BNSF's Provo-Denver comes rolling eastbound on UP's main track on the east side of North Yard. The train to the right of train (when looking at the photo) is BNSF's "New North Main", which leads to the Front Range Sub north of Utah Junction. the track the Provo-Denver is on, and all tracks to the left, are owned by UP.
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A pair of DPUs bring up the tail end of BNSF's Provo-Denver as the train passes 40-50 gondolas, tied down in the siding here at Leyden. Note the red flag that has been placed in the middle of the siding, facing the gondolas. There is a portable derail on the siding just beyond the red flag (toward the camera).
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BNSF 5699 leads BNSF's daily manifest east on the main at Leyden. Note the ballast is lighter on the main compared to the siding. UP dropped fresh ballast along the main about a week earlier as part of a maintenance project on the Moffat. Gondolas are still being stored in the siding here at Leyden.
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BNSF's Provo-Denver has a full ten units on the point of the train eastbound on the main at Leyden. Most of these units are not online, and are being transported to Denver (or beyond).
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BNSF consistently runs oil train in a 3x3 configuration, and this eastbound is no exception. The train has a buffer car on either end of the train, and 95 tank cars loaded with waxy crude oil. The train is just about to enter the final tunnel on the Moffat, Tunnel 1.
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This eastbound loaded oil train has been making track speed since Cliff, but is coming up on a 15 MPH slow order. The slow order is about a mile long, and there is a second two mile long slow order around Big Ten Curve. The crew only has 70 minutes remaining on the clock, so the train will take the siding at Rocky and tie down.
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BNSF 5830 just met the westbound Rocky Mountaineer, and is now departing Cliff on the main track eastbound. East Cliff is a bit of an interesting OS, as it is about 1,000 feet long. The curve of the track prevents the east switch from being visible from the grade crossing, so the signals at the east end are quite a ways west of the switch itself.
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The Rocky Mountaineer is running west through the siding at Cliff, meeting a BNSF oil train that is on the main. DS-378 is keeping the oil train on the main to help it keep its speed up after the meet. The crew has less than two hours left on the clock. At this point, it is not clear if the train will be able to make it in to Denver or not.
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It can be a bit of a challenge getting shots in the area around West Cliff as it is on the north side of a mountain and, as such, almost always cast in shadows. However, this shot of an eastbound BNSF oil train turned out quite well.
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BNSF 5830 leads a unit oil train across the South Beaver Creek Road grade crossing about a half mile west of Cliff. This road leads from CO-72 to Pacolus, a private neighborhood along the tracks and South Boulder Creek between Cliff and Rollins.
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In the canyon between Tolland and Rollins, this BNSF oil train is quickly rolling east at track speed. The crew is running short on time, with only two hours left to work. For now, the train is following South Boulder Creek and Tolland Road, trying to get as close to Denver as possible with the time left.
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BNSF 5830 and two additional GEs lead an eastbound loaded oil train across South Boulder Creek about a mile east of the east switch of Tolland. You could not ask for a more perfect morning on the last day of August, with barely a cloud in the sky. The peaks in the distance are the Continental Divide, which the Moffat Tunnel runs beneath.
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The westbound Zephyr has taken the siding at Tolland to meet an eastbound BNSF oil train, which is holding the main. In the distance, peaks of the Continental Divide extend above 12,000 feet above sea level, taking the tops above timber line.
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As a BNSF oil train heads west on the main toward a green signal at the west end of Leyden, we also note a red flag in the middle of the siding. The red flag is protecting a manual derail that has been installed on the north rail beyond the red flag. The derail is protecting a string of 40 or so gondolas stored in the siding of Leyden.
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Six units lead this BNSF oil train westbound on the main at Leyden. The train is passing by a string of about 40 gondolas that are currently in long term storage here in the siding.
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