Photo ID: 108653 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, June 3, 2021 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 1 (MP 23.4, 366 ft) Arvada, CO 546 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF The eastbound BNSF Provo-Denver has a trio of units on the head end as the train rolls east out of Plain and toward the west portal of Tunnel 1. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108654 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, June 3, 2021 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Eisele (Clay) (5,780 ft) Arvada, CO 527 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF An eastbound BNSF manifest heads down the main at Eisele (Clay) while a westbound BNSF manifest waits for the meet in the siding at Rocky. Due to the geography of the area, both trains are facing geographically south right now. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108655 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, June 3, 2021 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 543 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF A pair of ES44C4s and an SD70ACe lead the Provo-Denver east out of Eisele (Clay) and around Big Ten Loop. Waiting down at Little Ten Loop in the siding at Rocky is the counterpart to the Provo-Denver, the Denver-Provo! Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108656 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, June 3, 2021 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 595 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF You have to appreciate the design and engineering that went in to the create of Little Ten and Big Ten curves. In a time before computers or drones, engineers found a way for the tracks to rapidly gain elevation over a very short distance (as the crow flies). An eastbound and a westbound manifest demonstrate the architecture in this shot. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108657 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, June 3, 2021 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 521 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF In the distance, a westbound BNSF manifest sits in the siding at Rocky while its eastbound counterpart slowly makes its way around Big Ten Curve, descending from Eisele (Clay). Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108658 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, June 3, 2021 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rocky (7,330ft) Arvada, CO 546 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF, Norfolk Southern Near the west end of Rocky, BNSF's westbound Denver-Provo sits in the siding, waiting patiently. The train has just met an eastbound BNSF manifest, but now needs to wait for some track repairs that were found by a hyrailer up at Coal Creek Canyon. The crew has been told to get comfortable and expect to wait for at least 90 minutes, and quite probably longer. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108659 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, June 3, 2021 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS019 (West Rocky) Arvada, CO 553 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF, Norfolk Southern After meeting its eastbound counterpart, the Denver-Provo continues to hold the siding at Rocky to meet an eastbound hyrailer! This track maintainer observed a defect in the rail around Coal Creek Canyon that is going to require repair before the westbound can get underway. The hyrailer will meet with a crew from Leyden that will head up to Coal Creek and conduct repairs. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108660 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, June 3, 2021 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Eisele (Clay) (5,780 ft) Arvada, CO 634 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The eastbound Zephyr rolls east on the main at Eisele as it continues the journey east toward Denver and points beyond. Eisele is really the last place the eastbound Zephyr will skirt the front range of the Rockies before leaving the mountains behind after descending down from Big Ten Curve ahead. The siding was originally called Fire Clay, due to the red clay rock found in the area. When Rio Grande shortened many siding names on the system, it was shorten to just Clay. Then, just over eight years ago, on April 2, 2013, UP changed the name from Clay to Eisele in honor of Charley Eisele, a UP official that retired. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108661 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, June 3, 2021 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Eisele (Clay) (5,780 ft) Arvada, CO 541 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The Zephyr rolls east (well, currently geographically south) on the main at Eisele (Clay), while a westbound BNSF (also currently geographically south) manifest waits in the siding at Rocky. The Zephyr will be down to the manifest, heading geographically north, in just a matter of minutes. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108662 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, June 3, 2021 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS020 (East Eisele (Clay)) Arvada, CO 587 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The eastbound Zephyr has a Clear (green) signal at the east end of Eisele (Clay) as it rolls on to the single track main and out and around Big Ten Curve. The train is actually 15 minutes early this afternoon, and has nothing but green signals the rest of the way in to Denver. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108663 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, June 3, 2021 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS019 (West Rocky) Arvada, CO 645 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The eastbound Zephyr meets a westbound BNSF Denver-Provo which has had the unfortunately luck of being stuck in the siding for the last five hours. A track maintainer found a track issue around Coal Creek Canyon that required repairing before allowing a train to roll over it. It was fixed in time for the Zephyr, and now the manifest will finally get a green signal to head west. However, the train will only go as far as Pinecliff before taking the siding again for a recrew. The train spent so much time at Rocky, the crew only has another five hours to work. So a fresh crew will take the train to Grand Junction from Cliff. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.