Photo ID: 106998 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, January 16, 2018 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Leyden (7,020ft) Arvada, CO 985 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF After a snowstorm 24 hours earlier, the storm and clouds moved out overnight, bringing in an arctic chill! An eastbound empty BNSF sand train rolls east on a yellow signal at Leyden in the morning light of the 7°F day. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 106999 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, January 16, 2018 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Leyden (7,020ft) Arvada, CO 997 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF It is not super common to find a train with a single engine on the point, particularly on the Moffat. However, when BNSF runs an empty sand train, the power tends to be configured with one unit on the point and a single DPU on the back. All these covered hoppers are empty, so the train is (relatively) light. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 107000 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, January 16, 2018 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Leyden (7,020ft) Arvada, CO 1251 (2 Comments Posted) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific A westbound coal empty meets an eastbound BNSF Provo-Denver manifest at Leyden. The coal empty is headed for the West Elk Mine on the North Fork Branch. For the trip east, two of these units will be on the east end, three will be mid-train DPUs, and one will be the sole DPU on the tail end. It is also worth mentioning that this picture marks the 7000th picture on ColoradoRailfan.com! Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 107001 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, January 16, 2018 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Leyden (7,020ft) Arvada, CO 1000 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific 2016 was the lowest coal-producing year in Colorado in decades. 2017 definitely saw a bit of a rebound as coal production increased by roughly 20% over 2016. The West Elk Mine and Energy Mine both seemed to secure new contracts as new train symbols have been showing up on the Moffat. That 20% increase comes despite the Cherokee power plant in northeast Denver and the Valmont power plant in Boulder switching from Colorado coal to natural gas. This train, originating off UP in the east, heads west at Leyden for the West Elk Mine. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 107002 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, January 16, 2018 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed West of Leyden Arvada, CO 954 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific Two westbound coal empties within 20 minutes of each other on the Moffat! Is this 2018 or 2008!? It just so happened that two empties got recrewed at nearly the same time on Bypass 1 and 2 in Denver. The first train to depart was headed for the North Fork Branch. This empty is headed for the Craig Branch. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 107003 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, January 16, 2018 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Chemical (MP 14.5) Arvada, CO 941 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific Five units lead this westbound coal empty, which is headed for the Energy Mine on the Craig Branch. The train has five units on the point and a pair of DPUs on the tail end. That means this train will most likely run 2x3x2 or possibly 3x3x1 on its journey back east. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 107004 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, January 16, 2018 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Chemical (MP 14.5) Arvada, CO 924 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific Despite several inches of snow falling the day before, much of the snow has melted in the direct sunlight even though temperatures have not yet even warmed up to 32°F. A westbound coal empty with a quintet of power on the point makes its way out of Leyden under a clear January sky. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 107005 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, January 16, 2018 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Chemical (MP 14.5) Arvada, CO 925 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific What was once an empty field (five years ago) to the south of tracks west of Leyden is now the Arvada neighborhood of Leyden Rock! A pair of DPUs work on a westbound coal empty as the train passes by a row of houses on the north edge of the development. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.