As an eastbound oil train departs Eisele (Clay) and enters the west end of Big Ten Loop, the westbound Zephyr has just received a clear (green) signal at the west end and is about to throttle up to depart to the west.
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Meets at Eisele (Clay) do not have particularly often. Eisele is a shorter siding and it has weight restrictions on it as well, limiting what trains can actually meet here. However, the Zephyr is light and short, easily able to sneak through on the siding as it heads west, meeting this eastbound loaded oil train.
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Slowly crawling toward a red signal at the west end of Eisele, a pair of mid-train swing helpers rolls toward the Zephyr. Once the oil train clears the west switch, the dispatcher will immediate get a clear (green) signal for the Zephyr to continue its journey west.
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The siding of Eisele is not used super often for meets. However, on this May morning, the westbound Zephyr is running through the siding to meet with a loaded oil train, rolling east on the main. Note the Zephyr has his headlight dimmed so as not to blind the crew on the UP train.
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A pair of units, including a ES44AC sporting BNSF's 25th Anniversary paint scheme, bring up the tail end of the westbound Denver-Provo manifest near the west end of Eisele (Clay).
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Near the west end of Eisele, a trio of privately owned passenger cars make for a colorful sight as the westbound Zephyr rolls past a colorful cut in the side of the mountain.
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Winter runoff and a very wet 10 days or so in May has resulted in a very green Front Range! A wonderful time to get shots of trains like this westbound Zephyr. 10 to 11 months out of the year will find areas like this far more brown than green.
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The east two thirds of Eisele (Clay) is relatively straight. However, as you can see in this shot, there is a little dog leg to the left before an S-curve to the right and then left toward the west end. The westbound Zephyr, running almost four hours late, is headed toward the less-than-straight stretch of track on the main.
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The Salsbury Beach sports the steel-fluted sides of many of the Pullman-built passenger cars from the early-to-mid 20th century. The car, lettered for the Boston and Maine railroad, is now privately own and catching a ride on the westbound California Zephyr.
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The Colonial Crafts passenger car was built by the Pullman Car Company and is now privately owned. It sometimes gets out along the rails, as seen here, catching a ride on the rear of Amtrak.
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Originally delivered by the Pullman Car Company in 1918, Lamberts Point looked like it might be headed for the scrap yard at one point. However, about a decade prior to this picture, a project was put together to refurbish the car and get it back on the rails.
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The westbound Zephyr winds its way through the S-Curve near the west end of Eisele (Clay). Meanwhile, a UP MOW worker with his hyrailer on the siding performs a roll by. Once clear of the west switch, the hyrailer is going to get track and time and follow the Zephyr all the way up to East Portal at the Moffat Tunnel.
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I am not entirely sure what happened (or why), but the tail end of both P42DCs on the westbound Zephyr are covered in oil! It looks like it could practically drip off or be scraped off. At least one of the units (AMTK 27) is no longer loading. It is for this reason that a BNSF ES44C4 was added in Denver, adding an additional hour delay to the already-tardy Zephyr.
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It is fairly common to find five units on BNSF's Denver-Provo manifests and today is no exception. Three units are on the point and a pair of units, both facing west, are bringing up the tail end. The train is not particularly long today at about 4,500 feet.
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The Zephyr rolls slowly west on the main at Eisele (Clay) alongside the radio tower located near the west end. The Zephyr is only moving along at 10 MPH due to level 2 heat restrictions. It is only mid-June, but the temperature is already 90°F (32°C) and it is not even 11am. Looking like it might be a scorcher of a summer!
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