Photo ID: 114207 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, August 11, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Eisele to Plain (MP 21.8 to MP 24.0) Arvada, CO 45 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Rocky Mountaineer In the 2025 season, RMRX 8600 was entirely blue in its lease colors. This season, however, it has been painted in full Rocky Mountaineer (Canyon Spirit) colors. Looks very good on the point of the train. With the GP40-3s still out of service due to the accident in Rifle last May, UP 4073 is filling in on the train as well. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 114198 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, August 11, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Eisele to Plain (MP 21.8 to MP 24.0) Arvada, CO 37 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) CSX, BNSF An eastbound BNSF oil train, led by a CSX CM44AC (rebuilt from an AC4400CW) snakes its way through the multiple S-Curves around Blue Mountain Drive and the based of Coal Creek Canyon. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 114196 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, August 11, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Eisele to Plain (MP 21.8 to MP 24.0) Arvada, CO 41 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The westbound Zephyr has exited Tunnel 1 and is making its way through the curves and cuts that leads to the east switch of Plain. The train is going to run through the siding at Plain as there is a loaded oil train waiting on the main. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 114085 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, July 22, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Eisele to Plain (MP 21.8 to MP 24.0) Arvada, CO 76 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak AMTK 130 and AMTK 164 lead the Zephyr west of Tunnel 1. The baggage car is sporting the Phase 3 paint scheme that all the new baggage cars received. However, it has faded quite a bit. More than I would have expected considering how relatively new the baggage cars are. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 114076 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, July 19, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Eisele to Plain (MP 21.8 to MP 24.0) Arvada, CO 65 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak Just east of Plain, the eastbound Zephyr approaches the west portal of Tunnel 1, prepared to slow down for a 15 MPH heat-related slow order on the opposite side of Tunnel 1. I really like this perspective, but the summer months are often the only time it is possible to shoot the eastbound Zephyr here in daylight. Most of the year, this scene is cast in shadows by the time the Zephyr shows up. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 114067 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, July 19, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Eisele to Plain (MP 21.8 to MP 24.0) Arvada, CO 66 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific A ten unit light power move is approaching Blue Mountain Crossing in the distance, as we see the west portal of Tunnel 1 in the foreground. In short order, the power will be emerging from Tunnel 1 as it continues west. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 114066 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, July 19, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Eisele to Plain (MP 21.8 to MP 24.0) Arvada, CO 70 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific Ten units head west out of Eisele (Clay), likely headed for either Glenwood Springs or Grand Junction, to serve as swing helpers on coal or oil trains. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 114061 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, July 19, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Eisele to Plain (MP 21.8 to MP 24.0) Arvada, CO 55 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific After hitting an oil truck in Rifle about two months ago, the Canyon Spirit has been using a pair of SD70Ms, leased from Union Pacific. Hopefully, the Canyon Spirit geeps will return soon. But in the meantime, the SD70Ms lead the eastbound train out of Plain, toward Tunnel 1. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113720 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, April 19, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Eisele to Plain (MP 21.8 to MP 24.0) Arvada, CO 126 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Rocky Mountaineer One things that is not always immediately obvious when seeing shots of the nose of the GP40-3s on the Canyon spirit is that the shield/logo on the nose is not actually on the nose! It is a physical shield mounted ahead of the hand rails, above the anti-climber. You can clearly see it in this shot. The nose itself is just blue. Here, the Canyon Spirit is just east of Tunnel 1, descended toward the base of Coal Creek Canyon. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113719 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, April 19, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Eisele to Plain (MP 21.8 to MP 24.0) Arvada, CO 100 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Rocky Mountaineer Not sure if it was due to Union Pacific slow order, mechanical issues, or just a choice to provide passengers longer views, but the Canyon Spirit was rolling along at 12 MPH here just east of Tunnel 1. One of the great things about the Canyon Spirit is that passengers are allowed to actually open vestibule doors and look out. A practice that Amtrak banned years ago. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113718 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, April 19, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Eisele to Plain (MP 21.8 to MP 24.0) Jefferson County, CO 85 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Rocky Mountaineer The Canyon Spirit rolls by the new Canyon Pines neighborhood, annexed by the City of Arvada about a decade ago. While roads are all complete for the neighborhood, no construction on any houses has actually started yet. The Canyon Spirit is coming up to the west portal of Tunnel 1. Eventually, a few houses will be located atop of Tunnel 1 (though north of the actual rails). Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113717 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, April 19, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Eisele to Plain (MP 21.8 to MP 24.0) Jefferson County, CO 87 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Rocky Mountaineer Just east of Plain, the eastbound Canyon Spirit is on the move and approaching Tunnel 1. Way off in the distance, you can see the Valmont Power Station. The power plant shut down its last coal generator in 2017. It now has solar arrays onsite, and a natural gas generator that can provide 70 MW during peak demands. Although you cannot see it, the BNSF Front Range Sub runs right by the reservoir. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113651 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, April 7, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Eisele to Plain (MP 21.8 to MP 24.0) Arvada, CO 113 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Rocky Mountaineer Both Canyon Spirit GP40-3s were mechanically good to go to start the 2026 season. Under overcast skies, the first revenue run of the Canyon Spirit rolls west of Tunnel 1, headed for Glenwood Springs today. The train departs Denver on Tuesdays and stays overnight in Glenwood Springs. On Wednesdays, it continues to Moab, UT. On Thursdays, it now continues west to Salt Lake City, UT (running over Soldier Summit). Fridays, it starts the return journey and stays in Moab again. Saturdays, it'll go east to Glenwood Springs, and Sundays, it returns to Denver. It does not run on Mondays. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113650 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, April 7, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Eisele to Plain (MP 21.8 to MP 24.0) Arvada, CO 117 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Rocky Mountaineer One of my personal favorite aspects of having the Canyon Spirit running on the Moffat is the power. Having the unique passenger train is certainly great, but as a railfan that grew up with Rio Grande in the 1980s, seeing class EMD spartan cabs makes me very happy. Here, the Canyon Spirit has emerged from Tunnel 1 and is continuing west toward Plain. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113645 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, April 7, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Eisele to Plain (MP 21.8 to MP 24.0) Arvada, CO 118 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak This Tuesday morning started with overcast skies that would eventually clear up for some sun. The clouds actually added some nice dynamics in this shot of the westbound Zephyr, which just left Tunnel 1 and is approaching the east switch of Plain around the bend to the west. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.

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