The newest P42DC to be repainted in Amtrak's newest (Phase 7) paint scheme leads the westbound Zephyr on a beautiful Memorial Day morning, climbing up the north side of Big Ten Curve.
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The hoppers on the inside of Big Ten Curve, that serve as a wind break, have definitely become the victim of graffiti in recent years. Passengers on the westbound Zephyr will be able to look out to the hoppers on the right side, or over to the great plains out the left side. You can see the west end of Eisele (Clay), as well as Tunnel 1, in the distance.
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Partly cloudy skies have shadows floating across the landscape as the westbound Zephyr climbs up toward Big Ten Curve. It has been a bit of a chilly spring, but things are warming up. It is a very pleasant 55°F this mid-May morning.
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AMTK 180 throttles up and kicks up some exhaust as the train makes its way up the 2% grade on the north edge of Big Ten Curve.
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The westbound Zephyr is climbing it way west out of Rocky. The trees have brand new leaves and the area has really greened up here at the midway point in May.
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The westbound Zephyr is right on time as it heads west on the main at Rocky. BNSF's Provo-Denver is in the siding and the crew just finished tying down the train. Handbrakes have been set on 25 cars, and the crew is now waiting for a crew van to pick them up. Not the Rocky Spur, climbing up an 8% grade, to the left.
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Despite the partly cloudy skies to the west, the sky to the east is overcast and covering the sun as the westbound Zephyr hustles on the main at Eisele (Clay), AMTK 82 and AMTK 60 on the point.
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May and June are my two favorite months of the year! The weather warms up, leaves return to the trees, and in the Denver area, things generally really green up. This year has been no exception, as the landscape around Big Ten is really green. The westbound Zephyr is turning to head geographically north as it prepares to knock down a clear (green) signal at east Eisele (Clay).
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The morning cloud cover helps to get some different perspectives in the area around Big Ten. Case-in-point is this view from the north side of the tracks as the morning Zephyr climbs the north edge of Big Ten Curve.
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The westbound Zephyr approaches a green signal on the main at the west end of Rocky. The BNSF train in the background is actually an eastbound that is tied down in the siding. Once a relief crew gets on board in a few hours, the train will continue east (away from the camera) to Denver and beyond.
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The westbound Zephyr, with Phase 7 AMTK 82 on the point, knocks down a clear (green) signal at the east end of Rocky. The Zephyr is meeting an eastbound BNSF oil train, which is actually tied down at the moment, waiting for a relief crew that will not come for another five hours.
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Just minutes after the previous picture was taken, the westbound Zephyr has knocked down a clear (green) signal at the east end of Eisele (Clay) as it continues its journey west on an overcast morning along the Front Range.
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The Friday westbound Zephyr, with a typical consists of seven Superliners (led by a pair of P42DCs), climbs up a relatively green Big Ten Curve. Note the tracks at Eisele (Clay) above in the distance, where this train will be (in the next picture).
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The eastbound Zephyr makes a somewhat sharp right turn into the siding at Tabernash. The main and the siding are on very different alignments. This was originally done as steam engines were once based in Tabernash as a means of helping heaving eastbound up the grade to the Moffat Tunnel. Here, Amtrak skirts the mountain and some standing water at the west switch.
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The number on AMTK 59 (the second unit) has definitely faded a bit and is getting a little bit difficult to read...from a distance, anyway. Interestingly, the conductor's door on the unit must not have been latched tight as it appears to have swung open. The units lead the morning Zephyr through Eisele (Clay), which is starting to green up here in spring.
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