The westbound Zephyr is just about to poke its nose out of Tunnel 3. Savvy Amtrak fans might note that the "Amtrak" on the nose is not the normal one on Phase 5 units. This is indeed AMTK 161, the Phase 1 Heritage unit sporting the bloody nose and classic Amtrak font.
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As the westbound Zephyr emerges from Tunnel 2 in the Lower Tunnel District, we see the west portal of Tunnel 3 in the foreground, from which the Zephyr will also emerge from in less than a minute.
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Just east of Tunnel 3, the westbound Winter Park Express enters in to view from a cut as it makes its way west through a powdery Tunnel District. High in the distance, clouds work to try to push their way over the mountains and out toward the plains.
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On a beautiful, albeit freezing (16°F) January morning, AMTK 78 and AMTK 45 emerge from Tunnel 3 and are about to head in to Tunnel 4 west of Plain in the Tunnel District.
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With the sun so far to the south in the winter, the tracks in the east end of the Tunnel District move in and out of the the shadows. The head end of the Zephyr is approaching Tunnel 3 as the last two Zephyrs cross over the giant fill just west of Tunnel 2. This fill was washed out in the fall of 2013 when 500-year rains hit Denver, creating flooding conditions and washouts in many places.
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The east portal of Tunnel 2 is now quiet, the Zephyr just passing through it seconds earlier. Indeed, the head end of the westbound Zephyr is now approaching Tunnel 3 in the distance on a mostly cloudy morning.
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The westbound Zephyr crosses the big fill west of Tunnel 2, through the cut, and heads in to Tunnel 3 near the east end of the Tunnel District.
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A westbound oil empty crosses over the huge fill west of Tunnel 2 and is heading in to Tunnel 3 after meeting an eastbound loaded oil train at Plain.
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The Rocky Mountaineer has just started its journey west through the Tunnel District as it emerges from Tunnel 3 and the head end approaches Tunnel 4. In the background on the left side of the image, you can actually see the west portal of Tunnel 2.
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The head end of the Zephyr runs along some of the narrowest portions of the Tunnel District, hugging the flat irons. The train is just about to enter Tunnel 3, with the tail end just about to clear the huge fill that was actually washed out in epic flooding in 2013.
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The westbound Zephyr just crossed the (relatively new) fill just west of Tunnel 2, has passed through the cut between Tunnel 2 and 3, and the head end is about to disappear in to Tunnel 3. It is rather remarkable just how narrow a shelf the tracks are built on in places through the Tunnel District.
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As the sightseer longue car emerges from the west end of Tunnel 3, the head end approaches the east end of Tunnel 4. This is why this area is called the Tunnel District! Trains just move in and out of tunnel for miles.
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The Zephyr is approaching the east portal of Tunnel 3, gaining speed after passing through a slow order alongside maintenance at Plain. The giant fill on the left side of the frame is relatively new, having been created in 2013 after epics rains washed out the old fill.
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A westbound UP (empty) oil train emerges from the west portal of Tunnel 3. From Tunnel 1 to Tunnel 8, the tracks skirt the very eastern edge of the Rockies Mountains, offering amazing view of the plains. In the distance on the west side of the frame, you can catch a glimpse of the back half of the unit tank train, still on the main at Plain.
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In between Tunnels 2 and 3, three SD70ACes have this westbound oil empty on the move. In September 2013, the large fill on the left side of the frame was washed out by record levels of rail fall. The Moffat was closed for about a week as UP worked tirelessly to rebuild the fill.
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