It looks like UP may have pulled a bunch of center beam flats out of storage, possibly from somewhere in the desert between Grand Junction and Helper. This is a long strand of them on the Grand Junction to Denver manifest. The Winter Park Express is waiting for them to clear, sitting in the siding at Eisele (Clay).
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AMTK 171 is leading the Winter Park Express Ski Train this morning. Note the orange covering on the coupler of 171. It is there to prevent snow from building up on the coupler, preventing it from being used. Once reaching Fraser, the power will run around the train.
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Snow is plentiful along the right-of-way at Eisele (Clay) as BNSF's trackage rights manifest passes by on its journey west to Provo, UT. The skies are overcast on this January morning, but the temperatures are actually above freezing.
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A westbound BNSF Denver-Provo manifest, with a trio of SD70ACes, waits in the siding at Rocky for a single UP SD70ACe that is currently headed east above at Eisele (Clay). The sole SD70ACe went west at 4am to help out an oil train that had stalled between Fraser and Winter Park. After bringing the train through the Moffat, the unit cut off and headed back to Denver light.
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The five car Winter Park Express (Ski Train) is making its way through the S-Curve near the west end of Eisele (Clay).
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Halfway through Eisele (Clay) on the main, the first Winter Park Express of the season is making good time on its trip west.
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Overcast skies this morning allowed for some different perspective of the westbound Zephyr (there are not in terrible light). The train is moving toward the west end of Eisele (Clay) as we look back toward Big Ten, Little Ten, and Rocky.
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The rails on the siding at Eisele (Clay) are still covered with fresh snow after a January storm let about 4" of the white stuff fall overnight. The westbound Zephyr is about two hours late as it navigates the way through the curves on the main near the west end of Eisele (Clay).
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Looking up from Rocky at the westbound Zephyr as it rolls on the main at Eisele, quite a bit higher in elevation after having wrapped around Big Ten Curve.
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Coal traffic has picked up slightly on the Moffat in the past few months. Not to say coal traffic is anything like it was 15 years ago, but there has been 1-2 trains a week lately. A year ago, there was maybe one a month.
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An empty oil train heads west on the main at Eisele (Clay). The siding, currently empty, has weight limits on it, disallowing certain trains from entering the siding.
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The westbound Zephyr, consisting of seven Superliners, heads west on the main at Eisele (Clay). The train is right on time. It'll meet UP's MGJNY at Cliff, but UP's DS-380 will keep the train rolling on clear (green) signals.
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For you modelers out there, there is a radio tower near the west end of Eisele (Clay) along the right-of-way. The westbound Zephyr rolls by right on time on its journey west.
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Fall colors along the front range are entirely complete here at the start of November. Most trees have lost their leaves entirely, although some still have some colorless leaves clinging on, such as this tree near the west end of Eisele (Clay). The westbound Zephyr rolls through the scene on the main.
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Shortly after the westbound Zephyr passed by, a herd of elk decided it was time to cross the tracks and head up the hillside. Fortunately this decision was made after Amtrak passed! No other trains were around, so the three dozen or so elk safely crossed the rails.
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