Photo ID: 109443 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, September 17, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed East Portal (5,750 ft) Gilpin County, CO 263 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF The Denver-Provo is on the main at East Portal and is approaching a clear (green) signal to go in to the 6.2 mile long tunnel. The building in the background was built by UP in 2010 as a weather safe facility for MOW equipment. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109442 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, September 17, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed East Portal (5,750 ft) Gilpin County, CO 239 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF Halfway through the month of September and there is only very minor change in the deciduous trees at East Portal. When fall colors are in full effect, this scene is going to look even more spectacular! Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108690 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, June 10, 2021 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed East Portal (5,750 ft) Gilpin County, CO 554 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The westbound Zephyr comes around the final curve before the Moffat Tunnel alongside the siding and wye at East Portal. The Moffat Tunnel, as you can see, is dead ahead! The 6.2-long tunnel will take the train under the Continental Divide at the highest elevation of any remaining mainline in the United States, roughly 9,200 feet above sea level. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108314 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, July 7, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed East Portal (5,750 ft) Gilpin County, CO 714 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The westbound Zephyr rolls slowly through the siding at East Portal (to the left) as the eastbound Zephyr sits waiting on the main (to the right). The westbound Zephyr will stop very briefly to hand something off to the conductor on the eastbound Zephyr. Meanwhile, DS-78 is working on getting a clear signal for the Zephyr east. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108313 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, July 7, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed East Portal (5,750 ft) Gilpin County, CO 775 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak Here is a shot that you don't come across too often! The Zephyrs are meeting at East Portal, just a mile or so east of the Moffat Tunnel. Typically, the Zephyrs meet about 100 miles to the west. However, a broken UP coal train delayed the westbound Zephyr by about 9 hours and the eastbound Zephyr by about 2 hours. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108312 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, July 7, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed East Portal (5,750 ft) Gilpin County, CO 735 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The eastbound Zephyr sits idle on the mainline at East Portal two minutes after its scheduled arrival time in Denver. The train has been stuck here for nearly two hours due to a coal train that broke down at Rollins 13 hours earlier. It took a long time to get the coal train back together. That has finally happened, however, and the Zephyr is now waiting for its counterpart, making its way west. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108301 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, July 4, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed East Portal (5,750 ft) Gilpin County, CO 834 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The eastbound California Zephyr passes by the seldom-used wye that still exists at East Portal just east of the Moffat Tunnel. The east leg of the wye (right side of the wye) used to be part of the mainline that ran up and over Rollins Pass. Once the Moffat Tunnel was completed and opened, the old mainline was torn out and just this leg of the wye remains from the portion that ran over Rollins Pass. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 107991 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, January 11, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed East Portal (5,750 ft) Gilpin County, CO 739 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak If you very closely, slightly up and to the left from the middle of the picture, you can see the east portal of the Moffat Tunnel. The Zephyr is on the main alongside the last siding on this side of the Continental Divide. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 107048 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, January 27, 2018 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed East Portal (5,750 ft) Gilpin County, CO 960 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak Passengers on board the California Zephyr have made a 4,000-foot elevation gain in the last 50 miles, going from (roughly) 5,200-feet above sea level in Denver to (roughly) 9,200-feet above sea level here at East Portal. In the distance, one of the peaks of the Continental Divide (in between James Peak and Mt Epworth) stands tall. Soon, the Zephyr will be underneath the divide! Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 107047 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, January 27, 2018 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed East Portal (5,750 ft) Gilpin County, CO 1123 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak As the westbound Zephyr crosses the grade crossing at East Portal, a bit of snow is kicked up! Cars crossing the tracks combined with blowing snow has resulted in a bit of a build up on the crossing. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 105898 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, March 12, 2016 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed East Portal (5,750 ft) Gilpin County, CO 1298 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF A westbound BNSF manifest slows on the main at East Portal. It is currently looking at a red signal because a ballast washer is working inside the Moffat Tunnel. The washer is currently headed for East Portal as well. It will hold on the siding to allow the train to continue westbound. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 105091 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, March 14, 2015 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed East Portal (5,750 ft) Gilpin County, CO 1333 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak I must admit, I sure wouldn't mind being a passenger on the Zephyr on this day! The westbound Zephyr heads down the main at East Portal, about a mile away from the Moffat Tunnel. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 104808 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, August 10, 2014 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed East Portal (5,750 ft) Tolland, CO 1482 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific Cast aside a little ways away from the tracks near the west end of East Portal, I found this milepost 50 sign just laying in the weeds. Apparently Union Pacific will be replacing it with a newer version! Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 104530 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, February 9, 2014 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed East Portal (5,750 ft) Tolland, CO 1775 (1 Comment Posted) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific At first glance, you may not realize that there is something in this picture you cannot see. Something would be able to see if this picture had been taken in July. Largely due to its (relative) short length and the fact that there is a road crossing near the east end, the siding of East Portal is use very infrequently. Completely covered by snow the rails of the siding lie next to this coal empty. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 104529 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, February 9, 2014 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed East Portal (5,750 ft) Tolland, CO 1649 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific It has only been about 20 minutes since the Zephyr passed this location, but the rapidly falling snow has still built up enough for the plow on this C44/60AC to have something to do. The coal empty is just moments away from entering the 6.2 mile long Moffat Tunnel. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.

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