Photo ID: 113561 Date Shot Photo By Monday, March 16, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rocky (7,330ft) Arvada, CO 41 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The day is coming when Amtrak's Phase 5 units will pass into history and essentially all locomotives will sport the Phase 7 scheme. For now, the Phase 7 scheme is still something of a novelty, and it was nice catching AMTK 79 wearing the new paint on the point of the Zephyr this morning. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113560 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, March 15, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Winter Park to Fraser (MP 58 to MP 62) Grand County, CO 41 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak By now, you are likely familiar with Amtrak's Phase 7 paint scheme. This is the scheme that was introduced in 2022 and is the new "go forward" scheme for Amtrak, replacing the Phase 5 scheme that has been the primary scheme since 2000. Superliners never really received a Phase 5 scheme per se. They received the new Amtrak logo, but kept the Phase 4b paint scheme with two thin red lines and a thicker blue line. However, Amtrak has started painting a few Superliners in what will be considered a Phase 7 scheme for the passenger cars. The scheme is very similar to the Phase 4b scheme. The thick blue line has been made ever thicker, and the thin red lines in the middle of the car have been removed. There is a section of the line that is the new darker blue, and a few white separation stripes. The Amtrak name and logo is now directly above the door. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113559 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, March 15, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Winter Park to Fraser (MP 58 to MP 62) Grand County, CO 32 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The westbound California Zephyr is running a little over two hours late as it approach its stop at Fraser. Weather in Nebraska delayed the train by a couple hours overnight, and it is now trying to make up the time here in the snowy high country. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113555 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, March 15, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Fraser (4,830 ft) Winter Park, CO 48 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The Winter Park Express rolls west on the siding at Fraser, crossing Eisenhower Drive, one of the main roads in town. In truth, this is actually only the power for the Winter Park Express, which is running around the train and will attach to the train further west in the siding. The old Fraser Mercantile Company still stands and operates here in Fraser. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113554 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, March 15, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Fraser (4,830 ft) Winter Park, CO 31 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The Superliners for the Winter Park Express have been tied down on the siding at Fraser, and the power is running back east on the main so it can tie on to the train for the return trip to Denver. The Superliners have a basic battery backup, which can last 1-2 hours, although it cannot power everything on the car. Basic lighting is about all it provides. It is enough, as you can see, to power the red end markers on the coach that trailed for the trip west, but will be behind the power for the trip east. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113553 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, March 15, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Winter Park to Fraser (MP 58 to MP 62) Winter Park, CO 28 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak AMTK 170 and AMTK 150 have had the responsibility of running the Winter Park Express for the last several weeks. More often than note, one or both P42DCs on the Winter Park Express will be changed out at least once or twice over the course of the ski season. This is usually due to required maintenance. Here, the pair bring the Winter Park Express along Kings Crossing Road on the west side of Winter Park. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113552 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, March 15, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Winter Park to Fraser (MP 58 to MP 62) Winter Park, CO 24 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak You might be wondering why there are some concrete barriers across the road here at the Kings Crossing grade crossing in Winter Park. This is because the grade crossing is technically closed, as has been for about two years. A new underpass was built just west of the crossing, eliminating the need for the crossing. However, for some reason, the crossing itself not only still exists, but it is still power and responds when trains roll through. In this case, the westbound Winter Park Express, headed for Fraser. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113546 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, March 14, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Moffat Tunnel (West Portal) Grand County, CO 53 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak, Union Pacific A seen that has change a lot over the years, and yet, at the same time, is timeless. For nearly a century, trains have passed through the scene, running through the 6.2 mile long Moffat Tunnel under the Continental Divide. The eastbound Zephyr, with a borrowed UP C44ACM, pass by the platform at the Winter Park Ski Resort, ready for 10-12 minutes of darkness ahead. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113545 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, March 14, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tabernash (9,830 ft) Grand County, CO 50 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak, Union Pacific The siding at Tabernash is pretty unique as the main and siding follow very different grades. There are even some privately-owned homes on land between the main and the siding! During the height of the coal era, about 20 years ago, it was quite common to find an eastbound coal load tied down on the main at Tabernash, with other traffic running through the siding. This is because there is a grade crossing on the siding at Tabernash. A coal train tied down would block access to those homes between the two tracks. But now, it is wide open sailing on the main for the eastbound Zephyr. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113544 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, March 14, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Granby (7,325 ft) Granby, CO 55 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak, Union Pacific The station stop at Granby is usually a very brief stop for the Zephyr. And today is no different. Conductors work to very quickly get two passengers on the train. From the time the train came to a stop to the time the train was highballing and starting to pull was around 60 seconds! Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113543 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, March 14, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Granby (7,325 ft) Granby, CO 34 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak, Union Pacific UP 5833, which replaced a P42DC on the eastbound Zephyr in Salt Lake City, has a ditch light out as the Zephyr moves along the recently-completed extended, heated, platform here at the Granby depot. Two passengers stand on the depot, waiting to board the train to head east. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113542 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, March 14, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 39 (MP 113.5, 294 ft) Grand County, CO 21 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak, Union Pacific The eastbound Zephyr emerges from Tunnel 39, which essentially marks the east end of Little Gore Canyon. The county road that runs (relatively) parallel to the tracks through here is located on top of the vertical rock wall in the background. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113541 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, March 14, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Little Gore Canyon Grand County, CO 53 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak, Union Pacific The eastbound Zephyr, led by a substitute UP C44ACM and a standard Amtrak P42DC, rolls east along the impressive near-vertical walls of Little Gore Canyon. The train is between Tunnels 40 and 39. As you can see, the level of the Colorado River is a bit low. That is typical this time of year, but low snow levels from this winter, the river is likely not going to increase much this year. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113540 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, March 14, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed State Bridge Eagle County, CO 29 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak Just east of State Bridge, the tracks follow along the Colorado River. However, the country road makes an impressive climb up and over the top of the hill. You can see a small bus making that climb above the Zephyr. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113539 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, March 14, 2026 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed State Bridge Eagle County, CO 51 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The Zephyr has a pretty consistent order in its consist. After the power and baggage car, the train typically has a transition sleeper, two sleepers, a dining car, a longue car, and two or three coaches. On this afternoon, it turns out there is a transition sleeper deadheading on the tail end. If you are unfamiliar with the difference between a sleeper and a transition sleeper, this shot really demonstrates the difference. At one end of the car, the door between cars is actually on the first level, rather than on the second level. A transition sleeper is the housing for the Amtrak personnel that ride the train from Chicago to Emeryville (and back), in the case of the California Zephyr. When car attendants, chefs, etc are off duty, they have quarters in the transition sleeper. The door on the end on the first level allows Amtrak personnel to enter the baggage car from the train. It would also allow for a transition between two-level Superliners and single level cars, if there were such a train with that configuration. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.

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