A nice treat this morning was to find Amtrak's Phase 4 heritage unit, AMTK 164, leading the westbound Zephyr as the train crosses East Portal Road between Tolland and East Portal. Fall colors are about as good as they are going to get, offering a spectacular ride for passengers.
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In the rapidly fading light, the westbound Zephyr climbs up the east slope of Thompson Hill. The dirt mounds of the desert cast some crazy shadows in the low light, giving the desert a different feel from the middle of the day.
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AMTK 60 and AMTK 190 lead the westbound Zephyr by the intermediate signal just east of Thompson. Union Pacific started replacing signals in the Utah desert 15 years ago. A project that seemingly has been abandoned. Some signals were replaced. Some new signal masts were erected with no signal heads and never completed, and others, like this intermediate, were never touched.
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Running right around 40 minutes late, the westbound Zephyr charges quickly across the Utah desert west of Sagers. You can seen the tracks in the distance, winding their way across the desert.
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After knocking down a green signal at the west end of Crescent, the Zephyr is on the move and throttling up as it heads for Tunnel 19 and the upper end of the Tunnel District. The train will be meeting an eastbound BNSF oil train, currently waiting in the siding at Cliff.
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The Patrick Henry private cars in the foreground, on the back of the westbound Zephyr, have the Continental Divide as a fantastic background. The train is rolling west on a green signal near west Crescent.
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These two Patrick Henry cars are probably the two most common private passenger cars that catch a ride on the Zephyr these days. It was great to see them again on this morning, heading west at Crescent. You can see Gross Reservoir to the right, slowly getting taller as part of a project to triple the water capacity of the reservoir.
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The westbound Zephyr has just emerged from Tunnel 18. From this vantage point, you can see the east end of Crescent, the grade crossing at Crescent, and Gross Reservoir in the distance. Of course, even further in the distance, you can see the mountains of the Continental Divide.
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Two Patrick Henry private cars are just about the disappear into Tunnel 17 in the middle of the Tunnel District. It is a perfect day for a ride west through the Colorado high country.
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On a beautiful September morning, the westbound Zephyr, with two private cars in tow, head toward the east portal of Tunnel 17. Tunnel 17 is the longest tunnel between Denver west to (but not including, of course) the Moffat Tunnel. Note the two private cars (Patrick Henry cars) on the end of the Zephyr.
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The morning Zephyr is headed west between Tunnel 16 and Tunnel 17. This is one of the longest stretches between tunnels anywhere throughout the Tunnel District.
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The Zephyr has reduced its length from nine Superliners to seven Superliners, cutting one sleeper and one coach. This is pretty common at the end of the summer, when demand for Amtrak rail travel decreases a bit.
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Two Patrick Henry cars are catching a ride on the back of the westbound California Zephyr. The Zephyr is taking the siding at Rocky to meet an eastbound BNSF manifest, which you can see holding the main in the distance.
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AMTK 169 leads the westbound Zephyr this morning, the train coming around the curve at the narrow, west end of Barbara's Gulch. The train is passing underneath CO-93, on the approach to the east end of Rocky.
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The westbound Zephyr is making track speed here in Barbara's Gulch as it hustles west, right on time this morning. The dust you see is actually from a lot of fresh ballast that was recently laid along the mainline here. Wind from the fast-moving Zephyr is blowing the dust up around the train.
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