Second out on this eastbound BNSF oil load is a Kansas City Southern de Mexico ES44AC. BNSF seems to lease KCS and KCSM units somewhat often as it is not super uncommon to catch one of these guys on a BNSF train in Colorado.
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An loaded BNSF oil train crosses the grade crossing at Crescent, rolling eastbound on the main. The train will meet a westbound oil empty at Plain. The westbound is actually already at Plain, awaiting the arrival of this eastbound.
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There is no train in the shot, but the shot was taken from a train! We are looking northeast over some low-hanging clouds. Just one example of the incredible views to be had from riding any passenger train through the Rockies.
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You can peek out onto the plains at the area around Interlocken near the Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport as a westbound oil train comes around the curve west of the grade crossing at Crescent.
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While there is no train in this shot, I thought it was a pretty cool overview of Crescent. It is kind of difficult to tell from the ground that the siding is really built on a (near) 180° curve. In the top-left quadrant of the shot, you can see the west portal of Tunnel 18. Where the tracks disappear on the right side of the shot is Tunnel 19.
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Passengers on the Zephyr, and on the private car Bella Vista, can look out and observe major construction project on the Gross Reservoir dam. The dam is being raised by nearly 200 feet, and will triple the capacity of the reservoir. The reservoir is one of the primary sources of drinking water for Denver.
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The Rocky Mountaineer's "Rockies to the Red Rocks" is generally considered to be a summer/fall train. However, on April 19th, an eastbound test of the Mountaineer heads east through a winter wonderland at Crescent.
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Wrapping around the near-180° curve at the west end of Crescent, the eastbound Rocky Mountaineer is headed back to Denver on a test run before the revenue season starts next Wednesday.
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AMTK 138 and AMTK 82 lead the westbound Zephyr around the curve on the main near the west end of Crescent. The Phase 7 paint on the units really pop against the white wintery scene in the third week of April.
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These mornings are some of my favorite around the front range of the Rockies. Not enough snow to make traveling difficult, but enough to give a fantastic coating on the ground and in the trees. The Zephyr rolls west on the main at Crescent, horn blowing for the approaching grade crossing.
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The clouds are hanging low near the tracks as the Zephyr heads west on the main track at Crescent amidst a winter wonderland in April.
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A UP track inspector sits in his hyrailer on the siding at Crescent, keeping an eye (for a roll by) on the Zephyr as it rolls west on the main. The inspector will be requesting track and time out the west end of Crescent to follow the Zephyr up the hill toward the Moffat Tunnel.
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UP maintenance equipment is tied down in the House Track at Crescent as the westbound Zephyr passes by on the main, offering up some extra "bell and whistle" for the UP MOW folks in the area.
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An ES44AC and two SD70ACes bring up the tail end of a westbound coal empty at Crescent. Due to the thick fog and crazy winter weather (near the end of April), the train will quickly disappear in to the mist as it continues its journey west.
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This westbound coal empty consists of bathtub gondolas with rotary couplers. All of the gons are either BNSF or BN. What is particularly interesting is that the symbol for the train suggests that it is in fact a UP train. Despite having all BNSF power and BN/BNSF gondolas...
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