Photo ID: 108074 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, May 28, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Barbara's Gulch (MP 15.9 to MP 17.2) Arvada, CO 893 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF A loaded BNSF sand train grinds west through a green and lush Barbara's Gulch on a cooler, overcast day. The train has three units on the point and two bringing up the rear. Just ahead around the bend is an Approach (yellow over red) signal at the east switch of Rocky. The train will have to sit between switches on the main at Rocky for a few hours to wait for Maintenance of Way to clear up further west. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108072 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, May 27, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 7 (MP 26.6, 214 ft) Boulder County, CO 1004 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The westbound Zephyr is between Tunnel 7 and Tunnel 8 in the heart of the Tunnel District on a beautiful May morning. The train is about to disappear in Tunnel 8 and, after emerging, the plains will no longer be visible. Tunnels 1-7 are along the eastern slope of the Front Range of the Rockies, but Tunnel 8 curves the tracks around the northeast face of Elderado Mountain, into the Rockies for the journey west. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108071 Date Shot Photo By Monday, May 25, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Cliff (6,900 ft) Pinecliff, CO 879 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak With nothing but clear tracks ahead, the Zephyr just crossed CO-72 and is heading west on the main at Cliff. It is a light traffic day today, even by recent Moffat standards, and the Zephyr will get clear signals for the foreseeable future. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108070 Date Shot Photo By Monday, May 25, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed East of Cliff Gilpin County, CO 882 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak Today's westbound Zephyr crosses South Boulder Creek just east of East on a beautiful Memorial Day morning. The Zephyr today has a Transition Sleeper, a Sleeping Car, a Diner, a Lounge Car, and two Coaches. Not surprisingly, ridership has been way down the last few months during the COVID-19 pandemic. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108069 Date Shot Photo By Monday, May 25, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 29 (MP 36.4, 75 ft) Gilpin County, CO 971 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak On a crisp Memorial Day morning, the westbound Zephyr is on time just east of Cliff. The California-bound train is passing through the last tunnel in the Tunnel District (when heading west), tunnel 29. This also happens to be the shortest tunnel in the Tunnel District at only 78 feet in length. The train is about to cross South Boulder Creek as it approaching a clear signal at East Cliff, about 36 miles west of Denver Union Station. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108068 Date Shot Photo By Monday, May 25, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 29 (MP 36.4, 75 ft) Gilpin County, CO 848 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The westbound Zephyr, with six Superliners in tow, is approaching the east portal of Tunnel 29, the shortest tunnel in the Tunnel District. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108042 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, May 23, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rocky (7,330ft) Arvada, CO 867 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF The cab of BNSF 9135 is currently empty! The crew brought this coal load to a stop here at Rocky nearly four hours earlier, before sunrise. The train was tied down, the derail at the east end of the siding was set, and the crew was picked up. Not sure if there wasn't a rested crew available to take the train to town in the pre-dawn hours, or if the yard said the train couldn't come in yet. Either way, was happy to find it still sitting out at Rocky. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108041 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, May 23, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rocky (7,330ft) Arvada, CO 948 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF It's been awhile since one of these has run on the Moffat, but overnight, a BNSF coal load (from Utah) descended the front range and parked in the hole at Rocky. The all-EMD trio on the head end was a welcome site! Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108040 Date Shot Photo By Friday, May 22, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rocky (7,330ft) Arvada, CO 980 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF Passing the east switch of the House Track on the siding at Rocky, this train is slowing to a stop in order to wait for a recrew and space in the yard. The elephant-style power on the head end is a good representation of power over the last few decades with a C44-9W, an ET44C4, and an ES44C4. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108039 Date Shot Photo By Friday, May 22, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Little Ten Curve (MP 18.7 to MP 18.9) Arvada, CO 994 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF An eastbound BNSF manifest snakes its way through Little Ten Curve on the siding at Rocky. The train will be coming to a stop at the east end. Not to wait for a westbound, but to wait for a recrew! The yard did not have space for the train, so it will wait at Rocky for a few hours. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108038 Date Shot Photo By Friday, May 22, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 995 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF An eastbound BNSF Provo to Denver wraps around Big Ten Loop as it comes out of Eisele (Clay). The train has a trio of GEs on the point and two more DPU'd on the tail end, visible near the middle of the shot. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108029 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, February 25, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Detector (MP 8.4) Arvada, CO 882 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific You can see what remains of part of the wire for this high/wide detector in Arvada. The detector is used to check for cars on trains that cannot clear tunnels west of Denver. Indeed, on this day, the detector was tripped and the wire was broken. The detector immediately informed the crew (via an automated radio message) and the train stopped to wait for a carman to correct the problem before continuing west. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108028 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, February 25, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Detector (MP 8.4) Arvada, CO 887 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific This high/wide detector, also known as a shifted load detector, is just west of Carr Street in Arvada. It has a wire that runs around trains. The wire marks the minimum clearance for the tunnels west of Denver. If anything hits the wire, it is an indication that the train will not clear one or more tunnels. Such was the case on this day when DRGW AX-41, a Jordan Spreader, hit the wire and tripped the detector. And man, did it ever trip it! It ripped the wire apart on this side of the rail. You can see the wire now danging over the top of the tracks. Maintenance of Way is coming to repair the detector before the next train rolls through. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108027 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, February 25, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed East of 66th Ave Arvada, CO 1652 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific, Rio Grande A look at the back side of DRGW AX-41, a very old Jordan Spreader that was used for decades clearing snow on Tennessee Pass. It isn't used much these days, but UP is taking it west to do some clearing of snow after a lot of the white stuff has hit the high country. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108026 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, February 25, 2020 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed East of 66th Ave Arvada, CO 1661 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific, Rio Grande UP 2686 and UP 8084 did not get very far west of North Yard with DRGW AX-41 (a Jordan Spread) in tow. The spreader tripped the high/wide detector at MP 8.5. As a result, the crew stopped the train here on the main, just east of 66th Avenue. They are waiting for a carman to come out of North Yard and secure the wings on the spreader and ensure it can clear all the tunnels on the trip west. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.

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