Photo ID: 111733 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, January 14, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 167 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak Just west of the west switch of Rocky, the morning Zephyr is running on time as it works to climb the grade on Big Ten Curve. AMTK 187, sporting Amtrak's Phase 7 paint scheme, is on the point for the journey to Emeryville, CA. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111603 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, December 31, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 151 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific On the final day of 2024, an eastbound UP unit oil train wraps around the east edge of Big Ten Curve, continuing its descent toward Rocky. A recently rebuilt (and repainted) C44ACM leads the train, with a ET44AC second. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111602 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, December 31, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 157 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific An eastbound unit oil train is on the south edge of Big Ten Loop, three units on the point. The train has 93 loaded oil tank cars with three units on the point and three units on the tail end. This is the first time I've seen this configuration on a UP oil train on the Moffat. Typically, UP has run their trains in a 2x2x2 or 2x2x1 configuration. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111517 Date Shot Photo By Friday, December 20, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 134 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific This westbound oil train is still moving along at 10 MPH as it is still within the limits of a slow order around Big Ten Curve due to forecasted high winds. Just around the bend ahead, the train will knock down a clear (green) signal at the east end of Eisele (Clay), the signal for which is visible just above the second unit. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111516 Date Shot Photo By Friday, December 20, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 110 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific I think I am safe in assuming that UP 5160 has more than likely spent some time in Southern California! Tagging can happen anywhere, particularly in large cities. But most tagger seem to focus on rolling stock. But not in SoCal! In the LA-area, tagger are more than happy to go after locomotives. It is interesting this unit is on an oil train as it is an SD70M, meaning it has DC traction motors. It is quite rare to see DC traction motor units on heavy haul unit trains like coal and oil. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111515 Date Shot Photo By Friday, December 20, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 107 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific The paint on UP 5371, second unit on a westbound oil empty, is definitely starting to look a little worse for wear. I did want to get a roster shot of this unit, simply because it shares its number with one of my favorite Rio Grande SD40T-2s, DRGW 5371. The last Rio Grande Tunnel Motor to be retired from UP's roster, now preserved at the Ogden Railroad Museum. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111514 Date Shot Photo By Friday, December 20, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 92 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific The head end of a UP oil empty heads west along the south edge of Big Ten Curve at the base of the Rocky Mountains. The last two rail miles (give or take) have been the true start of the climb to conquer the Continental Divide. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111513 Date Shot Photo By Friday, December 20, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 100 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific Five days prior to Christmas, and the last official day of fall, and temperatures are very moderate. Right around 40°F (4°C) at the moment, but it feels quite a bit warmer. Warm enough that the conductor on UP 7066 has the window open and is enjoy some fresh air as this oil train wraps around Big Ten. If you look off in the distance, the cylindrical looking building in the distance is part of the aggregate plant at the north end of the Rocky Spur. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111512 Date Shot Photo By Friday, December 20, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 107 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific Three units lead an oil empty around Big Ten Curve alongside the open hoppers serving as a wind break. The train is creeping along at 10 MPH this morning as high winds are in the forecast. Despite the forecast, in reality there is barely even a light breeze. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111511 Date Shot Photo By Friday, December 20, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 112 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific Part of the graffiti on the hoppers at Big Ten Curve spells out AWARE. I have no idea what it is meant to represent, but, there it is! Meanwhile, a westbound oil empty is climbing Big ten out of Rocky. You can see the signal at the west end of Rocky off in the distance. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111510 Date Shot Photo By Friday, December 20, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 117 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific Since the decline of coal, the new lifeblood of the Moffat has, without question, been oil. A westbound UP oil empty makes its way up the north side of Big Ten Curve on a crystal clear December morning. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111424 Date Shot Photo By Friday, December 13, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 128 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak On the south edge of Big Ten Curve, the Zephyr is making its way west. The Zephyr has not seen many ALC-42 Chargers, the power set to (largely) replace the P42DCs. The Chargers are Tier-4 compliant, and they require special additives mixed in with their fuel. the infrastructure currently does not exist in Denver to include the additives, so the Chargers have not been running on the Zephyr. Rumors are that the infrastructure will be added soon, and Chargers are likely to start showing up in 2025. That means this classic consist may be short-lived. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111423 Date Shot Photo By Friday, December 13, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 138 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The morning Zephyr is approaching the open hoppers that serve as a wind break on the eastern edge of Big Ten Curve. The cars have now been in the same place for over 50 years, diligently helping to redirect extreme winds up and over the mainline. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111422 Date Shot Photo By Friday, December 13, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 110 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak Just west of the west switch of Rocky, the westbound Zephyr is making its way up the (roughly) 2% grade, working to gain elevation to overcome the Continental Divide. I'm trying to find out seek out some new perspectives from around Big Ten; shooting new angles. This being one of them! Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111373 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 1, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 132 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF A westbound BNSF empty oil train rounds the bottom of Big Ten Curve just west of the west switch of Rocky. Indeed, the back half of the train in this shot is still between switches on the main at Rocky. You can see a covered hopper buffer car on the tail end of the train, headed for the transload oil facility at Wellington, UT. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.

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