Photo ID: 105705 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, January 9, 2016 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Chemical (MP 14.5) Arvada, CO 1350 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific This is a coal train that is quickly fading from the rails and will soon be nothing more than a memory. It is the "Public Service" train. It provides coal for Xcel Energy's Cherokee Power Plant in northeast Denver. For the last couple of years, that power plant has been transitioning from being fueled by coal to natural gas. By late this year or early 2017, that conversion will be complete. Once that is done, this coal train will be a thing of the past. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 105706 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, January 9, 2016 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Chemical (MP 14.5) Arvada, CO 1617 (1 Comment Posted) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific Say hello to the "Cold War Horse"! The horse is a sculpture created by a local artist. It was made as a tribute to Rocky Flats, the plant that created triggers for nuclear bombs until the 1990s when it was shut down. It is located between the tracks and CO-72, just west of Indiana Street. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 105707 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, January 9, 2016 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Chemical (MP 14.5) Arvada, CO 1655 (2 Comments Posted) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific, Chicago North Western It has been quite some time since I've seen one of these! A patched Chicago Northwestern AC4400CW actually has some of its patchwork wearing off. You can pretty clearly see that this was once CNW 8819. This is one of 35 such units that Chicago Northwestern got right before becoming a part of Union Pacific. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 105708 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, January 9, 2016 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Chemical (MP 14.5) Arvada, CO 1544 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific It seems like the SD70ACe was just introduced yesterday. Yet the scrapes and scratches on this one clearly show its age. This particular unit will in fact celebrate its 10th birthday in 2016. The body of water in the background is Welton Reservoir. It was built by the City of Arvada in 2002 to bulk up its water supply. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 105709 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, January 9, 2016 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Blue Mountain Drive (MP 22.43) Arvada, CO 1690 (2 Comments Posted) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific I knew this shot was going to be backlit, but I'm actually really pleased with the results! A pair of SD70ACes lead a trio of GEs on a westbound coal empty at Blue Mountain Road Crossing. The trees still carry a touch of powder with them from a snowstorm a day earlier. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 105710 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, January 9, 2016 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 1 (MP 23.4, 366 ft) Arvada, CO 1443 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific After looping through the S-Curves at the base of Coal Creek Canyon, this westbound coal empty (headed for the Craig Branch) is about to duck into Tunnel One. The first of 28 tunnels the train will travel through before reaching the 6.2-mile-long Moffat Tunnel. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 105712 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, January 9, 2016 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 29 (MP 36.4, 75 ft) Pinecliff, CO 1962 (2 Comments Posted) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific On a very chilly (roughly 22°F) morning that sees light now falling, a westbound coal empty snakes around a curve alongside South Boulder Creek on the approach to Tunnel 29. If you look toward the left side of the frame, you'll notice some light tan rocks on the other side of the train. That is the remains of what used to be Tunnel 28. It was "daylighted" (blown up) decades ago due to its instability. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 105713 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, January 9, 2016 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS036 (East Cliff) Pinecliff, CO 1535 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific GE and EMD split the work of shoving on the rear of this Energy mine-bound coal empty. In the distance, a car descends down CO-72 toward Pinecliff. The road takes a shortcut over a lot of the mountainous terrain here, whereas the tracks stick close to South Boulder Creek. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 105714 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, January 9, 2016 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Cliff (6,900 ft) Pinecliff, CO 1698 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific Whether you are a big fan of UP's Armour Yellow scheme or not, you certainly have to admit that it looks pretty sharp when you have a pair of (relatively) clean units amongst a fresh white, snowy setting! Here, these DPUs push on a coal empty on the main at Cliff. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 105715 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, January 9, 2016 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Cliff (6,900 ft) Pinecliff, CO 1501 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific I didn't try chasing this coal empty any further west than Cliff as I didn't like my chances for getting ahead of it again, particularly considering the weather conditions. The crew on the train would have a good run...they would meet (or see) another train until reaching Azure on the west side of Gore Canyon! There, they would meet Amtrak #6. A sign of just how slow the Moffat tends to be these days. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.