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Photo ID: 112589
Date Shot
Photo By
Friday, June 13, 2025 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Arvada to Leyden (MP 7.5 to MP 11.9)
Arvada, CO
54
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Subdivision
Railroad
Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF
Two units, an NS "catfish" and a BNSF Heritage 2 unit, bring up the tail end of BNSF's Provo-Denver. The Norfolk Southern unit is called a "catfish" as the white stripes on the black unit kind of give the appearance of a catfish. As the train rolls by, the owner of the field works to mow the grass.
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Photo ID: 112588
Date Shot
Photo By
Friday, June 13, 2025 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Arvada to Leyden (MP 7.5 to MP 11.9)
Arvada, CO
44
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Subdivision
Railroad
Moffat Tunnel (UP) BNSF
A trio of SD70ACes lead BNSF's Provo-Denver eastbound through Arvada. The train spent about four hours tied down in the siding at Rocky, waiting for a fresh crew to take the train the rest of the way into Denver.
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Photo ID: 112587
Date Shot
Photo By
Friday, June 13, 2025 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Arvada to Leyden (MP 7.5 to MP 11.9)
Arvada, CO
47
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Subdivision
Railroad
Moffat Tunnel (UP) Rocky Mountaineer
Afternoon clouds roll through the area as the Rocky Mountaineer heads east on the main through Arvada between Leyden and Arvada. RMRX 8021, the other GP40-3, is in UP's North Yard, receiving some maintenance. In the meantime, The RM's leased SD40M-2 (ex-SD45), RMRX 8600, is leading the train east.
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Photo ID: 112580
Date Shot
Photo By
Wednesday, June 11, 2025 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
C&S Jct to Arvada (MP 4.8 to MP MP 7.5)
Denver, CO
45
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Subdivision
Railroad
Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific
This GP40N is catching a ride on the MGJNY. The unit is likely due for a 90-day inspection, and is on its way to North Platte, NE. The unit was originally a GP40-2, delivered to Western Pacific in July 1979 as WP 3548. For the rivet counters out there, its frame number is 786220-4.
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Photo ID: 112579
Date Shot
Photo By
Wednesday, June 11, 2025 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
CP DS007 (Arvada)
Denver, CO
49
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Subdivision
Railroad
Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific
At CP DS007 (Arvada), the MGJNY diverges from the Main Track to Main 2. UP intentionally added a little dog leg curve to the main so Main 1 (far track to the right) would not be diverging at the switch. This is because heavy coal trains (and now oil train) generally run on Main 1, and UP did not want the heavy trains to diverging through the switch. The switch itself is actually a (relatively) high speed switch. It is long and has moveable point frogs.
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Photo ID: 112578
Date Shot
Photo By
Wednesday, June 11, 2025 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Arvada to Leyden (MP 7.5 to MP 11.9)
Denver, CO
55
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Subdivision
Railroad
Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific
UP's MGJNY, the thrice-weekly manifest from Grand Junction to Denver, is approaching the Pierce Street grade crossing in Arvada. If you look in the distance, you can actually see Big Ten Loop.
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Photo ID: 112577
Date Shot
Photo By
Wednesday, June 11, 2025 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Pecos X-Over to C&S Jct (MP 4.0 to MP 4.8)
Denver, CO
47
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Subdivision
Railroad
Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific
After meeting the Rocky Mountaineer at Arvada, this loaded oil train continued east and into Bypass 1 at C&S Junction. The Rocky Mountaineer got out of town just in time, as both Bypass tracks are now plugged with trains. Bypass 2 has a coal train on it (behind the camera). At the time of this photo, there was a new rumor floating around that UP is planning to start running all oil trains through Wyoming and over Soldier Summit, cutting out the Moffat. Time will tell...
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Photo ID: 112576
Date Shot
Photo By
Wednesday, June 11, 2025 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
CP DS005 (C&S Junction)
Denver, CO
41
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Subdivision
Railroad
Moffat Tunnel (UP) Rocky Mountaineer
At C&S Junction, the Rocky Mountaineer proceeds west from Main 1 to Main 2 on a diverging approach signal. The train will stop at the next signal at Arvada to wait for an eastbound oil train. For those versed in identifying which main is which, you might noticed that the head end of the train is still on Main 1 in this shot. The OS at C&S Junction is half a mile long, and the crossover from Main 1 to Main 2 is behind the camera.
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Photo ID: 112575
Date Shot
Photo By
Wednesday, June 11, 2025 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Pecos X-Over to C&S Jct (MP 4.0 to MP 4.8)
Denver, CO
46
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Moffat Tunnel (UP) Rocky Mountaineer
The Rocky Mountaineer had to briefly hold on Bypass 1 at C&S Junction to wait on a (somewhat rare) eastbound UP coal load that just arrived on Bypass 2. With the coal train now in the clear, the Mountaineer will shortly be able to continue west.
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Photo ID: 112568
Date Shot
Photo By
Wednesday, June 11, 2025 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
CP DS000 (Prospect Junction)
Denver, CO
52
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Subdivision
Railroad
Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak
The California Zephyr is working on getting out of Denver with nine Superliners in tow. The train is briefly stopped at Prospect Junction, waiting for a conductor to reboard the train after aligning a switch on the Buck Lead.
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Photo ID: 112562
Date Shot
Photo By
Monday, June 9, 2025 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Eisele to Plain (MP 21.8 to MP 24.0)
Arvada, CO
61
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak
Just west of Tunnel 1, the morning Zephyr is running about 45 minutes late. You can see Canyon Pines Drive, the road that accesses the new Arvada neighborhood of Canyon Pines. The neighborhood will have custom home builds, but several years into the project, no houses have actually popped up just yet.
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Photo ID: 112561
Date Shot
Photo By
Monday, June 9, 2025 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Tunnel 1 (MP 23.4, 366 ft)
Arvada, CO
63
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak
The westbound Zephyr approaches the east portal Tunnel 1 above CO-72 at the base of Coal Creek Canyon. When the Denver and Salt Lake (or, at the time, the Denver, Northwestern, and Pacific) first started investigating routes to head west through The Rockies, Coal Creek Canyon was one of the routes surveyed. The route would have necessitated a 2-3 mile long tunnel. As such, the route along the Front Range and South Boulder Canyon, through the Tunnel District, was chosen instead. Today, of course, CO-72 heads west up Coal Creek Canyon.
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Photo ID: 112560
Date Shot
Photo By
Monday, June 9, 2025 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Blue Mountain Drive (MP 22.43)
Arvada, CO
58
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Subdivision
Railroad
Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak
This spring has been quite a bit cooler in the Denver area than the average area, and it certainly has been a wetter spring than on average. In May, 3.9" of rain fell in Arvada, nearly double the average of 2.2" for the month. The result has been the greening up of the area. The valley here at Blue Mountain Drive looks fantastic and alive as the morning Zephyr heads west.
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Photo ID: 112559
Date Shot
Photo By
Monday, June 9, 2025 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Eisele (Clay) (5,780 ft)
Arvada, CO
49
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak
Since COVID in 2020, the Zephyr has pretty consistently been running with a baggage car and seven Superliners. A few weeks ago, a third coach started appearing on the Zephyr, increasing the length of the train to eight Superliners. On this particular morning, as the Zephyr heads west on the main at Eisele (Clay), the train is a bit longer with nine Superliners in tow. Granted, the very last car is a sleeper that is just deadheading out to California.
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Photo ID: 112558
Date Shot
Photo By
Monday, June 9, 2025 Kevin Morgan
Location
Times Viewed
Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2)
Arvada, CO
48
(Add a Comment)
Subdivision
Railroad
Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak
AMTK 51 and AMTK 14 lead the westbound Zephyr by the recent construction site on Big Ten, where Union Pacific spent a few weeks putting new rock down to reinforce the grade here on the north end of Big Ten Curve.
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