The westbound California Zephyr is approaching the east switch of Utaline. The siding is so-named because the west switch falls right on the line of the Colorado/Utah border.
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It is pretty impossible to get the right exposure on this shot on a clear day in the summer. The sun is on the north side of the canyon, guaranteeing trains will be in the shadows here. Regardless, we look down several hundred feet on the California Zephyr from the rim of Ruby Canyon.
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Toward the west end of Ruby Canyon, McDonald Creek meets up with the Colorado River. Here, the California Zephyr crosses over the creek as it makes its way west. We are less than two miles away from the Colorado/Utah border (on the Colorado side).
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An hour late westbound California Zephyr winds its way along the Colorado River through the bottom of Ruby Canyon.
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On this particular day, AMTK 184 (the Phase IV heritage unit) was supposed to be leading the Zephyr. Indeed, it had been leading from Chicago to Denver. However, mechanical issues caused the unit to be taken off in Denver and replaced with the "auxiliary unit" that is kept in town. So, here is plain old Amtrak heading west out of Leyden.
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Brrr! An on-time Zephyr is running on clear signals as it enters the east end of Leyden on the main. The train is passing the MNYRO, which will depart right behind the Zephyr so both may continue heading west. The snow should help to get the foliage nice and green!
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Yet another Zephyr with yet another typical consist. Why do I bother continuing to shoot identical-looking Zephyr's? Because today's typical becomes tomorrow's nostalgic! Did you know the F40PH was king of long distance Amtrak trains for about 25 years? Did you also know that the P42DC has now been around for 18 years!? What will the next chapter bring?
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A few to notice in this shot. First, Amtrak's Phase 4 heritage unit (AMTK 184) is leading the eastbound Zephyr. Second, the former "Quest" building in Denver has indeed been rebranded as "Century Link". And lastly, the new intermediate at Kipling is active and in place, showing a flashing yellow to the approaching Zephyr.
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As always, you can't go wrong with a roster shot of a Heritage Unit. Sooner or later, the unit will get painted and it'll be great to have these nostalgia shots for down the road (or rails).
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I believe AMTK 184 has visited the Moffat more than any other Amtrak Heritage Unit to date. While it isn't my favorite scheme ever, I really like the fact that the scheme of the unit matches the scheme on the Superliners.
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Running right on time, the eastbound Zephyr passes between Simms Street and 72nd Avenue in Arvada. The train has had clear signals all the way down the eastern slope of the divide.
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Empty rails? Not quite! If you look off in the distance, you can see the westbound California Zephyr moving along on the main at Clay. The bridge in the foreground runs over Indiana Street just west of Leyden.
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While not my personal favorite of Amtrak's scheme, I still prefer the Phase 4 scheme to the current Phase 5 scheme. Amtrak's Phase 4 Heritage Unit was leading the Zephyr west on the second day of Spring.
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A nice treat to start off a Thursday. Other than the Phase 5 P42 second in the consist, this Zephyr has a matching set of Phase 4 equipment! The Phase 4 Heritage unit led the train west for this trip.
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Running precisely on schedule, the westbound Zephyr approaches the grade crossing at 72nd Avenue in Arvada on its journey west. There had been a rumor the night before that one of Amtrak's Heritage units would be leading the Zephyr. Unfortunately, that rumor didn't pan out.
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