About two miles west of Plain, the westbound Rocky Mountaineer continues to gain elevation as it passes through Tunnel 7. This is close to the west (technically north) end of the portion of the Tunnel District from which the Colorado plains are visible.
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The Rocky Mountaineer has just started its journey west through the Tunnel District as it emerges from Tunnel 3 and the head end approaches Tunnel 4. In the background on the left side of the image, you can actually see the west portal of Tunnel 2.
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The westbound Rocky Mountaineer passes through the OS at the west end of Plain and the SD70Ms on the point are about to duck in to Tunnel 2, the true start of the east end of the Tunnel District.
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UP has quite a few pieces of equipment as well as dozens of sections of "panel track" laying alongside the house track at Plain. Meanwhile, the westbound Rocky Mountaineer rolls by on the main.
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The final westbound run of the Rocky Mountaineer for the 2023 season heads west on the main at Plain. For this final run, as has been the case for the past few runs, a pair of UP SD70Ms leads the train.
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A pair of Phase 2 SD70Ms lead the Rocky Mountaineer, the premiere passenger train on the Moffat, east through Arvada. Passengers are hopefully enjoying the fall colors here at the lower elevations as the train continues east toward its destination in Denver.
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Fall colors at the higher elevations have died off, but they are just hitting their peak at the lower elevations in the Denver area. The eastbound Rocky Mountaineer, with a pair of UP SD70Ms subbing in for the Mountaineer geeps, glides east down the grade east of Leyden amidst the fall colors. 14,259-foot Longs Peak stands tall in the distance.
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A westbound oil train, which has been patiently sitting in the siding at Plain for over 90 minutes, finally gets its turn to head west! It is departing the siding on a clear (green) signal, and the two units leading the train are about to disappear in to Tunnel 2.
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After sitting in the siding at Plain to let the westbound Zephyr run around it and have two eastbound meet it (a UP coal load and a BNSF manifest), it is finally this westbound oil train's turn to head west. With only two units on the train, they are both throttled up, kicking up some exhaust, as they work to pull the train toward the west end of Plain.
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UP 5799 passes by Blue Mountain Road crossing through the S-Curves below Tunnel 1. A pair of DPUs is visible in the distance, descending from Tunnel 1. The train is only 79 cars long, so there are no mid-train DPUs. Note the new add-on to the Coal Creek fire station on the left side of the frame!
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After meeting the westbound Zephyr at Crescent, this eastbound coal load is approaching the west portal of Tunnel 1. The coal train is shorter than the typical coal train (if there is such a thing on the Moffat in 2023), at only 79 cars.
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Some of the foliage along the right-of-way is sporting a strong red in its fall colors as UP 6888 passes by. We are peaking through some trees atop Tunnel 1 for this particular perspective.
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The Denver skyline rises above a very light layer of morning fog as UP 6888 and train round their way west out of Eisele (Clay), toward the grade crossing at Blue Mountain Road.
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A pair of GEs lead a westbound empty oil train through the OS at the west end of Eisele (Clay). Some trees are definitely sporting some strong yellows here at the lower elevations, even more than halfway through October.
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Some trees are in various stages of sporting their fall colors near the west end of Eisele (Clay) as a westbound empty oil train rolls west on the main.
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