A former Rio Grande GP40-2 (ex-DRGW 3105), now a UP GP40N, leads the West Local east at the intermediate at MP 9.8 on the way back toward North Yard. These 41 gondolas have been stored in the siding at Leyden for six months! With the local taking them back to town, the siding is finally available again for the dispatcher to use for meets.
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With the West Local airing up, about ready to return to Denver with a string of 41 gondolas that have been stored in the siding of Leyden for six months, the train will have to wait a little bit longer. A westbound UP coal empty charges west on the main track, a freshly painted C44ACM leading the way.
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The engineer on the West Local is hanging out in the cab as the conductor walks back along the train, knocking off hand brakes on a strand of 41 gondolas.
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When I was a kid, I remember seeing "Rail Box" boxcars and "Rail Gon" gondolas. Rail Box boxcars are pretty rare in 2025, but you can definitely still find Rail Gon gondolas. One such example is one of 41 gondolas that have been tied down in the siding at Leyden for the past six months.
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While waiting for the dispatcher to flag the west local onto the siding at Leyden, here is a closeup look at the top of the cab of UP 1358. Note that it was last repainted at North Little Rock (NLR) on October 14, 2021.
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The crew on the West Local is waiting patiently for DS-378 to throw the switch and flag them past a red signal into the siding at Leyden, against a strand of 41 gondolas in the siding.
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A GP40N and a GP38N are power on the West Local. This is the first time the West Local has been called in months, save for about a week ago when it came out and picked up half the gondolas being stored at Leyden. Today, it has again been called to come out to Leyden and pick up the 41 remaining gondolas still tied down in storage at Leyden.
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After six months of being tied down in the siding at Leyden, 41 gondolas are about to be taken back to Denver by the West Local. The conductor is adding the EOT (End Of Train) device to the end of the string of gondolas. The power for the local is waiting on the main. Note the rust that has gathered on the siding after six months of not being used.
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I thought this was a cool shot of the head end of a westbound UP oil empty in the siding at Eisele (Clay), while a loaded UP oil train continues east on the main at Rocky. A pair of DPUs are bringing up the tail end of that eastbound oil train. The westbound in the foreground is waiting on the final run of the Winter Park Express for the season.
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This westbound oil train has to wait in the siding at Eisele (Clay) for one more eastbound before it is its turn to continue. While waiting, we see an eastbound loaded oil train descending Big Ten Curve in the distance.
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It feels uncommon to catch a meet between two UP trains on the Moffat, simply because UP has run few trains in the last few years. However, as oil trains are increasing on the Moffat, it is becoming easier to catch a meet between UP trains. Such is the case on this afternoon, as a westbound oil empty holds in the siding at Eisele (Clay) as a loaded oil train rolls by.
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After the eastbound Zephyr ran around this UP oil train at Plain, it is now the oil trains turn to continue east. The crew will tie the train down on Bypass 1 between C&S and Broadway.
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UP seems to run an oil train on the Moffat at an average of about 1.5 oil trains per day at the moment. One such example is this westbound on the main at East Eisele (Clay).
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A single SD70ACe brings up the tail end of this westbound oil train at the east switch of Eisele (Clay). There is currently no buffer car on the tail end of the train as there is no crew in the DPU.
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Winter is making a push here during the first week of Spring. Fortunately, generally warmer weather is preventing much snow from accumulating along the main here between switches at Eisele (Clay) as a westbound oil train makes its way west. One of the two nose headlights is seemingly burned out on UP 7244.
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