At the east end of Rocky, there is a Diverging Approach (red over yellow) signal for a westbound BNSF Denver-Provo. Note the switch bent for the siding. The train will hold in the siding to allow the Zephyr to run around it.
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A somewhat dirty SD70ACe is sandwiched between two ES44ACs on the point of a westbound BNSF Denver-Provo.
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The two most common units you'll find on BNSF trains on the Moffat are ES44ACs and SD70ACes. This is an example of the latter. The orange is a bit darker than on the ES44ACs that it is stuck in between.
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At the west end of Rocky, the morning Zephyr is running right on time and, thanks to some good dispatching, the Zephyr ran around a BNSF manifest that has only been sitting in the siding for about 7 minutes! Once the Zephyr is a block ahead, the manifest will get a light to continue.
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On the climb to Big Ten, the Zephyr, with a standard winter consist, is on the move. After running around a train at Leyden and a train at Rocky, the Zephyr has clear (green) signals up the hill to and beyond the Moffat Tunnel.
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A trio of BNSF units is leading the Denver-Provo and is about to disappear behind the rock face as it enters Tunnel 1. The train is making its way up the 2% grade from Coal Creek Canyon, through the S-Curve.
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BNSF's Denver-Provo manifest is westbound on the main at Cliff, running alongside the (empty) siding, and the house track. The house track has a pair of empty flat cars sitting on it.
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Just east of the east switch of East Portal, BNSF's Denver-Provo manifest is approaching a clear (green) signal. The train is snaking its way along Rollins Road. In the distance, you can see the classic yellow schoolhouse that is a fixture in Tolland.
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Halfway through the month of September and there is only very minor change in the deciduous trees at East Portal. When fall colors are in full effect, this scene is going to look even more spectacular!
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The Denver-Provo is on the main at East Portal and is approaching a clear (green) signal to go in to the 6.2 mile long tunnel. The building in the background was built by UP in 2010 as a weather safe facility for MOW equipment.
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The crew on BNSF 5781 is just moments away from experiencing 15-20 minutes of dark as the train enters the Moffat Tunnel. The train is approaching the highest active Class 1 mainline in the country. The apex of the tunnel is 9,239 feet above sea level.
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The valley that the Moffat Tunnel is located in has a wonderful mix of deciduous and coniferous trees. A pair of SD70ACes are the DPUs bringing up the tail end of this westbound BNSF manifest, disappearing in to the tunnel that runs underneath a shoulder of James Peak.
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Almost exactly 100 years (give or take a few months) before this picture was taken, initial construction on the Moffat Tunnel started. A century later, and a BNSF SD70ACe brings up the tail end of the westbound Denver-Provo.
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A view that, in one form another, with one type of train or another, has been repeated somewhere around a half a million times since the Moffat Tunnel opened 96 years ago. The structure built over the rails has cameras that allow UP dispatchers in Omaha to view the tunnel. It also has motion sensors that detect trespassers, warning them they are trespassing if they attempt to approach the tunnel portal.
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The Rocky Mountaineer GP40-3s look really good on the point of the "Rockies to the Red Rocks" Mountaineer as it approaches the grade crossing at Tolland.
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