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Photo ID: 112672
Date Shot
Photo By
Friday, June 27, 2025 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Cliff (6,900 ft)
Boulder County, CO
23
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific
Roughly halfway through the block at Cliff, the main and the siding both cross over South Boulder Creek. Here, the four units on this westbound coal empty are crossing over that exact bridge as they continue west on the main track.
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Photo ID: 112671
Date Shot
Photo By
Friday, June 27, 2025 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Cliff (6,900 ft)
Boulder County, CO
19
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific
A somewhat rare UP coal empty crosses CO-72 as it heads west on a green signal on the main at Cliff. At this spot, the tracks run between South Boulder Creek and the highway.
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Photo ID: 111631
Date Shot
Photo By
Friday, January 3, 2025 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Cliff (6,900 ft)
Glipin County, CO
167
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF
Crossing over South Boulder Creek, two DPUs bring up the tail end of the Provo-Denver at Cliff. A pair of units DPU'd on the back of a manifest is pretty standard for BNSF manifests running on the Moffat.
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Photo ID: 111630
Date Shot
Photo By
Friday, January 3, 2025 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Cliff (6,900 ft)
Gilpin County, CO
189
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF
It can sometimes be a bit of a challenge, capturing trains on the Moffat in direct sunlight in the height of winter. The low sun in the sky mixed with high mountain peaks keeps a lot of the line in shadows for much of the day. Here, the lead SD70ACe comes into directly sunlight on the main at Cliff as it crosses over South Boulder Creek.
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Photo ID: 111629
Date Shot
Photo By
Friday, January 3, 2025 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Cliff (6,900 ft)
Gilpin County, CO
140
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF
The western 40% or so of Cliff hugs the north side of a mountain. Throughout winter, this part of the tracks never see any directly sunlight. As a result, it is pretty common for the rails to be buried in snow for months at time. Indeed, it is quite possible the tracks will be in snow until the spring melt. Meanwhile, an eastbound BNSF manifest rolls through the darkened scene.
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Photo ID: 111628
Date Shot
Photo By
Friday, January 3, 2025 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Cliff (6,900 ft)
Gilpin County, CO
152
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF
After a stop in the siding at Rollins that lasted around 90 minutes, a relief crew for this Provo-Denver finally showed up. The crews swapped, and UP's DS-380 gave them a light to continue east. Indeed, there is nothing coming west out of Denver, and the train will have a clear shot to town. Here, the train is on the main track at Cliff.
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Photo ID: 111377
Date Shot
Photo By
Sunday, December 1, 2024 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Cliff (6,900 ft)
Gilpin County, CO
117
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF
BNSF 6087 is sitting in the siding at Cliff, having just met an eastbound Provo-Denver manifest. The west end of Cliff hugs the north foot of a mountain. As a result, it goes months without direct sunlight and, as a result, the rails also often spend months buried in the snow in the winter months.
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Photo ID: 111178
Date Shot
Photo By
Monday, October 7, 2024 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Cliff (6,900 ft)
Boulder County, CO
154
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific
An eastbound UP military train is coming to a stop in the siding at Cliff. The train is long enough that it is poking out the west end of the siding. The westbound Zephyr is not far off. Since the military doesn't fit between switches at Cliff, it'll be leaving just as soon as the Zephyr is clear of the east switch.
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Photo ID: 111113
Date Shot
Photo By
Monday, September 23, 2024 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Cliff (6,900 ft)
Boulder County, CO
150
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific
UP 8879 is about to come to a stop on the siding at Cliff. A westbound empty oil train is about 20 minutes away. After meeting the oil train, the coal load will continue east, meeting the Zephyr at Crescent.
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Photo ID: 111112
Date Shot
Photo By
Monday, September 23, 2024 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Cliff (6,900 ft)
Boulder County, CO
148
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific
This eastbound coal load is slowing as it rolls through the siding at Cliff. The house track is located to the left and the main, still cast in shadows, is on the right. The train will wait for a westbound unit oil train.
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Photo ID: 110993
Date Shot
Photo By
Sunday, September 1, 2024 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Cliff (6,900 ft)
Boulder County, CO
164
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak
A pair of P42DCs in Phase 5 paint lead the evening Zephyr across the grade crossing in Cliff. The train is 45 minutes late as it rolls through the small town of Cliff. Rumor has it the State of Colorado hopes to expand rail service, potentially reinstituting some depots in small mountain towns such as Pinecliff.
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Photo ID: 110992
Date Shot
Photo By
Sunday, September 1, 2024 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Cliff (6,900 ft)
Boulder County, CO
149
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific
A westbound oil train...the third overall of the afternoon...is sitting in the siding at Cliff waiting for the afternoon Zephyr. The Zephyr is running about an hour late and is not too far west of Cliff as of this shot.
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Photo ID: 110991
Date Shot
Photo By
Sunday, September 1, 2024 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Cliff (6,900 ft)
Boulder County, CO
152
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific
A single C44ACM, sporting UP's newest paint scheme, brings up the rear of this westbound unit oil train. The train is going into the siding at Cliff to meet the eastbound Zephyr. A multitude of power lines crisscross, supplying electricity to the handful of residents that live in Pinecliff.
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Photo ID: 110977
Date Shot
Photo By
Sunday, September 1, 2024 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Cliff (6,900 ft)
Boulder County, CO
151
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific
An eastbound oil train approaches the grade crossing at Cliff. This time of year, snowpack throughout the Rockies is essentially at its lowest. Save for just a few small patches, the Continental Divide is completely free of snow off in the distance.
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Photo ID: 110845
Date Shot
Photo By
Sunday, August 4, 2024 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Cliff (6,900 ft)
Boulder County, CO
151
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific
After developing some air issues that caused the train to go into emergency in the Moffat Tunnel, BNSF's Provo-Lincoln manifest tied down in the siding at Cliff as the crew was getting short on time. Meanwhile, an eastbound UP manifest overtakes the manifest on the main. Note the two smiley faces drawn into the dirt on the nose of UP 6570.
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