Photo ID: 108424 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, July 30, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 884 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific As the tail end DPU, UP 7776, descends down the grade from Big Ten Loop, we can see the head end of the train down at Rocky! The head end is nearly 6,000 feet away by rail, but only 2,500 feet away as the crow flies across the valley. The end of the train is also about 100 feet lower in elevation. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108423 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, July 30, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 913 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific Three mid-train DPUs assist in dynamic braking as this coal train descends down from Big Ten Loop. This coal train has the typical configuration for loaded coal trains on the Moffat, with two units on the point, three mid-train, and one on the rear. These three unis will be cut out of the train when it reaches Bypass 2 at North Yard. The train will continue on with only three total units, the two on the point and single unit on the rear. The fresh repaint on this AC4400CW looks mighty fine! Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108422 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, July 30, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 918 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific From a few hundred feet above the ground, the entirety of Big Ten Loop can be seen from Eisele (formerly Clay) down to Rocky. The crew on board, descending down toward Rocky, can look up to see the side of the last few cars of their train and the DPU bringing up the rear. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108421 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, July 30, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 866 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific A pair of ES44ACs (UP 7521 and UP 5291) lead an eastbound coal load around Big Ten Loop in front of the hoppers that have been sitting for around half a century now, serving as a wind break. In the distance, you can see the three mid-train swing helpers and the sole DPU bringing up the rear. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108420 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, July 30, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS020 (East Eisele (Clay)) Arvada, CO 901 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific An eastbound coal load comes out of the east end of Eisele and turns toward the south leg of Big Ten Loop. The train has the standard three mid-train DPUs and a single unit bringing up the rear. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108419 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, July 30, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Eisele (Clay) (5,780 ft) Arvada, CO 877 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific An eastbound coal load...the first in several weeks...rolls east on the main at Eisele. A couple of gondolas dropped off earlier this week sit on the siding. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108418 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, July 29, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Plastic (MP 16.1) Arvada, CO 936 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF Finally getting clear of the sharp curves of the mountains, the Provo-Denver exists the east end of Barbara's Gulch. The train will not be able to speed up much, however, as the signal is displaying an Advanced Approach (flashing yellow) aspect. The reason being that the train is taking the siding at Leyden to tie down. The crew will be picked up by a van and a relief crew will take the train in to town later in the day. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108417 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, July 29, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 5 (MP 26.1, 866 ft) Jefferson County, CO 976 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF After meeting the Zephyr at Crescent, BNSF's eastbound Provo-Denver manifest leads a relatively short train through Tunnel 5 and approaches Tunnel 4 shortly before noon. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108416 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, July 29, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 7 (MP 26.6, 214 ft) Jefferson County, CO 935 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF Okay, at first glance, this may just look like a cool nature shot and you are asking "where the heck is the train"? You have to take out your eagle eyes and look near the left side of the frame, about halfway down from the top. You can see the head end of BNSF's Provo-Denver emerging from Tunnel 7 eastbound! In the distance to the right is the town of Boulder, CO. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108415 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, July 29, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 3 (MP 25.8, 369 ft) Jefferson County, CO 1037 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak Starting yesterday, the westbound Zephyr departs Denver at 10:05am rather than 8:05am. This change only lasts a week and is in place due to some Union Pacific maintenance windows in Western Colorado and Eastern Utah. The two hour delay gives crews two extra hours of daylight to work without having to clear up for the Zephyr. These work windows are happening off and on over the next six weeks or so. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108414 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, July 29, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 3 (MP 25.8, 369 ft) Jefferson County, CO 907 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The westbound Zephyr passes over the fill and through the cut located just west of Tunnel 2 and prepares to duck in to darkness in the 369-foot-long Tunnel 3. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108413 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, July 28, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed East of Plain Arvada, CO 990 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific Just east of Plain, a UP passenger special threads its way through a cut. The last car of the train, as is generally the case with UP passenger trains, is a car with stadium seating and a picture window, offering a fantastic view out the back of the train. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108412 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, July 28, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 1 (MP 23.4, 366 ft) Arvada, CO 1105 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific On a fairly overcast and somewhat gloomy Tuesday morning, a UP Officer's Special train heads west out of Tunnel 1. The train is a welcome site to the Moffat, which has is low on traffic and high on repetitiveness lately. The train came to Denver from North Platte, NE overnight, and is heading west as far as Helper, UT today. The exact nature of the trip is unknown. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108411 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, July 28, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 1088 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific UP picked out a good looking SD70M to lead a ten car passenger special west on the Moffat. The train is heading for Helper, UT today. The exact purpose of the train...including precisely who is on board...is a mystery. Could just be the engineering department checking out the line, as happens from time to time. Some folks with more of a conspiracy theorist attitude might believe that a perspective buyer (or long-term leaser) is riding the train to check out the former Grande. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108410 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, July 28, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed West of Rocky Arvada, CO 1018 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific Just west of the west switch of Rocky, we get a nice look at a UP passenger special highballing its way west. The train departed North Yard just after 9:30am and is set to run all the way to Helper today. In the background, you can see a handful of gondolas sitting on the siding at Eisele (Clay), dropped off by a single AC4400CW yesterday. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.

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