Four units are on the head end of UP's Grand Junction to North Yard manifest as it approach Tunnel 1. The train spent several hours tied down on the main track at Plain. A new crew is finally taking the train the remaining 21-ish miles east to North Yard.
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I am not sure why UP is running an empty eastbound coal train, but I would assume these cars had been in long term storage somewhere, are either being put back into service, being moved to a new location for storage, or sold/scrapped. The train is passes by some fresh rip rock that will be used to shore up the track here.
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An afternoon rainstorm is starting to move east from the Rockies as a rebuilt (and repainted) C44ACM leads a coal empty east out of Eisele (Clay).
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After meeting a westbound oil train (which is still visible in the distance), and then waiting for the east end of Eisele (Clay) to run time, UP 5774 got a light to head east. The crew informed DS-378 that they are short on time, so they will get signal the rest of the way in to town.
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An SD70ACe-T4 and a pair of (recently rebuilt) C44ACMs head west through the siding at Eisele (Clay). They are meeting an eastbound coal empty, holding the main. An afternoon storm is slowly starting to move in.
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It seems that I have seen quite a few SD70ACe-T4s in the Denver area lately. It is kind of cool to see these Tier-4 units out and running, considering how few of them their actually are.
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This SD70ACe-T4 was in the yard at Helper, UT about two weeks earlier. It must have been added to an eastbound oil train at Wash...perhaps even this exact train, and ran east for unloading. In any case, it is now headed west on the siding at Eisele (Clay).
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A westbound UP empty train enters the siding of Eisele (Clay). It is meeting an eastbound coal empty (yes, an empty), holding the main. The conductor for the eastbound is on the ground to give the oil train a roll by.
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A westbound oil empty climbs up and around Big Ten, the tail end passing by the site of a minor derailment five days ago. An SD70ACe-T4 leads the empty as it approach a red over yellow (Diverging Approach) signal at the east switch of Eisele (Clay).
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This rock train is set up in a push-pull operation. UP 6300 is on the east end of the rock train, and is currently tied down. Note the red flag just east of the unit. This particular AC4400CW is approaching its 30th birthday. It was delivered as SP 319 in July 1995.
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A UP rock train is tied down on the main at Rocky. The main between switches is currently out-of-service. All of this rip rock is going to be placed rail side, much of it on Big Ten Curve to shore up the tracks on the relatively soft ground.
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This westbound rail train is sitting on the siding at Rocky, and has come to a stop. The train is waiting on MOW to clear up west of Rocky. Once they get the green, the train will head west to drop off some strips of rail at various locations between Plain and Cliff.
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A track tamper, which has been working on Big Ten Curve, and a hyrailer are both rolling east down the grade back toward the main track at Rocky. They are clearing up for a westbound rail train.
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The second of two units on this westbound rail train is UP 3055. This is one of roughly 100 Tier-4 EMD units that UP has on their roster. The complexity and expense of the units has resulted in minimal sales in the United States. Class 1 railroads are instead choosing to rebuild older units on the roster to give them an extended life. It is cheaper than investing in the Tier-4 units.
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After meeting two eastbound trains at Arvada, it was finally this rail trains turn to head west. The train only has a handful of strips of welded rail, which are to be dropped off in various locations between Plain and Cliff. As the summer draws closer, maintenance projects are beginning to pick up!
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