Photo ID: 112964 Date Shot Photo By Friday, August 29, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Barbara's Gulch (MP 15.9 to MP 17.2) Arvada, CO 529 (1 Comment Posted) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF At the east end of the narrowest part of Barbara's Gulch, BNSF's Provo-Denver is headed east toward Denver. The train just departed Rocky and is passing underneath CO-93. In the distance, you can clearly see the wind break on Big Ten Curve. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112963 Date Shot Photo By Friday, August 29, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rocky (7,330ft) Arvada, CO 505 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF An eastbound BNSF Provo-Denver manifest rolls east on the main track at Rocky. It is passing by a UP work crew and the West Local. The local is going to pick up four gondolas from the house track, and leave two others that are filled with tie plates. Some additional maintenance of way is tied down in the house track. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112962 Date Shot Photo By Friday, August 29, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 461 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF It is August, which means sunflowers are pretty much in full bloom in the Denver-Metro area. Multiple sunflowers are growing on the south edge of Big Ten Curve as BNSF's Provo-Denver heads east on the final 20-ish miles of the journey. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112961 Date Shot Photo By Friday, August 29, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Eisele (Clay) (5,780 ft) Arvada, CO 491 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF BNSF 5699 has a bit of toaster syndrome on the long hood! At some point, excess heat likely burned off the paint. On this day, the Heritage 2 unit is leading BNSF's Provo-Denver on the main at Eisele. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112960 Date Shot Photo By Friday, August 29, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS022 (West Eiesle (Clay)) Arvada, CO 494 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF At the west switch of Eisele (Clay), an eastbound BNSF Provo-Denver is hustling along at track speed, trying to get to the yard in Denver before the crew runs out of their hours of service. It has been a little while since seeing a Heritage 2 unit leading on the Moffat. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112934 Date Shot Photo By Monday, August 11, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 513 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) NS, BNSF This eastbound oil train has been told that 31st Street yard in Denver currently has no room for the train, so it is going to tie down in the siding at Rocky. The van driver that is picking the crew up is new to the territory...she drove past Rocky and was halfway up Big Ten when she met the eastbound train. The crew told her she should turn around and go back to the east end of Rocky. You can see the van on the right side of the shot, getting ready to turn around. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112933 Date Shot Photo By Monday, August 11, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS020 (East Eisele (Clay)) Arvada, CO 545 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF This shot does a really good job of demonstrating the terrain and the grade of the Moffat between the east end of Eisele (Clay) and partway down the north edge of Big Ten Curve. A trio of DPUs bring up the rear of this loaded oil train this afternoon. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112932 Date Shot Photo By Monday, August 11, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS020 (East Eisele (Clay)) Arvada, CO 480 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) NS, BNSF BNSF almost always runs oil trains on the Moffat in a 3x(0)x3 configuration, and this afternoon is no exception. Although the DPUs on the end cannot be seen in the shadows at Eisele (Clay), an NS ET44AC and two BNSF units clearly lead this oil train out the east end of Eisele (Clay). Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112931 Date Shot Photo By Monday, August 11, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS020 (East Eisele (Clay)) Arvada, CO 476 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) NS, BNSF The east switch of Eisele (Clay) has become one of my favorite spots for pictures of eastbounds. I like the look of the rails along the base of the Rockies. An eastbound oil load passes by the east switch, an NS ET44AC on the head end. The train will be entering the siding at Rocky as there is "no room at the inn" at the yard in Denver. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112930 Date Shot Photo By Monday, August 11, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Detector (MP 22.6) Arvada, CO 467 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) NS, BNSF NS 3641 has just passed by the hotbox detector at MP 22.6. The detector is now counting axles and looking for abnormal heat signature that might indicate a manual brake that has been applied on the train. No such heat signature would be detected today. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112929 Date Shot Photo By Monday, August 11, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Coal Creek (MP 23) Arvada, CO 463 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) NS, BNSF It would seem that BNSF and Norfolk Southern have a joint contract with a company that wants Utah oil. Whomever it is, they must be east of the Mississippi on NS rails. Lately, it has become relatively common to see Norfolk Southern units on BNSF oil trains. Likely the railroads are not always taking the time to fully swap out power when turning the train over to one another. Here, an NS ET44AC leads an eastbound oil train at the base of Coal Creek Canyon. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112928 Date Shot Photo By Monday, August 11, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 1 (MP 23.4, 366 ft) Arvada, CO 494 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) NS, BNSF Just east of Plain, NS 3641 leads a BNSF loaded oil train toward the west portal of Tunnel 1. If the proposed UP/NS merger is ultimately approved, many more Norfolk Southern units might appears on the Moffat when the combined roster starts mixing between the two railroads. For now, NS leased units are all we might see in Colorado. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112927 Date Shot Photo By Monday, August 11, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 29 (MP 36.4, 75 ft) Boulder County, CO 403 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) NS, BNSF There are not that many Tier-4 units in the United States. Even less common (in Colorado) are Norfolk Southern ET44ACs. However, there just happened to be one leading an eastbound BNSF oil train on the Moffat this afternoon. The train is coming through the shortest tunnel in the Tunnel District, Tunnel 29. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112926 Date Shot Photo By Monday, August 11, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 29 (MP 36.4, 75 ft) Boulder County, CO 426 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) NS, BNSF It is certainly possible that shots like this will become way more common in the next few years. On July 29th, Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern officially announced their intention to merge. We are probably 18 to 24 months away from a final decision, but if all the regulatory approvals go through, a lot of Norfolk Southern units might show up on the Moffat until they are repainted in whatever scheme results from the merger. In this picture, an NS ET44AC leads a BNSF oil train out of Tunnel 29. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112908 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, August 7, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rocky (7,330ft) Arvada, CO 466 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF An SD70ACe leads an eastbound loaded oil train in the siding at Rocky. DS-378 has set up a great meet with the westbound Zephyr, which is just to the east, entering Barbara's Gulch right now. After the meet, the oil train will continue east to Denver. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.

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