Photo ID: 112446 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, May 14, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 237 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Norfolk Southern, BNSF Lately, there have been quite a few Norfolk Southern units showing up on the Moffat, leased from NS for BNSF. Not sure why that is the case, but here is a (rebuilt) AC44C6M in the middle of two BNSF units, leading an oil train eastbound. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112445 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, May 14, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 146 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF An eastbound BNSF oil train has two BNSF units with a Norfolk Southern cut in between the two of them. The train is slowing for a 10 MPH slow order through a work zone just ahead on the other side of Big Ten Curve. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112432 Date Shot Photo By Monday, May 12, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Arvada to Leyden (MP 7.5 to MP 11.9) Arvada, CO 165 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF A long string of tank cars loaded with waxy oil rolls east through the heart of Arvada, led by an SD70ACe. BNSF and UP both run oil trains on the Moffat that load at the Wash transload facility near Wellington, UT. UP seems to run a few more trains than BNSF, but catching either is not uncommon. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112431 Date Shot Photo By Monday, May 12, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Arvada to Leyden (MP 7.5 to MP 11.9) Arvada, CO 165 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF In the cut between Carr Street and 66th Avenue in Arvada, an eastbound BNSF oil train heads east with three units on the point. DS-380 was concerned the train may not be able to make Denver before the crew went dead (ran out of hours), but the crew assured DS-380 that they'd be able to make it. Indeed, the train was running close to track speed...about 40 MPH...as it headed east here. They did indeed make Denver. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112427 Date Shot Photo By Monday, May 12, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rocky (7,330ft) Arvada, CO 248 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific, BNSF Here is the problem car! This is the tank car that derailed on the BNSF Provo-Denver last Friday morning. The truck on the right side popped off the rail and was dragged along for several hundred feet before the train came to a stop. Fortunately, no other cars derailed, and no cars fell over! A new wheel set has been placed under the car, but it still remains in the house track at Rocky until BNSF can come and take it back to Denver. The flat car to the left was not involved in the derailment. It was set up from a different train several days earlier. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112415 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, May 4, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Thompson Curve (MP 526.5) Grand County, UT 282 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Green River (UP) BNSF A pair of ES44ACs bring up the tail end of the westbound Denver-Provo on the long wrap around Thompson Curve. This manifest will end up having to sit east of Solitude for a couple of hours while waiting for UP MOW to work through a maintenance window. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112414 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, May 4, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Thompson Curve (MP 526.5) Grand County, UT 292 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Green River (UP) BNSF While I think the Utah desert brings some incredible beauty with it, few spots are quite as delightful as the area known as Thompson Curve. This curve is near the top of Thompson Hill, and just east of the siding of Thompson. A westbound BNSF Denver-Provo is winding its way through the curves on a fantastic, partly cloudy Sunday morning. MRL 4306 is second in the consist, helping on the journey west. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112413 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, May 4, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Elba to Sagers (MP 516.2 to MP 519.9) Grand County, UT 254 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Green River (UP) BNSF After meeting the Provo-Denver and the eastbound California Zephyr, it is finally the Denver-Provo's turn to head west across the desert. The train is departing the siding of Elba and taking on the climb up Thompson Hill, a trio of EMDs in charge on the head end. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112410 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, May 4, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Elba (5,490 ft) Grand County, UT 212 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Green River (UP) BNSF Although BNSF has nearly 800 SD70MACs on the roster, it seems that large swaths of them are in storage these days. It actually feels a little rare to catch one out on the mainline. If you look closely, you might also notice that BNSF 9725 is now designated as an SD70MACe. BNSF partnered with Progress Rail to update 24 SD70MACs. The upgrades included replacing the original Siemens electronics with modern Mitsubishi electronics, installing new traction motors, and upgrading the cab to an isolated cab for crew comfort. The units also received the New Image paint scheme, if they were not already sporting it. Most SD70MACs still wear the Heritage 2 scheme. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112409 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, May 4, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Elba (5,490 ft) Grand County, UT 229 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Green River (UP) BNSF If you are a railfan, you are likely aware of the fact that it is not uncommon to find Montana Rail Link (MRL) SD70ACes on BNSF trains. BNSF purchased and took over control of MRL at the start of 2024. When that happened, BNSF also took over ownership of all MRL power, and the SD70ACes in particular have been scattered throughout the BNSF system. Here, MRL 4306 sits as the second unit on the Denver-Provo in the siding of Elba. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112408 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, May 4, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Elba (5,490 ft) Grand County, UT 230 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Green River (UP) BNSF BNSF's Denver-Provo, with an MRL SD70ACe second out, sits in the siding at Elba. The train met its counterpart here a few minutes ago, but is going to continue waiting for the eastbound Zephyr, which has already departed Green River. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112404 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, May 4, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Floy to Solitude (MP 540.9 to MP 546.2) Grand County, UT 130 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Green River (UP) BNSF UP has been working to replace all the block signals out in the desert. However, due to the low levels of traffic...particularly the low levels of UP traffic...the replacement has been going very slowly. That actually allows for shots like this to still be possible! Not only is the original Rio Grande intermediate signal still being used here, but it still has its lunar indication! Rio Grande used this on uphill climbs, providing for a restricting signal that would allow trains climbing a grade to proceed by the intermediate without stopping. A BNSF Provo-Denver has just passed by, activating the restricting aspect. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112403 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, May 4, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Floy to Solitude (MP 540.9 to MP 546.2) Grand County, UT 235 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Green River (UP) BNSF Six units lead BNSF's Provo-Denver through the middle of the Utah desert on the Green River Subdivision. It is shots like this why the Utah desert has become my favorite place for rail photography. There is always a risk when shooting out there that no trains will run all day. That absolutely can happen. But even when you are lucky enough to catch one train, you can do some pretty fantastic things with it! Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112402 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, May 4, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Floy to Solitude (MP 540.9 to MP 546.2) Grand County, UT 280 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Green River (UP) BNSF There are some truly magnificent views amongst the dirt mounds in the Utah desert between the sidings of Floy and Solitude. BNSF's Provo-Denver is making its way through S-Curves in the area, as those impressive dirt mounds build up from the ground The Book Cliffs and Green River are visible off in the distance. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112401 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, May 4, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Sphinx to Desert (MP 562.1 to MP 567.0) Emery County, UT 562 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Green River (UP) BNSF You can clearly see the ups and down of building a railroad across the desert (or really any terrain) in this shot. The tracks move up and down over small hills in the distance as BNSF's Provo-Denver makes track speed on its journey east. Here, the train is between Desert and Sphinx. Six units on the head end, and two DPUs bringing up the rear. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.

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