Most days along the Front Range have clear skies (at least in the summer), with clouds moving in during the afternoon hours. So it is a little unusual to have a bit of rain and overcast skies in the area as the Zephyr knocks down a clear (green) signal at the east end of Eisele.
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The transition sleeper is typically the first car on long distance Amtrak trains. In addition to some paying passengers, crew members that right the train generally sleep in this car. The car also connects to the baggage car on the lower level, so crew members on the train can access the car if necessary.
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Climbing out of Rocky, the morning Zephyr climbs along the north edge of Big Ten Curve on its journey west.
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On an overcast September morning, the Zephyr makes its way west on the main at Rocky and Little Ten Curve. Unit the mid-1980s, the west end of Rocky was actually located near the end of the Zephyr in this shot. It was extended through Little Ten Curve to accommodate longer trains. Primarily coal trains.
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A "standard" Zephyr consist, including a pair of P42DCs, a baggage car, and seven Superliners, is rolling west of Tunnel on the approach to a clear (green) signal at East Plain.
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The morning Zephyr emerges from Tunnel 1 on its journey west, three minutes after being seen in this shot just west of Eisele (Clay) on the other side of CO-72.
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Seven minutes after winding around through Little Ten Curve in this shot, the Zephyr is now continuing west out of Eisele and, approaching the grade crossing at Blue Mountain Drive. In a few minutes, the train will emerge from Tunnel 1 is this shot.
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The Zephyr, running right on time, just knocked down a clear (green) signal at the west end of Eisele (Clay) on its morning journey west.
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Can you spot the Zephyr in this shot? While the camera is setup around MP 23.5, the Zephyr is off in the distance at Rocky and Little Ten Curve, about 3 1/2 (rail) miles east. The train will continue west and the next shot, just west of Eisele, can be seen here.
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The sun is getting much lower in the western sky earlier in the day as we get closer to the end of the summer. Passengers on the eastbound Zephyr enjoy last afternoon views as the train accelerates into Barbara's Gulch.
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In the rays of the setting sun, you can see a little exhaust kicking up on the Zephyr as the train accelerates a bit, approaching the east end of Rocky where speed limits increase. The westbound oil empty on the siding is starting to accelerate as well, the head end already past west Rocky and out on the main.
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With a westbound oil train in the clear in the siding at Rocky, the Zephyr is looking at a clear (green) signal at the west end of Rocky. When Daylight Savings time ends in November, the sun will have set here by the time the eastbound Zephyr arrives, even when it is running right on time.
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The Zephyr is creeping along at 10 MPH due to a slow order around Big Ten Curve. The slow order is in place due to the risk of sun kinks in the rails as a result of hot summer temperatures. Granted, at this point, it is only about 80°F (27°C) out. You can just barely see the east end of Rocky and the start of Barbara's Gulch in the top left portion of the image.
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As the Zephyr rounds Big Ten Curve, you can clearly see the roughly 2% grade of the tracks as they descend down from the mountains. Off in the distance, the buildings consisting of the skyline of downtown Denver stand tall. In an hour, give or take, the Zephyr will be amongst those iron giants for its station stop at Denver Union Station.
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Most of Eisele (Clay) is cast in the shadows of the mountains at 5:45pm this time of year. However, there are a few sections toward the east end that are still lit, and the head end of the Zephyr enters one such section here. Not the westbound UP oil train in the distance at Little Ten Curve.
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