Photo ID: 106776 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, December 5, 2017 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Chemical (MP 14.5) Arvada, CO 996 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak A number of trails have been built for the residents of Leyden Rock and Leyden Ranch. These are two (relatively) new neighborhoods in western Arvada, on the south side of the tracks near Barbara's Gulch. The trail (named "Single Track Trail") has a couple of nice views of the tracks. Here, a four-hour-late Zephyr charges west at track speed. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 106775 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, December 5, 2017 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Chemical (MP 14.5) Arvada, CO 920 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak I've come to really enjoy this vantage point of the tracks in the last week or two. It offers a good view of westbounds coming out of Leyden. Here is a medium zoom shot of the westbound Zephyr, running about four hours late. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 106741 Date Shot Photo By Friday, December 1, 2017 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Chemical (MP 14.5) Arvada, CO 1144 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific This westbound Phippsburg Local has an interesting power configuration. It is setup as 3x3x1...three units on the point, three in the middle, and one on the rear. It is setup this way as it is actually quite heavy, particularly for a westbound. All the covered hoppers are loaded with sand, headed for the Craig area. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 106740 Date Shot Photo By Friday, December 1, 2017 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Chemical (MP 14.5) Arvada, CO 1136 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific On a beautiful December morning (just over 50°F), a westbound UP manifest crawls west just west of Leyden. The train is 10,754 tons and just under 4,200 feet in length. The train has 76 loads (and 3 empties), many of the loads being sand in covered hoppers. That is accounting for a lot of the weight. Great to see a morning westbound UP manifest on the Moffat! Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 106738 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, November 29, 2017 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Chemical (MP 14.5) Arvada, CO 1026 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF Got oil? I'm not sure what it is about a unit tank train, but I think a long lens shot like this just looks awesome. Perhaps it's due to the shape of tank cars. So unique compared to just about any other piece of rolling stock. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 106737 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, November 29, 2017 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Chemical (MP 14.5) Arvada, CO 1172 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Kansas City Southern, BNSF The ever-expanding Denver skyline is visible to the right as a loaded BNSF oil train slowly rolls east toward the west switch at Leyden. The train will briefly stop at the west switch to wait for maintenance to clear. And by briefly, we are talking less than 30 seconds! I had hoped to move to the Simms Street grade crossing for another shot, but the 30 second stop didn't give me enough time to get there. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 106736 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, November 29, 2017 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Chemical (MP 14.5) Arvada, CO 1355 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Kansas City Southern I must admit to being a big fan of Kansas City Southern's "Retro Belle" paint scheme. KCS has been slowly repainting units from their gray scheme to this colorful alternative over the past decade or so. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 106735 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, November 29, 2017 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Chemical (MP 14.5) Arvada, CO 1277 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Kansas City Southern KCS has traditionally been an EMD railroad, but after EMD's quality decreased in the 80s and 90s, KCS (like all railroads) made some GE purchases. Today, they have 240 GE units on the roster, accounting for roughly 1/3 of all their power. That does not include Kansas City Southern de Mexico, which has 320 GE units, and accounts for about 60% of the KCSM roster. For both KCS and KCSM, all 560 units are split between two models: AC4400CWs and ES44ACs. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 106734 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, November 29, 2017 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Chemical (MP 14.5) Arvada, CO 1202 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF BNSF and KCS leaders on an eastbound unit oil train make for a mighty fine sight on a mild November afternoon. The thermostat is reading 60°F as the train rolls past the neighborhood of Leyden Rock (off to the left). It's possible that at some point in the future, this shot could include a highway overpass in the scene. If the Jefferson Parkway is ever completed. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 106733 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, November 29, 2017 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Chemical (MP 14.5) Arvada, CO 1083 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF For a period of time in 2015, it looked like oil trains might be the new staple on the Moffat after the demise of coal. But with the subsequent decrease in oil prices, shipping by rail because less economical and oil trains largely disappeared from the Moffat. That said, they do still appear every once in awhile. Such was the case on this day as a loaded oil train rolls east with a BNSF leader and a pair of KCS units behind. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 106732 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, November 28, 2017 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Chemical (MP 14.5) Arvada, CO 1194 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific After meeting a coal load at Leyden, this light power move got a clear signal from the dispatcher to head west. The consist is headed for the yard at Glenwood Springs. There, the units will wait until they are needed as mid-train swing helpers on eastbound coal loads coming from the West Elk Mine on the North Fork Branch. If you see these light power moves on the Moffat, chances are the units will always been in multiples of three, as three units are typically cut into those eastbound loads. Until February 2, 2004, the lead unit in this consist was SP 253. Having been delivered in June of 1995, it has now spent more of its life as a UP unit than an Espee unit! Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 106656 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, October 5, 2017 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Chemical (MP 14.5) Arvada, CO 932 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific Signals these days definitely appear to be more sturdy than the signals of yesteryear. In the past, railroads would typically make every effort to have the signal on the right side (engineer's side) of the track as a train approached. That trend has changed now and intermediate signals are frequently a single mast. Such is the case here at milepost 14.5. The signal is on the right side for westbounds, but the left side for eastbounds. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 106655 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, October 5, 2017 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Chemical (MP 14.5) Arvada, CO 947 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific A new PTC radio pole stands tall alongside the intermediate signal at MP 14.5, west of Leyden. UP is working hard to get PTC fully installed and online on the Moffat. With the Moffat currently closed for maintenance, its no surprise the intermediate signal is red. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 106654 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, October 5, 2017 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Chemical (MP 14.5) Arvada, CO 923 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific The lights of the city, dominated by sodium-vapor bulbs, light the night sky in a yellowish-orangish color as the rails of the Moffat lie silent on a full moon night. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 106653 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, October 5, 2017 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Chemical (MP 14.5) Arvada, CO 941 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific A look west along the rails at the intermediate at milepost 14.5 on a full moon night. These rails will remain silent for another 4 to 4 1/2 days as maintenance continues. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.

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