Photo ID: 113307 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, November 13, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Leyden (7,020ft) Arvada, CO 5 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF Four units leads BNSF's Provo-Denver, currently tied down on the siding here at Leyden. Leyden has been used for long term storage of cars frequently in the last two years, and this is the first time I've seen a train tied down here in years. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113308 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, November 13, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Leyden (7,020ft) Arvada, CO 6 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF In the early 2000s, it was quite common for UP to tie coal trains down in the siding at Leyden (amongst other sidings). To help simplify the process, UP installed hand-throw derails on certain sidings. The east end of Leyden is one such siding. As you can see here, the derail is aligned in the derail position as the Provo-Denver is currently tied down and waiting for a crew. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113309 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, November 13, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Leyden (7,020ft) Arvada, CO 6 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Montana Rail Link, BNSF If you follow the website, then you likely now that MRL SD70ACe have become a fairly common sight on the Moffat in the aftermath of BNSF's acquisition of MRL at the start of 2025. This morning, it is MRL 4303, third out from the head end. Unfortunately, MRL did not have PTC, meaning their SD70ACes are not PTC equipped. As a result, it is unlikely that an MRL unit will ever lead on the Moffat. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113310 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, November 13, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Barbara's Gulch (MP 15.9 to MP 17.2) Arvada, CO 6 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific UP is in the midst of a major maintenance project on the Moffat. This particular piece of equipment is called a Tie Extractor/Inserter (TE/IE). A clamp on the side of the machine grabs onto a tie on the outside of the rail and pulls the tie out from under the rails. As you can see, not every tie along the rails is being replaced. The new ties are laying at (roughly) 45° angles to the rails. The old ties are perpendicular and will be picked up by the next piece of equipment. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113311 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, November 13, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Barbara's Gulch (MP 15.9 to MP 17.2) Arvada, CO 5 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific This piece of maintenance equipment is picking up old ties that have been removed by the tie extractor, running ahead of this machine. Work trains dropped off new ties along the right-of-way a few weeks ago. However, if a few extra ties are replaced, this crane has some new ties in tow that it can lay on the ground if they are needed. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113312 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, November 13, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Barbara's Gulch (MP 15.9 to MP 17.2) Arvada, CO 5 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific An overhead view of the tie extractor as it works to pull out old ties, marked with green paint, from beneath the rails. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113313 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, November 13, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Barbara's Gulch (MP 15.9 to MP 17.2) Arvada, CO 5 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific A Union Pacific tie extractor is pulling designed old ties out from underneath the rails, leaving them along the right of way. A hundred feet or so behind the extractor, a crane is working to clean up the old ties. It is picking them up three or so at a time and putting them in piles along the right-of-way to be picked up by a work train in the future. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113314 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, November 13, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Barbara's Gulch (MP 15.9 to MP 17.2) Arvada, CO 5 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific Here in Barbara's Gulch east of Rocky, a UP tie extractor has shifted and, instead of pulling ties out on the south side of the tracks, it is now pulling them out on the north side of the tracks. Maintenance workers are walking the rails and make sure old tie plates have been moved out of the way ahead of a crane that is piling up old ties. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113315 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, November 13, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Leyden to Rocky (MP 13.4 to MP 17.4) Arvada, CO 5 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific This is what a major maintenance project on a Class 1 railroad looks like! A long line of machines, each with its own specific purpose, stretch west on the tracks west of Leyden. At the front of the line (closest to the camera) is a crane that is piling up old ties. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113316 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, November 13, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Leyden to Rocky (MP 13.4 to MP 17.4) Arvada, CO 5 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific In this overhead shot of the mainline west of Leyden at MP 14.5, you can clearly see the tie gang and the work they are doing. All of the ties you see that are perpendicular to the rails are new ties that are waiting to be installed beneath the rails. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113317 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, November 13, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Leyden to Rocky (MP 13.4 to MP 17.4) Arvada, CO 5 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific A string of maintenance equipment works to replace the ties along the right-of-way west of Leyden. UP has laid new ballast and is now replacing thousands of ties on the Moffat over the course of the next few months. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113318 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, November 13, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Leyden to Rocky (MP 13.4 to MP 17.4) Arvada, CO 5 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific This Tie Extractor/Inserter (TE/IE) is currently working as an inserter. A crane has placed new ties along the right-of-way and the inserter is sliding the ties underneath the rails. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113319 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, November 13, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Leyden to Rocky (MP 13.4 to MP 17.4) Arvada, CO 5 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific This tie plate inserter is setting out new tie plates on top of the new ties that have been installed just minutes earlier. Once the tie plates are in place, a spiker will come next and spike down the plates/ties. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113320 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, November 13, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Leyden to Rocky (MP 13.4 to MP 17.4) Arvada, CO 5 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific This machine is a small tamper that is making sure that the new ties are positioned properly under the rails before they are spiked down. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113321 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, November 13, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Leyden to Rocky (MP 13.4 to MP 17.4) Arvada, CO 5 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific Here, we see a Union Pacific track tamper. It moves from tie-to-tie...every tie, regardless if it is new or not...grabs the tie and shakes it to ensure the ballast falls properly under and around the ties. The long pole/extension in front of the tamper ensure that the rails are aligned and in gauge. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.

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