. Here, the Zephyr has come to a stop on the main at the west end of Plain. Passengers are going to have to be patient and wait for about 90 minutes for some track plate repairs to take place between Tunnel 2 and Tunnel 3. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112639 Date Shot Photo By Monday, June 23, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rainbow Cut Jefferson County, CO 118 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The westbound Zephyr enters the short (and aptly named) Rainbow Cut, about halfway through Plain. You can see red, yellow, and blue hues very clearly in the rock. The train here is moving quite slowly as there is a red signal at the west end of the block. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112634 Date Shot Photo By Friday, June 20, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Crescent (5,550 ft) Jefferson County, CO 73 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak On a beautiful June morning, the westbound Zephyr is on the main near the east end of Crescent. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112491 Date Shot Photo By Friday, May 23, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rainbow Cut Jefferson County, CO 162 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific At Rainbow Cut at Plain, we see three GEs leading an eastbound MGJNY. From this angle you can see the back half of the train at the west switch of Plain, and even further out toward Tunnel 2. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112490 Date Shot Photo By Friday, May 23, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Plain (6,530 ft) Jefferson County, CO 163 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific From this view at Plain, you can see Union Pacific Grand Junction, CO to North Yard, CO, stretching out the west end of Plain and through Tunnel 2, Tunnel 3, and around into Tunnel 4 in the distance. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112489 Date Shot Photo By Friday, May 23, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Plain (6,530 ft) Jefferson County, CO 166 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific Three units lead UP's thrice weekly MGJNY on the main at Plain. The west end of Plain is quite different from the east end, tucked away against the mountains amidst a sea of pine trees. Really enjoy this view. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112488 Date Shot Photo By Friday, May 23, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 2 (MP 25.4, 516 ft) Jefferson County, CO 114 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific The MGJNY is wrapping through a few of the lower tunnels in the Tunnel District. The train is approach a clear (green) signal at the west end of Plain. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.

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