Photo ID: 112040 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, March 27, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Sagers to Thompson Grand County, UT 243 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Green River (UP) Union Pacific I absolutely love the beauty of the Utah desert. Parts almost look like the surface of the moon, such as these dirt mounds on the opposite side of UP 6401 and UP 8584, working as hard as they can to carry a California-bound coal load up the 1% grade of Thompson Hill. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112039 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, March 27, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Sagers to Thompson Grand County, UT 237 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Green River (UP) Union Pacific This westbound UP coal train is going less that 20 MPH as it limps along, trying to tackle Thompson Hill. Some bad order units had to be removed from the train in Grand Junction, yet UP still said to send the train west, despite it being rather underpowered. For the astute observer, you might notice that there is in fact a second train in this shot! In fact, a second westbound coal load is visible to the right side of the shot and slightly up, in the shadows! This train is between Elba and Sagers, a few miles east, riding the yellows of this first coal train. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112017 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, March 27, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Grand Valley Garfield County, CO 236 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Glenwood Springs (UP) Union Pacific UP's Minturn Local, which runs east out of Grand Junction, is holding on the siding at Grand Valley, waiting on the Rocky Mountaineer. Although the local is named the Minturn Local, it has been decades since it actually ran to Minturn. Now, the town of Gypsum, which is on the far west end of Tennessee Pass is as far east as it runs. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112001 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, March 26, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 264 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific Another UP rebuild of a GP38-2 into a GP38N is hitching a ride on the MGJNY. Considering the fact that this is a recent rebuild by UP, it is unlikely the unit is headed for the scrapper. More likely it is due for an inspection and, afterward, will return to Grand Junction for switching duties. The unit was delivered new to Missouri Pacific in February 1981. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112000 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, March 26, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 265 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific A GP38N (formerly a GP38-2) is fourth on the head end of the MGJNY. It was originally delivered to Missouri Pacific as MP 2169 in January 1980. The lack of dynamic brakes is a good indicator that there is a high probability this was an MP unit. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111999 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, March 26, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 249 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific UP 5938, a C44ACM that was recently rebuilt, leads UP's MGJNY around Big Ten Curve. An SD70M and an ES44AC are also on the head end of the 82 car manifest. GP38-2s are fourth and fifth on the head end, either due for their inspection, or being taken to auction/scrap. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111998 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, March 26, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS020 (East Eisele (Clay)) Arvada, CO 266 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific Five units lead an eastbound UP manifest out the east end of Eisele (Clay). The power is elephant style. The last two units are GP38-2s from Grand Junction. Not sure if they are due for an inspection, or if they are being sold for auction (or scrap). The top of a tank car that is likely more than a century old is partially buried in the dirt in the foreground. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111997 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, March 26, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 1 (MP 23.4, 366 ft) Arvada, CO 249 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific UP's MGJNY (manifest from Grand Junction to North Yard) is making a daylight appearance on the Front Range. Five units, elephant style, are approaching the west portal of Tunnel 1 on a beautiful March morning. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111988 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, March 16, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CO-93 Arvada, CO 303 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Rocky Flats Industrial Lead (UP) Union Pacific A week earlier, I mentioned that a 50-foot section of the Rocky Spur had been removed just east of the CO-93 grade crossing. It seems that whatever utility work was being done beneath the tracks has been completed. The tracks have been reconnected and ballast has been laid. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111983 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, March 16, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Little Ten Curve (MP 18.7 to MP 18.9) Arvada, CO 243 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific A westbound UP oil empty sits on the siding near the west end of Rocky, wrapping around Little Ten Curve. The train is awaiting the eastbound California Zephyr, current approaching the east end of Eisele (Clay). Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111981 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, March 16, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Troublesome (5,570 ft) Grand County, CO 259 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific A single ES44AC brings up the tail end of UP's MNYGJ at Troublesome. Those that have seen a lot of pictures from the Moffat can probably recognize the pretty significant difference in makeup of UP's North Yard / Grand Junction manifests compared to BNSF's Denver / Provo manifests. The UP manifests are primarily composed of covered hoppers, whereas BNSF manifest are primarily composed of tank cars. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111980 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, March 16, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Troublesome (5,570 ft) Grand County, CO 306 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific As this westbound manifest continues west, the elevation also continues to decrease. Here at Troublesome, most of the snow on the ground has now melted as the overall snowfall has been less and the temperatures are slightly higher. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111979 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, March 16, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS097 (East Troublesome) Grand County, CO 248 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific UP's MNYGJ knocks down a clear (green) signal at the east end of Troublesome. This exact location was the scene for a terrible tragedy in the 1950s. The crew on an eastbound Rio Grande manifest missed an Approach (yellow) signal at the west end of Troublesome. The first signal that wasn't green since departing Bond. A westbound Rio Grande manifest was entering the siding here at the east switch for a meet. Because the eastbound did not see the yellow signal, the engineer was not slowing to come to a stop at the red signal here at the east end. By the time the crew realized it and put the train in emergency, it was too late. The eastbound impacted with the westbound, causing a significant derailment. This led to Rio Grande producing its own 22-minute training/safety video about the incident. The video was titled "The Trouble at Troublesome". The invention and implementation of PTC should, in theory, prevent that type of accident from ever happening again. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111978 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, March 16, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Byers Canyon Grand County, CO 250 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific A single ES44AC brings up the tail end of UP's westbound MNYGJ in the middle of a snowy Byers Canyon. Unlike most of the canyons the Moffat travels through, you can drive through Byers Canyon (across the river from the track) on US-40. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 111977 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, March 16, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Byers Canyon Grand County, CO 314 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific The head water of the Colorado River are mainly ice-covered in the middle of Byers Canyon, just west of Sulphur. This UP manifest is making good time as is rolls down grade through the canyon. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.

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