On a beautiful Wednesday morning, AMTK 203 and AMTK 151 lead the morning Zephyr west toward the east portal of Tunnel 1. It is already 80°F (27°C) this morning, with high temperatures expected to head toward 95°F (35°C) in the afternoon. Power on the Zephyr has been pretty "regular" of late, meaning the standard Phase 5 P42DCs. Nice to see something in a different scheme today.
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In the past few weeks, UP has had a splattering of slow orders on the Moffat, likely for various maintenance of way projects. One has been up and around Big Ten Curve. However, the slow order was gone this morning and the Zephyr has been able to maintain track speed since passing North Yard.
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An UP MOW crew, consisting of a hyrail truck and a hyrail dump truck, are sitting in the siding at Eisele (Clay) as the morning westbound Zephyr rolls by at track speed, right on time. AMTK 203, the Operation Lifesaver unit, is on the point this today.
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It has been a few months, but AMTK 203 is on the California Zephyr again. The last few trips, it was the second unit. But this morning, it is back on the point of the train.
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The westbound morning Zephyr has turned into a westbound afternoon Zephyr as it turns geographically north at the east switch of Eisele (Clay). Being six hours late, there is a small chance it might have met its counterpart on the east side of the Moffat. However, as it turns out, the eastbound Zephyr is just as late! It will end up departing Glenwood Springs six hours late as well.
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The westbound Zephyr was delayed over four hours in Nebraska, due to a "mechanical issue", according to Amtrak. Not sure precisely what the mechanical issue was, but due to that and a few other delays, the Zephyr is six hours late as it rounds the bend on the approach to Eisele (Clay).
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The westbound Zephyr is getting nearing the end of a 10 MPH slow order and, as a result, both P42DCs are throttling up and they both kick up a bit of exhaust. The Zephyr is on the south edge of Big Ten, and is headed into the afternoon light. A bit unusual to have these lighting conditions for the westbound Zephyr, but it is running six hours late.
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The westbound Zephyr has slowed to about 10 MPH to comply with one of many slow orders that have been established on the Moffat in the past few weeks. This afternoon, there are some fast-moving clouds, with shadows moving quickly through the scene. Fortunately, this shot was taken just before the shadow at the top fully encompassed the scene.
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The westbound Zephyr is running six hours late this morning as it heads west out of Leyden on a sunny afternoon. The first Superliner behind the baggage car is the crew car (the transition sleeper). Looks like a crew member is catching a bit of fresh air.
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A final look at this Amtrak special as it rolls south on the single track main between Palmer Lake and Monument. I had to get back up to Denver, so I was unable to chase the special any further south.
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On the south side of Palmer Lake, AMTK 22 and AMTK 134 are leading this Amtrak special south on the now-single track mainline on the Joint Line. The train is headed for the Transportation Technology Center just east of Pueblo, CO.
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At the "top of the hill", a reference to the highest point on the Palmer Divide at 7,297 feet (2,225 meters) above sea level, this Amtrak special is now on the single main track as it passes by Palmer Lake. As you can see, many people are out and enjoying the beautiful clear skies on this Friday morning, most likely unaware of the rare move passing by them.
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This Amtrak Cascade's AIRO train set was built by Siemens in California. It is currently being taken by Amtrak to the TTC near Pueblo for testing. Of note, the Amtrak crew on this train are accompanied by a BNSF "pilot" crew. The Amtrak crew is, of course, not familiar with the Joint Line, so the BNSF crew goes with them to ensure the Amtrak crew knows everything they need to know about the route.
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Amtrak Cascade's AIRO train set rolls by Carpenter Creek on Main 1, just north of "The Sag" on the Joint Line. The train is about four miles away from the top of Palmer Divide at Palmer Lake. The train set is headed for the Transportation Technology Center near Pueblo, CO for testing.
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AMTK 22 and AMTK 134 lead an Amtrak Special southbound on Main 1 on the Joint Line, passes by a small pond that is part of Carpenter Creek, just a few miles north of Palmer Lake. Amtrak running on the Joint Line is exceptionally rare. Indeed, I believe this is the first time I've ever shot Amtrak equipment on the Joint Line.
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