The West Local is returning from Rocky (and the Rocky Flats Industrial Lead) back to North Yard. It is currently in the heart of western Arvada. The flatirons of the front range of the Rockies rise in the background. Further back to the right, Longs Peak is snow-covered.
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An eastbound coal empty rolls east out of Rocky on a clear (green) signal, ready to dive in to Barbara's Gulch. A nice pair of matched SD70ACes lead the train.
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Two units are in charge of this eastbound coal empty at Rocky. And yes, it is indeed a coal empty heading east! The 100 coal cars had been stored somewhere on the ex-DRGW.
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A pair of SD70ACes leads an empty coal train east through Little Ten Curve at Rocky. The train met the Zephyr at Crescent and a westbound coal empty at Plain. It now has clear (green) signals the rest of the way in to Denver.
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100 empty coal cars led by a pair of SD70ACes roll east at Blue Mountain crossing. These coal cars had been stored in some siding on the ex-DRGW (or possibly in Grand Junction) and are now being take east.
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A pair of SD70ACes leads an eastbound coal train out of Tunnel 1. However, you might notice something a little bit different about this train. It is an empty! The first UP coal empty I think I've ever seen run eastbound on the Moffat. The cars were pulled out of storage somewhere west on the Rio Grande.
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Not a lot to be said about this shot. Headlights from an eastbound train light up as the train approaches the east portal.
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On a beautiful morning at the end of November, a westbound UP coal empty headed for the West Elk mine on the North Fork branch is climbing up to Tunnel 1. The three units on the head end are all there is on the 98-car train.
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Just beyond the base of Coal Creek Canyon, a westbound UP coal empty is climbing the roughly 2% grade up to Tunnel 1. One of the alignments considered by David Moffat for the line was up Coal Creek Canyon, but that was (obviously) not the ultimate alignment chosen.
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Coal traffic has picked up slightly on the Moffat in the past few months. Not to say coal traffic is anything like it was 15 years ago, but there has been 1-2 trains a week lately. A year ago, there was maybe one a month.
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A former Espee AC4400CW is DPU'd on the tail end of a westbound work train headed to Plain. UP 6304 here (former SP 252) will be the leader when the train returns east.
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This interesting looking UP manifest has a single AC4400CW on the point (and one more as a DPU on the tail end). The train is only 36 cars, most of which are empty, low-side gondolas.
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After meeting BNSF's Provo-Denver, whose DPUs are still visible in the distance, this westbound UP manifest is climbing out of Rocky and up and around Big Ten Curve.
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A short UP manifest (only 36 cars) sits on the main at Rocky. The interestingly configured 1x1 train is going to meet an eastbound BNSF Provo-Denver here at Rocky. The train is actually a work train, headed for Plain. UP has been doing a lot of work in the Tunnel District and the gondolas on this train will be used to haul various scrap away.
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The eastbound signal at the west end of Rocky is showing a Diverging Approach (red over yellow) signal. An eastbound BNSF Provo-Denver is approaching Plain and will meet a UP manifest here at Rocky.
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