Photo ID: 109975 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 31, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Coal Creek (MP 23) Arvada, CO 382 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific A trio of GEs leads an eastbound unit oil train across the bridge at the base of Coal Creek Canyon. Interestingly, the lead unit is the same one that led an eastbound oil train 11 days earlier when I was chasing on the west slope of the divide. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109974 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 31, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 1 (MP 23.4, 366 ft) Arvada, CO 447 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific An eastbound loaded oil train is out of Plain and is approaching the west portal of Tunnel 1. Way off in the distance (in the top-right corner of the picture), you can actually see the city of Boulder. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109973 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 31, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rocky (7,330ft) Arvada, CO 331 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific A westbound UP oil train empty is slowly rolling west in the siding at Rocky. The train will come to a stop at the west end of the siding to wait for an eastbound loaded oil train which, currently at Crescent. On a side note, this would be the final picture in direct sunlight taken in 2023! Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109961 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 31, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 1 (MP 23.4, 366 ft) Arvada, CO 380 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak Final shot of the Zephyr in the year 2023 for ColoradoRailfan. The morning Zephyr is right on time as it climbs the grade up toward the east portal of Tunnel 1. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109960 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 31, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Blue Mountain Drive (MP 22.43) Arvada, CO 350 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak Sunlight has not quite hit the grade crossing at Blue Mountain Drive, but it is lighting up the landscape just west (geographically north) as the westbound Zephyr passes through the scene, right on time. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109959 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, December 31, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS022 (West Eiesle (Clay)) Arvada, CO 346 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The final westbound Zephyr out of Denver in 2023 has navigated through the S-curve at Eisele (Clay) and it is headed out the west end. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109958 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, December 20, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Fraser to Tabernash (MP 63 to MP 65) Grand County, CO 407 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific The final shot of the day for me, five days before Christmas, comes during the start of the blue hour. In a chilly scene, a UP oil train is on the rolls between Tabernash and Fraser. Evening traffic is building on US-40 alongside the rails and the train looks at a clear (green) signal at the east switch of Fraser in the distance. The ski slopes of the Winter Park ski resort loom large in the distance, the Continental Divide standing behind the resort. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109957 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, December 20, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Fraser to Tabernash (MP 63 to MP 65) Grand County, CO 376 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific As the sun has set behind the mountains, we have reached blue hour as an eastbound UP oil train parallels US-40 as it digs in to the 2% grade and climb up toward the Moffat Tunnel. Note the ski slopes at the Winter Park ski resort off in the distance. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109956 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, December 20, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS065 (East Tabernash) Tabernash, CO 438 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific At the east switch of Tabernash, an eastbound oil train passes underneath US-40 and starts the steepest part of the climb up to the Moffat Tunnel. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109955 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, December 20, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Granby (7,325 ft) Granby, CO 314 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific If you look a bit in the background of this oil train, you'll notice a bend in the tracks to the left. Indeed, you might notice that the main track where the back half of this train is looks to align perfectly with the siding on the far side of the bend. You'd be correct as, until sometime around 1990, there were actually two sidings at Granby. An east siding and a west siding. Each was about 4,700 feet long. The two siding were ultimately combined to make a single 7,325 foot long siding (and main) that exist today. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109954 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, December 20, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Granby (7,325 ft) Granby, CO 520 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific This eastbound oil train is passing by the currently idle station at Granby on the main track. Indeed, the station will not be used again until a very late Amtrak #6 shows up about eight hours after this shot was taken. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109953 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, December 20, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Granby (7,325 ft) Granby, CO 426 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific As the sun is dipping lower and lower in the western sky, this eastbound oil train is on the roll, climbing the grade on the mainline at Granby. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109952 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, December 20, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Granby (7,325 ft) Granby, CO 310 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak As far as train station go in 2023, the Granby Station is by far one of better looking, more well kept stations that you will find in the United States, particularly in small towns. Even though there are only two Amtrak stops per day, both of which are generally less than three minutes, the station looks fantastic! Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109951 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, December 20, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS076 (West Granby) Granby, CO 493 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific This eastbound oil train is facing a clear (green) signal at West Granby. However, the train is currently stopped. The reason? There is a gas station located right next to the rails here and the conductor has made a quick trip over to the store to buy some supplies for himself and the engineer on their trip east to Denver. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 109950 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, December 20, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Byers Canyon Grand County, CO 437 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific The rails in this part of Byers Canyon are just barely lit by the sun in the far western sky. A single ES44AC brings up the tail end of this eastbound oil train, slowly snaking its way along the Colorado River. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.

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