An eastbound coal load slowly winds its way around the Big Ten Curve. There is a 10 MPH slow order on the curve on this day, as the wind has kicked up and there are mighty strong gusts. Any time that is the case, UP issues a 10 MPH slow order...while the hoppers on the inside of the curve do serve as a windbreak, UP would rather play it safe than sorry.
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Heat radiates off the ES44AC and SD70M leading this MRONY (Manifest, Roper, UT to North Yard, CO) around Big Ten Curve. Note the hoppers on the inside of the curve. Those hoppers have been there as a windbreak for over forty years now.
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A dozen units round Big Ten Curve on their journey east toward Denver. Denver will only be a temporary stop, however, as eight of these units are headed for North Platte, NE. The reason? Most likely either for long term storage or to be sold at auction.
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A trio of elephant-style SD70s work hard to pull a westbound loaded sand train up and around Big Ten Curve.
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Just a minute or so earlier, this eastbound BNSF special was on the upper track in this shot, moving from right to left. After going around Big Ten Curve, it is now approaching a clear signal at Rocky and moving left to right.
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An eastbound BNSF officer's special wraps around the hoppers on Big Ten Curve. The sun was playing a little hide and seek with the clouds, but fortunately came out for the shot on the curve.
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A loaded BNSF sand train crawls its way out of Rocky and up Big Ten Loop on its trip west. This sand train is one of two relatively new trains BNSF has been running on the Moffat. The other is a copper train. Lighting on this Friday afternoon was wreaking havoc on the exposure!
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The westbound Winter Park Express climbs the hill out of Rocky toward Big Ten Curve. A pair of P42DCs lead the train on the west end, while a single F40PH brings up the rear. That F40PH will be used to operate the train back east as the train is unable to be turned. The wye in Tabernash is out of service.
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A long lens shot from CO-72 finds the circus train rounding Big Ten Curve as it descends toward Rocky. A lot of foliage has grown around (and in) the hoppers that sit on the inside of the curve up on Big Ten.
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A pair of DPUs bring up the tail end of the Denver-Provo manifest as it wraps its way around Big Ten Loop. As you can tell from the exhaust they are pumping out, they are working quite hard to keep the train moving west!
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It is a very stormy and chilly May afternoon as UP's Engineering Special runs through the final loop at the bottom of Big Ten Curve on the approach to Rocky. Severe thunderstorms passed through the Denver area today and, at present, the temperature is only 43°F (6°C)!
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UP's Engineering Special winds around Big Ten Curve as it descends down toward Rocky. The eastern slope of the Moffat has recently been (re)ballasted...no doubt one of the things the VP of Engineering is checking out along the trip.
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This picture offers up an interesting transition between Winter and Spring! The Zephyr, running early, descending down Big Ten Loop amidst the remaining snow from a blizzard the day before. Highway 93 seems to be the divider between the two seasons as most of the snow to the east has already melted. The Denver skyline is just visible near the upper-right corner of the frame.
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Spring tries to fight through the snow to the east as an on-time Zephyr descends down from Big Ten Curve on the approach to the west switch of Rocky. Amazingly, trains going through Big Ten wind up facing every direction on the compass as they make their way through the loop.
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Two SD70ACe-T4s, an EMD test car, and a trio of UP units round Big Ten Loop on the descent toward Rocky. Rumor has it that, after a month or so of tests, the SD70ACe-T4 will return to the Moffat to run in revenue service!
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