Ten years ago, you would have seen the east switch of Yarmony in this picture. However, when UP extended Yarmony several thousand feet to the west, they also moved the east switch west. This took the switch off the S-Curve seen here, and prevented the siding from crossing a road, allowing trains to stop on the siding without blocking the road.
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What is this!? Two SD70M's on a coal train in 2010? That was the first thought I had when I saw this train coming. Then, I realized that it is in fact a loaded ballast train headed for Grand Junction.
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Mother nature decided to mess with the citizens of the Front Range by letting a couple inches of snow fall overnight, halfway through May! UP 1989 has earned the nickname the "Vampire Unit" as it typically runs between Denver and Pueblo overnight. However, the Vampire Unit is out playing in the snow on this morning, making a trip on the Moffat to rescue an MRONY stalled out at Tabernash.
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Leave it to Colorado to always keep you on your toes when it comes to the weather! Less than three weeks away from JUNE and there is more than an inch of snow on the ground! UP 1989 and UP 5894 charge west through the white stuff at Leyden on their way to Tabernash. There, they will rescue a train that has stalled out and can't make it east over the divide.
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The night prior to this shot, the MRONY stalled out on the climb between Tabernash and Winter Park. The rails were slick with snow and the two units on the train couldn't quite get the 4,100-ton train up the 2% grade. So, the train backed into Tabernash and this light power (which includes UP 1989) was sent west out of Denver to rescue the stalled train!
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The westbound MNYRO heads into the siding at Leyden on a snowy April morning. Three inches of the white stuff fell overnight. The manifest is clearing the main to let the Zephyr run around on its journey west.
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Due to the decline in the economy in the last few years, the West Local (formerly the Rocky Local) has gone from a twice-a-week job on Tuesday's and Thursday's to a once-a-week job on Wednesday's. Here, the West Local is returning to Denver with nine covered hoppers and a tank car. A GP40-2 and a GP38-2 provide power for the train.
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The winter season is definitely good for getting those late afternoon "glint" shots! The sun is just a few minutes from setting behind the mountains as this westbound coal empty has clear signals at Leyden.
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A westbound coal empty with a patch Espee AC4400CW makes it way west through Leyden on a clear signal just after 4 o'clock in the afternoon. Houses have sprung up at east Leyden quite a bit in the last five years.
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On days when the forecast calls for heavy snow in the mountains, UP will often dispatch a "Snow Bus" train west out of Denver. If roads are impassible and a crew needs to be relieved on a train, the Snow Bus will use the rails to pick up the old crew and replace it with a fresh crew. Here, the Snow Bus at Leyden is led by UP 1989.
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Holy cow! I was very pleased to catch this unpatched Espee unit serving as a DPU on this coal load. At the time of this picture, there were only 12 unpatched Espee AC4400CW's remaining on UP's roster. That is out of the 273 that were originally rostered.
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It is a beautiful (albeit chilly) Sunday morning along the Front Range of the Colorado Rockies as this eastbound coal load has clear signals at Leyden to continue east in to town.
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Even though it is a shot from the shady side of the train, UP 1989 still looks pretty good leading the MNYRO westbound on the main at Leyden.
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A beautiful Saturday afternoon found a pleasant surprise with UP 1989 leading the MNYRO (North Yard, CO to Roper, UT) manifest west on the Moffat! Here, the train approaches the east switch of Leyden, the Denver skyline rising in the distance.
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The eastbound California Zephyr heads down the main track at Leyden on the longest day of the year, running right on time a short time before sunset. I like this shot as it gives Leyden a classic rural feel, when in reality it is surrounded by suburbia now!
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