From the hill between Rocky and Eisele (Clay), we look up the slope at an eastbound BNSF oil train, just coming out of Eisele (Clay) and heading to the south edge of Big Ten Curve. There are some clouds building to the south, although they will not end up resulting in any significant precipitation.
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The last few fleeting moments of sunlight on the main at the east end of Eisele (Clay) light up the lead units of this eastbound oil train. The train will continue to Denver without stopping, although it will meet a westbound UP manifest, holding at Arvada.
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After meeting a very late westbound Zephyr here at Cliff, this eastbound BNSF oil train is preparing to depart east. While DS-378 has set up a clear (green) signal out of Cliff, PTC is still showing a red. The engineer would log out of PTC and log back in, resolving the issue and allowing the oil train to depart eastbound.
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Running over seven hours late, the westbound Zephyr is trying to make up time as best it can, making track speed as it hustles through the OS at the west end of Cliff.
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The westbound Zephyr is meeting an eastbound BNSF oil train here at Cliff. For those that remember the west switch of Cliff in the pre-UP days, the switch was a "Y" switch. Both main and siding slightly diverged from the single main track. However, UP reconfigured the switch to be more traditional, with the mainline being straight and the siding truly diverging.
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The westbound Zephyr has slowed to a stop in the siding at Plain. The train, now over seven hours late, is waiting on the eastbound Zephyr, which is out of Crescent. Alas, my battery was running low, so I was unable to get a shot of the meet with the eastbound Zephyr.
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Slowly wrapping through S-Curve in the middle of Plain, the westbound Zephyr is slowing as it approaches a red signal at the west end. The eastbound Zephyr is out of Crescent, and will continue east on the main.
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A seven-hour-late westbound California Zephyr enters into the siding at Plain. The train was severely delayed when departing Chicago. It is entering the siding at Plain to meet with the eastbound Zephyr.
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It is just minutes before 5pm as the westbound Zephyr emerges from Tunnel 1. The train is a little over seven hours late today. The train departed Chicago roughly eight hours late the previous day, due to mechanical issues. It has made up an hour of that delay on its journey west.
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AMTK 146 and AMTK 78 lead the California Zephyr west as it exists out of Tunnel 3, a brief blast of sunlight before it will duck into Tunnel 4, out of view to the right.
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After making its way through the western suburbs of Denver, the California Zephyr is now entering the rural Rocky Mountains as it heads west on the main track at Plain.
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UP 4014 just crossed over from Main 2 to Main 1 at C&S Junction, and then crossed over Clear Creek, continuing to pull west so the train can clear the OS to get a light to back up east. The Big Boy was steaming really well here, and a bit of smoke was coming up, blocking out a bit of the sun, which in turn highlight the red in the exhaust.
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After spending all day yesterday in the storage yard at North Yard, it is now time for this Big Boy excursion to return back to Cheyenne! UP 4014 is putting on a fantastic show in the early morning as it heads west on the Moffat on the North Yard Siding. So yes...Big Boy has officially run on the Moffat Tunnel Sub! But it will only get as far as just west of C&S Junction so it can back down Bypass 2, across the Belt Line, to the Greeley Sub.
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Perhaps, one day, UP 4014 will actually make a run over the Moffat Tunnel Sub. That day hasn't come yet, and the move to get into the North Yard storage yard, necessitating the Big Boy to move a little bit west on the Moffat Tunnel Sub is the best we've got! Here, Big Boy is backing down the North Yard siding, heading into the storage yard.
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UP's Big Boy will be staying in the storage yard at North Yard overnight and tomorrow (Friday), before returning to Cheyenne on Saturday. The train came across Bypass 1 and crossed over at C&S Jct so it could then make this reverse move down the North Yard siding, into the storage yard.
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