Photo ID: 108439 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, August 4, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS019 (West Rocky) Arvada, CO 993 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific An empty UP coal train blasts out the west end of Rocky on its way west. The train has 143 cars and is nearly 8,000 feet long. The original symbol had the train headed for the Antelope Mine in Wyoming, but the termination point was changed to Provo, UT. The reason? Not entirely sure. Perhaps the train will load at the Savage load out near Price? Perhaps the cars are going in to storage? Only UP knows for sure... Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108438 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, August 4, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 897 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific Got tie plates? These gondolas have a ton of tie plates in them, presumable to be used as part of a tie and/or rail replacement project on the Moffat. The crew on this train is headed up to the Eisele (Clay) where it will pick up the rest of the gondolas (in the background) and back down the main to the siding at Rocky. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108437 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, August 4, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed West of Rocky Arvada, CO 948 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific A short, 2-car work train makes its west west out of Rocky and up Big Ten Curve. When it gets up to Eisele (Clay), it'll back in to the siding from the west end, hook up to the cars in the siding (above in the frame), and back all the cars down to the siding at Rocky. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108436 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, August 4, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Eisele (Clay) (5,780 ft) Arvada, CO 969 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak AMTK 189 has been the trailing unit on the Zephyr for the past few weeks, but it looks like Amtrak did some shuffling around in Chicago as the "Big Game" unti is now on the point, leading the train west. Engines seem to stay on the same long distance train, in general, for 4-6 round trips before being rotated off. That's not any kind of hard-and-fast rule, just seems to be the normal based on general observation. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108435 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, August 4, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 981 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The morning Zephyr...which is currently the late morning Zephyr, running as #1105 instead of #5, wraps around 180°+ turn of Big Ten Curve. Alas, all of the hoppers on the inside of the curve, which serve as a wind break, are covered in graffiti. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108434 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, August 4, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rocky (7,330ft) Arvada, CO 1008 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak One of the "Big Game" P42DCs leads the westbound Zephyr on the main at Rocky by a short UP work train sitting in the siding. The train is coordinating with maintenance guys on the ground. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108433 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, August 2, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS036 (East Cliff) Pinecliff, CO 965 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The westbound Zephyr is on the main track at Cliff as we get a beautiful view of not only the Zephyr, but also of the great Continental Divide. In just another 20 minutes, the Zephyr will be traveling underneath the divide inside the Moffat Tunnel! Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108432 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, August 2, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 29 (MP 36.4, 75 ft) Gilpin County, CO 1319 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The engineers in the lead P42DC cross over South Boulder Creek and now have a clear view of the green signal at the east end of Cliff. Passengers on the seven car (well, seven Superliner car) Zephyr have a brief flash of dark as they quickly move in and out of Tunnel 29. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108431 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, August 2, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 29 (MP 36.4, 75 ft) Gilpin County, CO 1082 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The shortest tunnel on the east slope of the divide is Tunnel 29. It is only 78 feet long, an the Zephyr is just about to quickly pop in to and out of the tunnel. Toward the left side of the frame, you can see rock that is quite a bit more red than the rest. this was once the location of Tunnel 28, which was daylighted (blown up, essentially) many, many decades ago due to frequent cave-ins. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108430 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, August 2, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 27 (MP 36.4, 650 ft) Gilpin County, CO 1116 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak Just outside the west portal of Tunnel 27, the tracks and South Boulder Creek are just about at the same level. Looking straight down on the westbound Zephyr, it is cool to watch the train snake along the tracks alongside the river amidst the pine trees. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108429 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, August 2, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 27 (MP 36.4, 650 ft) Gilpin County, CO 1091 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak On the approach to Tunnel 27, the westbound Zephyr is nearing the end of the Tunnel District. Here toward the west end, South Boulder Creek is coming up to the level of the tracks. On the other side of Tunnel 27, which is about 650 feet long, the river will near the same level as the tracks. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108428 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, August 2, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 26 (MP 35.2, 320 ft) Gilpin County, CO 1116 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The westbound Zephyr emerges from Tunnel 26 still quite a bit above South Boulder Creek. The west portal of Tunnel 26 was the location of a terrible disaster on September 30, 1991. A large rock fell and landed on the tracks by the west portal. An eastbound manifest struck the boulder and the lead two units rolled down the embankment to South Boulder Creek! Sadly, two crewman - Ed West (60, engineer) and John Beaird (47, brakeman) - were both killed. Two others - John Sacco (54) and Roy Alexander (47) were both injured, but survived. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108427 Date Shot Photo By Friday, July 31, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Coal Creek (MP 23) Arvada, CO 1016 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak Wrapping around the curve at the base of Coal Creek Canyon, the westbound Zephyr passes by a clear signal at MP 23 and crosses over CO-72. The train will now run up the hill to Tunnel 1 and points west. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108426 Date Shot Photo By Friday, July 31, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS022 (West Eiesle (Clay)) Arvada, CO 1089 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The morning Zephyr, running about 15 minutes late, knocks down a clear signal at the west switch of Eisele. The train is in the middle of a summer work window schedule, so it is departing Denver (on time) at 10:05am instead of 8:05am. It will return to its normal schedule for a week starting next Wednesday. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108425 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, July 30, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed West of Rocky Arvada, CO 958 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific The weather in recent weeks has been slightly cooler than seasonable average, and a bit of rainfall as well has contributed to keeping the landscape in the area around Big Ten Loop fairly green. An ES44AC in very good paint brings up the tail end of an eastbound coal load. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.

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