Photo ID: 111626 Date Shot Photo By Friday, January 3, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rollins (8,320 ft) Gilpin County, CO 155 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF The engineer on BNSF 9037 is bringing the train to a full stop in the siding at Rollins. He has to stop the train a bit east of the ideal spot for a crew change. This is because of the length of the train. They had to come a bit further east in order to clear the west switch of Rollins and keep the main clear. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111627 Date Shot Photo By Friday, January 3, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rollins (8,320 ft) Gilpin County, CO 128 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF BNSF 8396, an ES44C4, brings up the tail end of BNSF's Provo-Denver manifest. The train is currently sitting in the siding at Rollins. The crew will shortly reach their hours of service, and they are waiting for a relief crew that is presently on the way out of Denver. The train is close to 6,000 feet in length. Perhaps some holiday backlog traffic is on the train. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111628 Date Shot Photo By Friday, January 3, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Cliff (6,900 ft) Gilpin County, CO 152 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF After a stop in the siding at Rollins that lasted around 90 minutes, a relief crew for this Provo-Denver finally showed up. The crews swapped, and UP's DS-380 gave them a light to continue east. Indeed, there is nothing coming west out of Denver, and the train will have a clear shot to town. Here, the train is on the main track at Cliff. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111629 Date Shot Photo By Friday, January 3, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Cliff (6,900 ft) Gilpin County, CO 140 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF The western 40% or so of Cliff hugs the north side of a mountain. Throughout winter, this part of the tracks never see any directly sunlight. As a result, it is pretty common for the rails to be buried in snow for months at time. Indeed, it is quite possible the tracks will be in snow until the spring melt. Meanwhile, an eastbound BNSF manifest rolls through the darkened scene. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111630 Date Shot Photo By Friday, January 3, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Cliff (6,900 ft) Gilpin County, CO 189 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF It can sometimes be a bit of a challenge, capturing trains on the Moffat in direct sunlight in the height of winter. The low sun in the sky mixed with high mountain peaks keeps a lot of the line in shadows for much of the day. Here, the lead SD70ACe comes into directly sunlight on the main at Cliff as it crosses over South Boulder Creek. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111631 Date Shot Photo By Friday, January 3, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Cliff (6,900 ft) Glipin County, CO 167 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF Crossing over South Boulder Creek, two DPUs bring up the tail end of the Provo-Denver at Cliff. A pair of units DPU'd on the back of a manifest is pretty standard for BNSF manifests running on the Moffat. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111632 Date Shot Photo By Friday, January 3, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Eisele to Plain (MP 21.8 to MP 24.0) Arvada, CO 163 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF East of Plain, this BNSF manifest snakes through the S-Curves leading it to the west portal of Tunnel 1. From this vantage point above Tunnel 1, we can look back in the distance and see most of the City of Boulder. BNSF's Front Range Subdivision runs through middle. You can also find the University of Colorado (Boulder) there! Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111633 Date Shot Photo By Friday, January 3, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Eisele to Plain (MP 21.8 to MP 24.0) Arvada, CO 134 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF Six units lead BNSF's Provo-Denver manifest out of Tunnel 1 and down the hill toward the base of Coal Creek Canyon. The conductor has his window open on BNSF 9037 as it is actually unseasonably warm here. Temperatures are right around 50°F (10°C) this afternoon! Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111634 Date Shot Photo By Friday, January 3, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Blue Mountain Drive (MP 22.43) Arvada, CO 152 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF BNSF 9037 is blowing its horn as it approaches the grade crossing at Blue Mountain Drive, rolling along at track speed. In the distance, you can clearly see the back half of the train, still descending from Tunnel 1 on the other side of CO-72. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111635 Date Shot Photo By Friday, January 3, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Blue Mountain Drive (MP 22.43) Arvada, CO 149 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF Just before 2pm, BNSF's Provo-Denver is making its way through the multiple curves between Tunnel 1 and the west end of Eisele (Clay). Although there are six units on the head end, only three of them are actually online. The trailing three are all catching a ride on the train this afternoon. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111636 Date Shot Photo By Friday, January 3, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rocky (7,330ft) Arvada, CO 180 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF This is a classic shot from the Moffat, but one that I never really get tired of! This eastbound BNSF manifest is on clear (green) signals on the main at Rocky. The DPUs at the end of the train are headed geographically north, but will soon wrap through Little Ten Curve, following the rest of the train eastbound. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111637 Date Shot Photo By Friday, January 3, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS019 (West Rocky) Arvada, CO 184 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF With only (roughly) 17 miles to go until reaching the yard, this eastbound BNSF manifest leaves Rocky behind and starts into the narrow west end of Barbara's Gulch. Not far ahead, the top speed for freight trains will increase, and the train should make good time from here on in to Denver. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111638 Date Shot Photo By Friday, January 3, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS019 (West Rocky) Arvada, CO 172 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF A final closing shot for the day as a pair of BNSF's DPUs bring up the tail end of the Provo-Denver. You can see the control point name, "DS016 Rocky" clearly on the signal control box here at the east end of Rocky. The train is disappearing around the bend into Barbara's Gulch. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.

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