Photo ID: 109985 Date Shot Photo By Monday, January 1, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Coal Creek (MP 23) Arvada, CO 390 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The last coach on the Zephyr is rolling over the bridge over Colorado Highway 72 at the base of Coal Creek Canyon. The head end of the train is coming through the cut near Coal Creek as the train climbs toward Tunnel 1. Note the asphalt street in the foreground. It is located on top of Tunnel 1, and soon there will be some homes built here in the new Canyon Pines Subdivision. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109976 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 31, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Coal Creek (MP 23) Arvada, CO 404 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific Despite the relative moderate weather of the past week, areas of terrain cast in shadow all day long still have snow clinging to the ground. An eastbound oil train passes through one such snowy scene just east of Coal Creek Canyon, and just west of the detector at MP 22.6. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109975 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 31, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Coal Creek (MP 23) Arvada, CO 335 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific A trio of GEs leads an eastbound unit oil train across the bridge at the base of Coal Creek Canyon. Interestingly, the lead unit is the same one that led an eastbound oil train 11 days earlier when I was chasing on the west slope of the divide. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109905 Date Shot Photo By Friday, December 15, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Coal Creek (MP 23) Arvada, CO 379 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak There are no houses in this shot of the Zephyr climbing the grade from Coal Creek Canyon toward Tunnel 1. The question is, for how much longer will there be no houses in shots like this? The roads for the Canyon Pines Subdivision are all in place and it would seem construction of houses could start any time. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109868 Date Shot Photo By Friday, December 1, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Coal Creek (MP 23) Arvada, CO 449 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak At the base of Coal Creek Canyon, the westbound Zephyr wraps around the sweeping 180° curve so it can climb the 2% grade up to Tunnel. It will then make a turn to the north, run through Plain, and then start west through the Tunnel District. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109857 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, November 28, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Coal Creek (MP 23) Arvada, CO 343 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific Just beyond the base of Coal Creek Canyon, a westbound UP coal empty is climbing the roughly 2% grade up to Tunnel 1. One of the alignments considered by David Moffat for the line was up Coal Creek Canyon, but that was (obviously) not the ultimate alignment chosen. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109727 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, November 9, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Coal Creek (MP 23) Arvada, CO 372 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak AMTK 134 and AMTK 168 lead the westbound Zephyr on the pull toward Tunnel 1 up from the case of Coal Creek Canyon. Construction on the new Canyon Pines subdivision continues in the background. No groundbreaking on any houses has started. Yet. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109459 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, September 17, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Coal Creek (MP 23) Arvada, CO 435 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF Just west of the hotbox detector at MP 22.6, three BNSF units (elephant style) navigate the curves at the base of Coal Creek Canyon. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109419 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, September 14, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Coal Creek (MP 23) Arvada, CO 406 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific UP 7631, an ES44AC, leads a westbound coal empty up the 2% grade toward the east portal of Tunnel 1. The train is headed for the West Elk Mine on the North Fork Branch to load and return east. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109418 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, September 14, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Coal Creek (MP 23) Arvada, CO 406 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific A westbound coal empty climbs the 2% grade from Coal Creek Canyon up toward Tunnel 1. You can see a bit of one of the new roads in the background that are part of the Canyon Pines Subdivision. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109410 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, September 6, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Coal Creek (MP 23) Arvada, CO 539 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific At the base of Coal Creek Canyon, a UP Officer's Special, led by an AC4400CW and an SD70M, cross CO-72 around the 180° curve. Whether you are a fan of UP or not, you have to admit that their passenger trains look pretty dang sharp! Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109383 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, September 3, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Coal Creek (MP 23) Arvada, CO 665 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Rocky Mountaineer, Union Pacific This scene has changed significantly in the past year, and is going to continue to change in the coming year. UP 4927 leads the westbound Rocky Mountaineer up the grade toward Tunnel 1. In the background, preparation continues for the construction of the Canyon Pines subdivision, a new neighborhood of single family homes. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109270 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, June 4, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Coal Creek (MP 23) Arvada, CO 384 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific At the entry to Coal Creek Canyon, an eastbound coal load crosses CO-72 and wraps around a horseshoe curve to continue the journey east toward Denver. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109199 Date Shot Photo By Friday, May 26, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Coal Creek (MP 23) Arvada, CO 410 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The eastbound Zephyr has just crossed CO-72 at the base of Coal Creek Canyon. The train is moving in-and-out of shadows from the many clouds in the western sky. A pair of privately own cars bring up the tail end of the Zephyr on this Friday evening. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108926 Date Shot Photo By Friday, January 20, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Coal Creek (MP 23) Arvada, CO 453 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak One of the original routes that were scouted out when the Denver and Sale Lake was first building west included the grade up Coal Creek Canyon. That plan was ultimately scrapped in favor of the route through the Tunnel District that exists today. Instead, CO-72 uses Coal Creek Canyon to get traffic west. The westbound Zephyr crosses over CO-72 at the base of the canyon. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.

Previous Page     Next Page