As the last unit on a BNSF oil train rolls away on Main 1 to the left, a UP coal train is ready to throttle up and head west on Main 2 (over to the main track) at Arvada.
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A westbound UP coal empty is ready to charge west on Main 2 at Arvada, as the three DPUs on the tail end of an eastbound BNSF oil train roll by on Main 1.
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Unfortunately, with the siding at Leyden still full of low side gondolas in long term storage, and a BNSF manifest blocking the siding at Rocky, there was no place for this westbound coal empty to go until this eastbound BNSF oil train arrived here at Arvada. Now, with the oil train rolling by, the engineer has turned the headlight on and is ready to go when they get a signal.
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While coal on the Moffat, the king commodity of the route 20 years ago, has basically vanished, it is not gone completely. Every so often, a coal train will show up. Today happened to be such a day, with an AC4400CW and an SD70ACe for power. No DPUs mid-train or on the end. UP will likely send some light power west...or some power on the MNYGJ...for DPUs on the journey east.
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The westbound Zephyr meets an eastbound BNSF unit oil train here just west of Tennyson Street. While there is a siding here, it is not a CTC-controlled siding and it is not used for meets. Instead, the oil train is stopped on Main 1 while the Zephyr heads west on Main 2.
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45 minutes after passing by the hotbox detector at MP 22.6, this eastbound BNSF unit oil train has come to a stop on Main 1 west of Tennyson Street around MP 6. Most trains can fit between Tennyson Street and Lamar Street here, so it is fairly common stopping place if trains cannot proceed east to the yards for whatever reason. In this case, the oil train is waiting on the westbound Zephyr.
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RMRX 8021 and RMRX 8020 lead the Rocky Mountaineer west on Main 1, getting ready to pass underneath the RTD Commuter Rail Gold Line. 20 years ago, only two tracks were in this shot. UP's Moffat Tunnel main and BNSF's Golden branch line. Today, seven tracks are in the shot, including the commuter tracks.
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After a couple weeks off, the Rocky Mountaineer is running again, heading west underneath the Sheridan Blvd overpass on the eastern edge of Arvada. The GP40-3s are back on the train, although they are certainly kicking up quite a bit of exhaust as they head west on Main 1. Other tracks in the shot include Main 2, the Arvada siding, and BNSF's Golden Sub on the far right.
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A major storm rolled through the Denver area yesterday, dropping roughly a foot of snow in the area! This morning, there is a major fog layer from a temperature inversion out to the east. Meanwhile, the westbound Zephyr charges west out of Leyden, passing by the new Arvada neighbor of Leyden Rock.
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UP stations this classic DRGW Jordan Spreader in Phippsburg, CO in the Colorado high country during the winter months, just in case it is needed to open any part of the former Rio Grande in Colorado. It is kept in Cheyenne in non-winter months. Now it is in the siding at Arvada, making its way back to Phippsburg.
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I haven't seen Jordan Spreader DRGW 45 in three years, back when it was still DRGW AX-41. I saw it then when it was being transported to Phippsburg, CO for winter. Such is the case again today as the spreader is once again waiting to head to Phippsburg.
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It frankly is not too often that I have the opportunity to shoot the westbound Zephyr in light that is this good! The train lost nearly three hours before leaving Illinois, and then continued to lose ground on the way to Denver. It is now a little over six hours late as it heads west on Main 2 between C&S Junction and Arvada.
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One of the P42DCs on the westbound Zephyr is kicking up a lot of exhaust! Perhaps this is the symptom of the problem that resulted in this BNSF ES44DC being added to the point for the journey west.
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With BNSF's yard in Denver currently without an empty track, the Provo-Denver is being held at Tennyson Street on Main 1. When UP added a second main between C&S Jct and Arvada, they basically added another siding, when needed, west of Denver. Prior to the second main being added, this train would have been held in the siding at Leyden.
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After departing Denver about 10 minutes late and meeting a 14 hour late Zephyr at the Pecos Street crossover, the westbound Zephyr heads west toward Arvada on Main 2. The train is crossing over Tennyson Street. The temperature for this picture was already 65°F! Incredibly warm for Denver in the middle of February.
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