Photo ID: 112714 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, July 1, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Plain to Crescent (MP 25.3 to MP 30.6) Jefferson County, CO 78 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The westbound Zephyr is moving along one of the longer stretches without a tunnel in the Tunnel District, between Tunnel 16 and Tunnel 17. This area is known as South Draw, and is absolutely one of the highlights of riding the Zephyr (or other passenger trains) on the Moffat. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112713 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, July 1, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Plain to Crescent (MP 25.3 to MP 30.6) Jefferson County, CO 107 (1 Comment Posted) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The westbound Zephyr heads west through a cut that is known as "Old Tunnel 17". When the Moffat Route was originally be built in the early 1900s, the tunnel presented a lot of geologic problems, includes frequent cave-ins. The tracks were rerouted around a shoofly outside of the tunnel. That shoofly is now beneath all the pine trees on the outside of the cut in this shot. Old Tunnel 17 was finally daylighted, and the tracks were moved to their current alignment, now moving through a cut instead of a tunnel. While Tunnels 9 and 28 were daylight quite awhile after the route had been in operation, they retained their numbers. Since "Old Tunnel 17" had issues from the beginning of construction, at was ultimately bypassed, the next tunnel to the west was numbered Tunnel 17 from the start. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112712 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, July 1, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 16 (MP 28.7, 698 ft) Jefferson County, CO 89 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak Tunnel 16 is one of the longer tunnels in the Tunnel District, just two feet shy of 700 feet long. As a result, there is some exhaust that builds up in the tunnel, and you can see a bit of that exhaust coming out of the tunnel toward the left as the westbound Zephyr continues west in the Tunnel District. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112711 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, July 1, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 12 (MP 27.9, 429 ft) Boulder County, CO 84 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The start pair of P42DCs lead the westbound Zephyr as it emerges from Tunnel 12 and approaches Tunnel 13 in South Draw in the Tunnel District. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112710 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, July 1, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 11 (MP 27.8, 238 ft) Boulder County, CO 103 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The westbound Zephyr is deep in the (lower) Tunnel District as the head end emerges from Tunnel 11, while the last few cars on the train are still in Tunnel 10. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112702 Date Shot Photo By Monday, June 30, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS001 (Fox Junction) Denver, CO 96 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The eastbound Zephyr has roughly a mile remaining on UP rails for this trip. The train is on Main 2 between Fox Jct and Prospect Jct. After making its scheduled stop at Union Station, the train will move over to BNSF rails for the remaining of the trip to Chicago. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112699 Date Shot Photo By Monday, June 30, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Detector (MP 22.6) Arvada, CO 67 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak AMTK 51 and AMTK 203 lead the eastbound Zephyr through the hotbox detector at MP 22.6 at Blue Mountain Drive. The detector would reveal that the temperature is currently 76°F (25°C), the train approaching the grade crossing. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112698 Date Shot Photo By Monday, June 30, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 1 (MP 23.4, 366 ft) Arvada, CO 93 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The evening Zephyr is running a little over an hour late as it glides down the grade toward the west portal of Tunnel 1. The final tunnel the train will pass through between here at Chicago. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112697 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, June 29, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Plain (6,530 ft) Arvada, CO 98 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific The final bit of sunlight for the day is reflecting off some thunderclouds over the plains, the Denver skyline visible toward the left in the distance. This UP officer special has come to a stop just short of the grade crossing at Plain. The train will wait here for the eastbound California Zephyr. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112696 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, June 29, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 1 (MP 23.4, 366 ft) Arvada, CO 93 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific On average, once or maybe twice a year, UP will run an Officer Car Special over the Moffat. Usually, the passenger cars are deadheading between Council Bluffs, IA and somewhere in California. That seems to be the case here, as nobody is actually on the train itself. The train is emerging from Tunnel 1, running on a Approach Diverging (yellow over yellow) signal, reading to take the siding at Plain. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112695 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, June 29, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 1 (MP 23.4, 366 ft) Arvada, CO 95 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific Although the sun has ducked behind the mountains, it is technically still 20 minutes to sunset as a pair of SD70Ms lead a UP OCS (Officer Car Special) into Tunnel 1. The train is deadheading 11 cars (plus a power car) from Council Bluff, IA west toward California. The train will spend the night tonight in Glenwood Springs. The train was expected to head west about six hours earlier, but some maintenance around town resulted in a much later departure west. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112694 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, June 29, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Eisele (Clay) (5,780 ft) Arvada, CO 85 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific A relatively small downpour south of Big Ten toward Golden reveals a small hint of a rainbow as a UP passenger special rolls west through the siding at Eisele (Clay). The train was going to stop here to meet the eastbound Zephyr, but DS-378 decided to take the train up to Plain for the meet. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112693 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, June 29, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 101 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific UP 4404 and UP 4533 throttle up and kick up some exhaust after clearing a slow order, picking up speed while climbing out of Rocky, up and around Big Ten Curve. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112692 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, June 29, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rocky (7,330ft) Arvada, CO 85 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific A UP officer's special wraps round Little Ten Curve at Rocky as a rainbow forms toward the south over the town of Golden. A few small afternoon showers let a bit of rain fall today. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112691 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, June 29, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Leyden to Rocky (MP 13.4 to MP 17.4) Arvada, CO 82 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific Under some partly cloudy skies, 40 minutes before sunset, a pair of SD70Ms lead a Union Pacific officer's special west out of Leyden. UP sold off quite a bit of their passenger equipment, but still has enough to make a great looking train! The train is headed for Glenwood Springs tonight, and will continue west tomorrow. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.

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