Photo ID: 110916 Date Shot Photo By Friday, August 16, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Blue Mountain Drive (MP 22.43) Arvada, CO 34 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The westbound Zephyr emerges from around the bend, from the west end of Eisele (Clay). Behind the Zephyr is wide open plains for hundreds of miles. The Zephyr is approaching the grade crossing at Blue Mountain Drive. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 110917 Date Shot Photo By Friday, August 16, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS032 (West Crescent) Boulder County, CO 35 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The westbound Zephyr rounds the bend at the west end of Crescent. The train will pass through a cut before reaching Tunnel 19. The cut is protected along the sides and even over the top by a slide fence. If rocks fall, the wires will help deflect them from the track. If the rocks are large enough to break through the fence, signals will automatically drop to red, the dispatcher is informed, and an automated message is broadcast over the radio on the road channel. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 110918 Date Shot Photo By Friday, August 16, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Crescent to Cliff (MP 31.8 to MP 36.7) Boulder County, CO 37 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The westbound Zephyr is running right on time as it leaves Crescent behind and approaches the east portal of Tunnel 19. Off in the distance, you can see the dam that has created Gross Reservoir. This is one of the main water sources for the City of Denver. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 110919 Date Shot Photo By Friday, August 16, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 22 (MP 33.0, 164 ft) Boulder County, CO 36 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak In the middle of the upper Tunnel District, the westbound Zephyr passes in and out of Tunnel 22, one of the shorter tunnels in the district at 164 feet in length. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 110920 Date Shot Photo By Friday, August 16, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Boulder County, CO 41 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) None Although there are no trains in the shot, Gross Reservoir is a landmark that few people on the California Zephyr miss when rolling through Crescent. A massive, roughly five year project is underway right now to raise the dam by 131 feet. That increase will increase the capacity of reservoir by nearly 200%! The reservoir currently has a capacity of 13.6 billion gallons. That will increase to 38.7 billion gallons once the project is finished. As you can see, reinforcements to the front of the dam have started and is slowly climbing the dam. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 110921 Date Shot Photo By Friday, August 16, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Barbara's Gulch (MP 15.9 to MP 17.2) Arvada, CO 42 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific Working its way west through Barbara's Gulch, three elephant-style units are on the point of a UP oil empty. The number of oil trains seems to have increased on the Moffat somewhat in the last year or so. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 110922 Date Shot Photo By Friday, August 16, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Barbara's Gulch (MP 15.9 to MP 17.2) Arvada, CO 36 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific The relative high speeds of the rails on the plains are behind now for this westbound oil train, making its way through the narrowest part of Barbara's Gulch. Note the speed sign on the right side of the rails, indicate the max speed for eastbounds once the entire train has passed beyond the sign. Why the two numbers? The top number (60 MPH) is the max speed for passenger trains. The bottom number (30 MPH) is the max speed for everything else. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 110923 Date Shot Photo By Friday, August 16, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Barbara's Gulch (MP 15.9 to MP 17.2) Arvada, CO 31 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific Morning light bounces off the conductor's side of the train on the point of a westbound oil can train. The train is headed for the transload facility in Wash, UT, just east of Price, UT. The oil is taken to the facility from oil wells via truck, and then moved to trains before heading east. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 110924 Date Shot Photo By Friday, August 16, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS019 (West Rocky) Arvada, CO 33 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific Sunflowers are popping up along the right-of-way as we move closer to the end of summer. Three units, elephant-style, lead an empty oil train out the west end of Rocky on the journey west. These oil trains, while not as numerous as coal trains were two years ago, are by far the most common train on the Moffat today. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 110925 Date Shot Photo By Friday, August 16, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 36 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific I really like this shot, with the three units leading elephant-style on the most common type of train on the Moffat in 2024. Alas, the paint scheme on the three units...particularly the burnt flag on the long hood of the lead unit...are not the best UP has to offer. The train is climbing up from Rocky toward Big Ten Curve. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 110926 Date Shot Photo By Friday, August 16, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 36 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific Every car that makes up the wind break on the inside of the curve on Big Ten Curve has graffiti covering them. The cars have been repainted at least twice in their history, but that seemingly only creates a fresh template, inviting new graffiti "artists". A westbound oil empty wraps around the outside of Big Ten, led by an SD70ACe. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 110927 Date Shot Photo By Friday, August 16, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 41 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific An SD70ACe, an ES44AC, and a C44AC-CTE all lead an oil empty. Note that, directly behind the power is a single covered hopper. This is a buffer car, offering some space between the power and the tank cars that carry waxy crude oil. The train is making away around the east edge of Big Ten Curve. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.