Photo ID: 113550 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, March 15, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Granby (7,325 ft) Granby, CO 104 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF A green signal at the west end of Granby lets the crew on this BNSF oil train know that they are clear to leave the siding and re-enter the single track main west of Granby. It is a very cold (roughly 12°F) morning with a lot of snow being kicked up. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113549 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, March 15, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Granby (7,325 ft) Granby, CO 110 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF At the time of this photo, there is a lot of question marks about the future of Norfolk Southern (and, technically, Union Pacific). The two railroads are attempting to merge, creating the first true transcontinental railroad. The Surface Transportation Board rejected the original filing, citing missing information. They did not reject/decline the merger, just the application. A new application is supposed to be submitted in the next few months, and the STB is expected to yield a decision sometime in 2027. Meanwhile, the two railroads continue to operate as separate entities. Here, an NS SD70ACe is putting in some power sharing miles on a BNSF oil train. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113548 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, March 15, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Granby (7,325 ft) Granby, CO 89 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF BNSF pretty consistently runs oil trains west on the Moffat with six units on the point. This way, the same six units, split up in a 3x3 configuration, can bring the train back east. 3-4 inches of fresh snow fell during a blizzard overnight. In fact, it continues to lightly fall this morning. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113547 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, March 15, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Granby (7,325 ft) Granby, CO 96 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF What a difference 24 hours makes! The previous day, there was hard any snow on the ground here in the Colorado high country. But this morning, snow is finally falling. A westbound BNSF oil train is, for some reason, being run through the siding at Granby. It is not meeting anything. DS-378 just ran it in and out of the siding. Meanwhile, a beautiful new platform sits at Granby, ready for the Zephyr. The platform is heated to make it safer, although it appears a couple of heating element panels are not currently working. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113509 Date Shot Photo By Friday, February 6, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS036 (East Cliff) Boulder County, CO 73 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF Three elephant-style units, a pair of SD70ACes and a (Heritage 2) AC4400CW bring up the tail end of this eastbound BNSF oil train, leaving the siding and headed eastward toward Denver. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113508 Date Shot Photo By Friday, February 6, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Cliff (6,900 ft) Boulder County, CO 110 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF A trio of SD70ACes, running elephant-style, lead this eastbound loaded oil train toward the east end of Cliff. The train was in the siding here for the Zephyr, but DS-378 has set up the signal at the east end, and the train is on the move. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113507 Date Shot Photo By Friday, February 6, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Cliff (6,900 ft) Boulder County, CO 101 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF After meeting the westbound California Zephyr, this eastbound BNSF coal train has its lights back on bright and is ready to start rolling east toward Denver. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113505 Date Shot Photo By Friday, February 6, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rollins to Tolland (MP 41.2 to MP 45.8) Gilpin County, CO 132 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF An eastbound loaded oil train crosses over East Portal Road just west of the west switch of Rollins. You can see the ice and snow covering South Boulder Creek. About the only snow there seems to be up here. One of the driest (and warmest) winters we've had in decades here in Colorado. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113504 Date Shot Photo By Friday, February 6, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rollins to Tolland (MP 41.2 to MP 45.8) Gilpin County, CO 163 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF A BNSF loaded BNSF oil train, which loaded in Utah at Wash, just east of Price, heads east on the main between Tolland and Rollins. With all the maintenance UP has sunk into the Moffat in that past six months, there are no track-related slow orders and trains are moving along at track speed. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113503 Date Shot Photo By Friday, February 6, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rollins (8,320 ft) Gilpin County, CO 146 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF The crew on this BNSF manifest has been stuck here at Rollins for several hours at this point. They met an eastbound coal load, then had the Winter Park Express and a UP oil empty run west around them. Now, they are waiting on an eastbound BNSF oil load. Then, it should finally be their turn to continue west to Tolland to let the westbound Zephyr run around it. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113501 Date Shot Photo By Friday, February 6, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tolland (9,356 ft) Gilpin County, CO 119 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF An eastbound BNSF oil load, with a trio of elephant-style SD70ACes, rolls slowly east in the siding at Tolland. The train just met the Winter Park Express, and is now slowing at a red signal at the east end and will meet a westbound UP oil empty here. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113484 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, January 8, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Plain (6,530 ft) Jefferson County, CO 147 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak, BNSF The westbound Zephyr has a very colorful consist this morning, with a BNSF ES44C4 on the point, and AMTK 164, the Phase 4 heritage unit, second out. The BNSF unit was added to the train in Lincoln, NE overnight due to a mechanical issue with one of the P42s. I am not sure which one or what the issue was. The train is on the main at Plain, passing by the house track on the approach to Rainbow Cut. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113483 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, January 8, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Plain (6,530 ft) Arvada, CO 142 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak, BNSF One of the two P42DCs on the westbound Zephyr developed a mechanical issue on the overnight trip across Iowa. When the train stopped in Lincoln for its scheduled station stop, the issue could not be resolved, so a BNSF ES44C4 was added to the point of the train. The snow has largely stopped falling here at Plain as the train heads west into the Rockies. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113447 Date Shot Photo By Friday, December 12, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rocky (7,330ft) Arvada, CO 167 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF A trio of ES44ACs lead BNSF's Provo-Denver this morning. The tracks at Rocky are not visible from the highway at CO-72, which you can see in the distance (a few cars on it). But the tracks are not far below the horizon as viewed from the highway. From this perspective, we can also see west to Tunnel, and Plain, and even toward Tunnel 4. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113446 Date Shot Photo By Friday, December 12, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rocky (7,330ft) Arvada, CO 167 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF About two hours earlier, BNSF's Provo-Denver came down the Moffat and took the siding at Rocky. The conductor tied some hand brakes and aligned the derail in the derail position. The derail exists so that, should the uncrewed train roll east for any reason, it will intentionally derail (away from the main track) before entering the main track. As you can see, a single switch point is creating a break in the south rail, which would result in the train derailing if it started to roll. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.

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