Photo ID: 107041 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, January 27, 2018 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Chemical (MP 14.5) Arvada, CO 1149 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) CSX, Union Pacific It's been about four months now, and coal trains with CSX power are still rolling on the Moffat from time-to-time. After loading at the West Elk Mine, this loaded is headed for Denver to cut out its mid-train swings and then continue out on to the plains toward its final destination of Florida. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 107042 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, January 27, 2018 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Chemical (MP 14.5) Arvada, CO 1087 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) CSX, Union Pacific Not only is this train set apparently running in circles between Florida and Colorado, but the CSX power is even making the trip more than once! I caught this exact same CSX unit on the point of this same train set about two weeks earlier, on January 12th. On this partly cloudy morning, the train has clear signals to Bypass 2 in Denver. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 107043 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, January 27, 2018 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Cliff (6,900 ft) Gilpin County, CO 1171 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific A westbound coal empty, led by a SD70ACe and four GEs, kicks up a bit of exhaust as it charges up the main at Cliff. Note the huge piles of old wooden ties toward the right side of the frame. Also not the code line on the right side of the image. This is used for PTC. This code line will not be found everywhere...only in places where reception is less than great. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 107044 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, January 27, 2018 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Cliff (6,900 ft) Gilpin County, CO 1092 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific Even though UP is likely the single biggest customer of EMD engines, it is still more common to catch a GE leading a coal train on the Moffat. So, when an SD70ACe does happen to find itself on the point, it's always nice to get a few shots. Such is the case here as an SD70ACe heads toward the bridge that crosses over South Boulder Creek. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 107045 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, January 27, 2018 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rollins (8,320 ft) Rollinsville, CO 1106 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific After shooting this train about halfway through Cliff, I was really lucky to be able to get ahead of it in order to get this shot of it rolling west on the siding at Rollins. It is only because it was taking the siding (and, thus, slowing) that I was able to get ahead of it. The train is stopping here in order to allow the westbound Zephyr to run around it on the main. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 107046 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, January 27, 2018 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS049 (East East Portal) Gilpin County, CO 1149 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak Welcome to the highest point on any mainline still active in the United States! We are just over 9,100 feet above sea level at the east switch of East Portal, just over a mile away from the east portal of the Moffat Tunnel. Technically, the train does still have a little elevation to gain, as it will top out at 9,236 feet above sea level. Today's Zephyr, running a little tardy, glides through blowing snow and a chilly 5°F. 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 1182 (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: 107048 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, January 27, 2018 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed East Portal (5,750 ft) Gilpin County, CO 1013 (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: 107049 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, January 27, 2018 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tolland (9,356 ft) Gilpin County, CO 1118 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific Lately, rather than stationing power in the yard at Glenwood Springs, UP has been running West Elk coal empties with the power they'll need already on the train. Here, five units lead the coal empty, and a single DPU is bringing up the rear. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 107050 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, January 27, 2018 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tolland (9,356 ft) Gilpin County, CO 1137 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific A bit of snow is kicked up by the blowing wind as a westbound coal empty continues west on the main at Tolland. The train will be coming to a stop at East Portal, however, as the Zephyr is currently in the Moffat Tunnel ahead. And, even after the Zephyr clears, the tunnel will have to be vented of exhaust fumes. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 107051 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, January 27, 2018 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tolland (9,356 ft) Gilpin County, CO 1154 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific A single DPU of Espee heritage brings up this westbound coal empty at Tolland. Between 1995 and 2005, this unit was actually SP 267. It was renumbered to UP 6263 on January 12, 2005. More recently, it received a full repaint to include the flag and the wings on the nose. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 107052 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, January 27, 2018 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed West of Leyden Arvada, CO 1163 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF Just west of Leyden, a BNSF unit sand train is pulling hard, but moving slow! This sand is fracking sand, which will be used to extract oil from wells in Utah. It is entirely possible this power will be used on a loaded oil train on the trip back east in the not-too-distant future. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 107053 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, January 27, 2018 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Chemical (MP 14.5) Arvada, CO 1098 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF Dang! Not only was I lucky enough to catch a UP SD70ACe leading a coal empty earlier in the day, but I was lucky enough to catch another SD70ACe on the point of a unit sand train. And this was was BNSF, which is even more of a rarity! Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 107054 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, January 27, 2018 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Chemical (MP 14.5) Arvada, CO 1036 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF Under mostly cloudy (albeit thin clouds) skies, a westbound BNSF sand train slowly makes its way out of Leyden on the Moffat. BNSF is actually doing a lot to keep traffic levels on the Moffat up, and to keep a bit of variety running, too. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.