AMTK 164, Amtrak's Phase 4 heritage unit, leads the westbound Zephyr this morning as the train rolls west at track speed west of Leyden. The body of water directly behind the Zephyr is Welton Reservoir. The body of water further off in the distance is Standley Lake
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The Zephyr got a short delay just east of Leyden this morning on its way west. A passenger on the train had to be removed from the train for reasons I was not able to figure out from listening to the scanner. Regardless, the train came to a stop with the last Superliner on the grade crossing at 80th Avenue, where Arvada police were waiting.
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You can see the wind kicking up the snow from the Continental Divide in the distance as the Zephyr wraps around the curve toward the east switch of Tolland.
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After getting a good snowfall earlier this week, there is still plenty of snow to go around up here between Rollins and Tolland as the westbound Zephyr, running about three hours late, passes by along a frozen South Boulder Creek. The wind was really kicking up this afternoon, and you can see a bit of snow along the top of the Superliners in the distance.
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Apparently, one of the two P42DCs on the Zephyr was having some mechanical issues in Nebraska overnight, resulting in a delay arriving (and departing) Denver. Here at Rocky, the train is running roughly three hours late as it rolls west on the main track.
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Looking west at Plain, the flatirons look pretty great covered in powdered snow as an on-time Zephyr rolls west on the main. This will be the last train for the next several hours (at least) as maintenance of way gets to own the railroad for a maintenance window today.
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The Zephyr just knocked down a green signal at the east end of Plain. 6-7 inches of snow fell through most of the day yesterday, which is just perfect this morning as the Zephyr has a pair of highly colorful P42DCs (in Phase 7 paint) this morning.
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The sun is shining brightly on a scene of freshly fallen snow as a pair of Phase 7 P42DCs pull the Zephyr up to Tunnel 1. This is the first snow fall of 2025-2026 winter season, and the perfect morning for a ride west on the Zephyr.
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The morning Zephyr has wrapped around the base of Coal Creek Canyon and is now heading geographically east as it heads timetable west, climbing up the grade toward the east portal of Tunnel 1.
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It is a winter wonderland here at the west switch of Eisele (Clay) as the morning Zephyr heads west on time. As much as I enjoy getting shots of trains in the midst of a blizzard, I also really love getting shots of trains in fresh snow under crystal clear blue skies.
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For the past two weeks or so, one of the Zephyr trainsets has been running with a pair of Phase 7 P42DCs. The train is headed west on the main, passing two UP maintenance vehicles. The second truck will be used to haul 250 ties from Eisele (Clay) up to Tunnel 14 today. Only 40 ties can be taken per trip, so about seven trips will be required!
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A significant herd of deer are grazing for food in the snow as the morning Zephyr rolls west on the main at Eisele. In winter months, when it is colder out, deer and elk are more likely to be spotted at lower (warmer) elevations.
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A UP ES44AC was added to the point of the westbound Zephyr at North Yard this morning, delaying the train by about an hour. Overnight, around six inches of snow fell, and it is lightly continuing here this morning. This is the first appreciable snowfall the Front Range have seen this winter season.
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The first real snowfall of the season came very late this year, at the start of December. The westbound Zephyr is about an hour late after stopping in North Yard to pick up a UP unit to run on the point. Presumably, one of the P42DCs on the Zephyr is having some mechanical issues, necessitating the addition of the UP unit.
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Roughly 110 miles south of Denver, three DPUs bring up the tail end of a southbound loaded grain train. BNSF 5213 is sporting some pretty serious radiator burn, with the paint largely gone on the long hood. The train is headed for Barstow, CA and, once upon a time, probably would have run over Raton Pass. However, no traffic...other than Amtrak's Southwest Chief...has run over Raton Pass in years.
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