Photo ID: 104506 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, January 26, 2014 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Plain (6,530 ft) Arvada, CO 1965 (1 Comment Posted) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific It certainly is far from the first time I've taken a picture at this spot, but I have to admit...I never get tired of eastbounds at Plain with the flatirons in the background. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 104507 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, January 26, 2014 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Plain (6,530 ft) Arvada, CO 1710 (2 Comments Posted) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific If you know me or have visited my site for any length of time, you are probably aware that I have two wonderful daughters. Both of which have lost a lot of interest in trains as they have been getting older. However, I do have a two-year-old nephew that loves trash trucks, excavators and anything with an engine! So it was time for his first real train chasing experience. While he loved the trains, the chilly wind was not much to his liking. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 104508 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, January 26, 2014 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Plain (6,530 ft) Arvada, CO 1440 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific This eastbound coal load was having some problems with the air brakes on the mid-train swing helpers. So, the crew took advantage of the (relatively) level stretch of train at Plain to bring the train to a complete stop with a full service application of the air brakes. After doing so, the brakes were released and about five minutes later, the train was underway again, the problem apparently resolved. Here, the train sits, stopped, on the grade crossing as the brakes recharge. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 104509 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, January 26, 2014 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Chemical (MP 14.5) Arvada, CO 1893 (1 Comment Posted) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific If you are at all familiar with the Moffat, then you probably recognized this location just from the thumbnail! This eastbound coal load, destined for Xcel Energy's Cherokee power plant northeast of downtown Denver, approaches the intermediate signal at MP 14.5. Unfortunately, this train will be disappearing from the Moffat by 2017 as Xcel is converting Cherokee to be power 100% by natural gas. Coal traffic out of Colorado has seen a steady decline lately, making one wonder just what the Moffat will look like in ten years. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 104510 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, January 26, 2014 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Chemical (MP 14.5) 20140126 1528 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific When I was a kid, the siding of Leyden on Rio Grande's Moffat Tunnel Route west of Denver was kind of "out there". There were a few houses in the area and a lot of ranches, horses and open space. In the last fifteen years, the area immediately surrounding Leyden has exploding with the building of two new neighborhoods and a high school. However, west of Leyden has still had a very rural feel to it. All that is changing now! A sign went up on a fence in 2012 (left side of the picture) notifying anyone and everyone of a public meeting. The meeting was being held to discuss the city of Arvada annexing land from Jefferson County and rezoning it residential. The annexation went through and a new 1,000-acre neighborhood is in the first phases on the opposite side of the fence. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 104511 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, January 26, 2014 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Chemical (MP 14.5) Arvada, CO 1405 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific It is an unseasonably warm 55ºF out, although extremely windy, as the mid-train swing helpers on this eastbound approach. The focus of the shot is more to the left, on the new 1,000 acre neighborhood that is just getting started. The neighborhood, aptly named "Leyden Rock", will be built over the next few years in five phases. Houses in the first phase are visible to the left. Excavating has been done for future roads coming up close to the fence line. Oh how different this view will look in ten years! Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.