Photo ID: 113732 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, April 22, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Eisele (Clay) (5,780 ft) Arvada, CO 58 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific I caught wind that the MGJNY was likely going to be transporting some units from Grand Junction to Denver overnight. It was a toss up if it would make it to Denver before sunrise. Turns out, it arrived at Plain about 30 minutes after sunrise. A short time later, the train was here at Eisele (Clay). Alas, it was a very overcast morning, so no direct sunlight. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113731 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, April 22, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 1 (MP 23.4, 366 ft) Arvada, CO 75 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific The lead unit on this mornings MGJNY is looking a bit shoddy. A number board is missing and a bit of graffiti is on the long hood and fuel tank. An SD40-2 and GP40-2 are immediately behind the lead unit as the train approaches the west portal of Tunnel 1. The classic EMD units are likely headed for inspections in North Platte, NE. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113730 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, April 22, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 1 (MP 23.4, 366 ft) Arvada, CO 85 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific Nine units lead Union Pacific MGJNY through the S-Curve west of Tunnel 1 on its way east toward North Yard. Beyond the nine units, most of which are just being transported, are 74 cars, and a single DPU on the tail end. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113729 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, April 22, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Plain (6,530 ft) Arvada, CO 60 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific About 30 minutes after sunrise, UP's MGJNY rolls east on the mainline at Plain. Nine units are on the head end of the 74-car train, though most of the units are simply being transported from Grand Junction. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113728 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, April 21, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Bypass 2 Denver, CO 63 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Belt Industrial Lead (UP) Union Pacific A North Yard switch job pulled out of North Yard and ran west to the Pecos Crossover. It then crossed over from Main 3 to Bypass 2 and started a reverse move. The switch job is now backing down Bypass 2, headed for the Belt Industrial Lead. There are numerous industries on the Belt Line that the yard job will switch out. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113727 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, April 21, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed North Yard Denver, CO 74 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Yard Shots Union Pacific Nearly a week ago, on April 15, 2026 (Tax Day), Union Pacific eliminated the role of Yardmaster here at North Yard. The five Yardmasters on the payroll were offered transfers to other locations to enter train service (conductors, engineers, etc). There is now some sort of Yard Manager, different from an actual Yardmaster, in control of the yard. Reports from folks I know that work for Union Pacific are indicating that North Yard is a complete mess at the moment. Indeed, the yard does look must fuller than it has in quite awhile. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113726 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, April 21, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed North Yard Denver, CO 66 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Yard Shots Union Pacific Three units have been set out on Yard Track 1 from a ballast train that is currently on Bypass 1. Among the light power is UP 1996, the Espee Heritage Unit. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113725 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, April 21, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed North Yard Denver, CO 62 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Yard Shots Union Pacific UP 1996 and two other units sit on Yard Track 1 in North Yard. The signal in the frame is for the mainline, out of frame to the right. This is CP DS002 (North Yard), which allows entrance into the north end of North Yard from the main. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113724 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, April 21, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed North Yard Denver, CO 77 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Yard Shots Union Pacific Much to my surprise, UP 1996 has been hanging around Denver for over a week. The train has made a round trip between Denver and Cheyenne. The day before, UP 1996 was assigned to a work train that ran on the Moffat and laid ballast around Big Ten Curve. The ballast train returned to Denver, and UP 1996 (and two other units) were removed from the train, left here on Yard Track 1. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113723 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, April 19, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Blue Mountain Drive (MP 22.43) Arvada, CO 86 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Rocky Mountaineer The last shot of the day for me came here at Blue Mountain Drive as the Canyon Spirit passes by, headed east toward Denver. This is the sixth season the train has been running over the Moffat now, and, based on their website, it looks like 2026 should be a pretty good season once again. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113722 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, April 19, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Detector (MP 22.6) Arvada, CO 64 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Rocky Mountaineer The eastbound Canyon Spirit is just passing by the hotbox detector (HBD) at milepost 22.6. The detector will provide an audible readout of information, including the number of recorded axles, train speed, and outdoor temperature. It would reveal that the train is slowly meandering along at 12 MPH. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113721 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, April 19, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Coal Creek (MP 23) Arvada, CO 68 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Rocky Mountaineer The Canyon Spirit crosses over CO-72 at the base of Coal Creek Canyon. You can see the east portal of Tunnel 1 in the top-right section of the shot. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113720 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, April 19, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Eisele to Plain (MP 21.8 to MP 24.0) Arvada, CO 68 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Rocky Mountaineer One things that is not always immediately obvious when seeing shots of the nose of the GP40-3s on the Canyon spirit is that the shield/logo on the nose is not actually on the nose! It is a physical shield mounted ahead of the hand rails, above the anti-climber. You can clearly see it in this shot. The nose itself is just blue. Here, the Canyon Spirit is just east of Tunnel 1, descended toward the base of Coal Creek Canyon. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113719 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, April 19, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Eisele to Plain (MP 21.8 to MP 24.0) Arvada, CO 54 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Rocky Mountaineer Not sure if it was due to Union Pacific slow order, mechanical issues, or just a choice to provide passengers longer views, but the Canyon Spirit was rolling along at 12 MPH here just east of Tunnel 1. One of the great things about the Canyon Spirit is that passengers are allowed to actually open vestibule doors and look out. A practice that Amtrak banned years ago. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113718 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, April 19, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Eisele to Plain (MP 21.8 to MP 24.0) Jefferson County, CO 46 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Rocky Mountaineer The Canyon Spirit rolls by the new Canyon Pines neighborhood, annexed by the City of Arvada about a decade ago. While roads are all complete for the neighborhood, no construction on any houses has actually started yet. The Canyon Spirit is coming up to the west portal of Tunnel 1. Eventually, a few houses will be located atop of Tunnel 1 (though north of the actual rails). Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.

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