The Zephyr is just starting is journey up and into the Rocky Mountains as it wraps around the curve toward Blue Mountain Drive. The Denver skyline stands tall off in the distance, 23 rail-miles to the east.
Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster
or add a comment to the picture.
Daylight Savings Time ended this past Sunday, offering a little more light for the morning Zephyr. Here in early November, the shadows have grown quite long as AMTK 160, the "Pepsi Can", leads the train westbound.
Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster
or add a comment to the picture.
The westbound Zephyr is rolling west on the main at Leyden right on time by the few-remaining fall colors here in early November.
Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster
or add a comment to the picture.
The conductor from UP's MGJNY has climbed down and is waiting on the ground to offer up a roll by for the westbound Zephyr, kicking up a little exhaust as it throttle up on the trip west at Eisele (Clay).
Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster
or add a comment to the picture.
While you will no doubt immediately see the Zephyr here at the west switch of Leyden, you might not immediately see that there are in fact two trains in this shot. The manifest visible up the hillside is an eastbound UP manifest that is waiting in the siding at Eisele (Clay) for the Zephyr.
Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster
or add a comment to the picture.
At the west end of Rocky, the westbound Zephyr charges west on the climb on the north side of Big Ten. The Zephyr this morning is running with the standard winter consist of seven Superliners.
Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster
or add a comment to the picture.
The morning Zephyr is running about 20 minutes late today, after a bit of a delay getting out of Union Station. The train is approaching the narrowest part of Barbara's Gulch on the journey west.
Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster
or add a comment to the picture.
The westbound Zephyr, which is being led by AMTK 199 and (Phase 4 heritage) AMTK 164 this morning, is on the move out of Union Station. Scheduled departure is 8:46am, and indeed the train started pulling right when the clock hit 8:46am.
Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster
or add a comment to the picture.
At the west switch of Crescent, the westbound Zephyr rolls through the OS on a green signal. In the distance, construction continues on increasing the height of the dam at Gross Reservoir. The height of the dam was originally 340 feet. It has been increased roughly 60 feet so far, with another 71 feet to go. The dam will be 471 feet tall once complete, tripling the capacity of the reservoir.
Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster
or add a comment to the picture.
Since I am certainly no botanist, I don't know much about foliage, so I have no clue what the plants are that have changed to this fantastic bright red color just east of the east portal of Tunnel 1. Passengers on the morning Zephyr get to enjoy the color as they enjoy the journey westbound.
Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster
or add a comment to the picture.
AMTK 25 and (Phase 7) AMTK 204 lead the westbound Zephyr out the west end of Eisele (Clay). The fall foliage here at the west end still has some good fall colors, despite the yellows not being quite as bright this year as one might have liked.
Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster
or add a comment to the picture.
As the Zephyr heads west on the main at Eisele (Clay), note the multiple piles of ties laying along the right-of-way. UP is in the midst of a major maintenance project on the Moffat, which includes replacing a lot of ties. These are all new ties, waiting for their turn to to be installed beneath the rails in the coming weeks and months.
Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster
or add a comment to the picture.
The morning westbound Zephyr, running right on time, has just met an eastbound BNSF manifest that is tying down in the siding at Rocky. Black and white seemed appropriate as the Zephyr makes its way through Little Ten Curve.
Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster
or add a comment to the picture.
AMTK 205 was involved in a collision with a vehicle the day prior to this photo. As a result, for safety reasons, the unit was set out here in the siding at Dell. There is also another P42DC currently in the siding at Newcastle west of Glenwood from a similar incident.
Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster
or add a comment to the picture.
Now here is something I definitely did not expect to find in the siding at Dell! A single Amtrak P42DC. Unfortunately, the eastbound Zephyr the day before struck a vehicle not far west of here on the Dotsero Cutoff. For safety reasons, the unit was set out here in the siding at Dell.
Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster
or add a comment to the picture.
