Photo ID: 108253 Date Shot Photo By Monday, June 29, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rocky (7,330ft) Arvada, CO 692 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak It is a somewhat cloudy morning as the westbound Zephyr makes its way west on the main at Rocky. A P40DC, AMTK 824, is leading up the train this today. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108254 Date Shot Photo By Monday, June 29, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS019 (West Rocky) Arvada, CO 685 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak At first glance, it certainly may appear as though the Zephyr and the UP manifest are headed the same direction on parallel tracks. While they are indeed both heading geographically south right now, they are on the same track. The Zephyr is climbing out of Rocky and will go around Big Ten Loop, ascending in elevation up to Eisele where the UP manifest is waiting to meet the Zephyr. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108255 Date Shot Photo By Monday, June 29, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Eisele (Clay) (5,780 ft) Arvada, CO 680 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The Zephyr is creeping west at restricted speed (about 10 MPH) through the siding at Eisele (Clay). UP's MGJNY sits on the main, patiently waiting for a clear signal at the east end. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108256 Date Shot Photo By Monday, June 29, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 812 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific A UP eastbound manifest peeks in to view around Big Ten Curve. A lot of graffiti has been applied to the open wind break hoppers in the last decade or so. They were repainted the tan-ish color you see in the 1990s. In the 25 years since (give or take), the blank cars became tempting targets for taggers. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108257 Date Shot Photo By Monday, June 29, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 802 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific A majority of UP's 900 or so ES44ACs and ES44AHs are in the 7000-8000 number range. However, 80 of them wound up in the 2500 and 2700 series. These 80 units are all known as Tier 4 "Credit" units. They were ordered after Tier 4 emissions standards were in place, even though they are Tier 3 units, by using "credits" UP had accrued. UP 2747 is one such unit, delivered in late 2016. Here, it is leading the MGJNY around Big Ten Curve on a largely cloudy morning. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108258 Date Shot Photo By Monday, June 29, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 834 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific A look directly down on the 10° curve which is where Big Ten Loop (or Big Ten Curve) gets its name from! UP's MGJNY is rounding the curve on the outside. You can clearly see the open hoppers filled with dirt on the inside of the curve, serving as a wind break for close to 50 years now. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108259 Date Shot Photo By Monday, June 29, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 679 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific The eastbound MGJNY is descending down from Big Ten, approaching a clear signal at the west switch of Rocky. this particular train has three units on the point and a single DPU set up on the rear. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108260 Date Shot Photo By Monday, June 29, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rocky (7,330ft) Arvada, CO 730 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific Near the east end of Rocky, the number of tracks expands from two to four for a short distance. The track on the far left is the house track. If you are not familiar with that term, a house track is usually a few hundred feet long and is often found alongside a siding. If a train needs to set out a car for some reason, a house track is a great place to put it so as not to have to block the entire siding. The track on the far right is the Rocky Spur, which runs about 4 miles to the north. the MGJNY here is rolling east on the main. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.