Every car that makes up the wind break on the inside of the curve on Big Ten Curve has graffiti covering them. The cars have been repainted at least twice in their history, but that seemingly only creates a fresh template, inviting new graffiti "artists". A westbound oil empty wraps around the outside of Big Ten, led by an SD70ACe.
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I really like this shot, with the three units leading elephant-style on the most common type of train on the Moffat in 2024. Alas, the paint scheme on the three units...particularly the burnt flag on the long hood of the lead unit...are not the best UP has to offer. The train is climbing up from Rocky toward Big Ten Curve.
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Sunflowers are popping up along the right-of-way as we move closer to the end of summer. Three units, elephant-style, lead an empty oil train out the west end of Rocky on the journey west. These oil trains, while not as numerous as coal trains were two years ago, are by far the most common train on the Moffat today.
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Morning light bounces off the conductor's side of the train on the point of a westbound oil can train. The train is headed for the transload facility in Wash, UT, just east of Price, UT. The oil is taken to the facility from oil wells via truck, and then moved to trains before heading east.
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The relative high speeds of the rails on the plains are behind now for this westbound oil train, making its way through the narrowest part of Barbara's Gulch. Note the speed sign on the right side of the rails, indicate the max speed for eastbounds once the entire train has passed beyond the sign. Why the two numbers? The top number (60 MPH) is the max speed for passenger trains. The bottom number (30 MPH) is the max speed for everything else.
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Working its way west through Barbara's Gulch, three elephant-style units are on the point of a UP oil empty. The number of oil trains seems to have increased on the Moffat somewhat in the last year or so.
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As the eastbound oil train rolls away from the camera on the main track at Leyden, a westbound BNSF manifest (the Denver to Provo) has turned its lights back on full and is ready to depart west as soon as DS-380 aligns the switch and gets a light for the train.
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After meeting the Zephyr at Eisele and meeting a UP oil train at Rocky, the train will meet a BNSF manifest at Leyden, just ahead. UP 9576 looks pretty sharp in the new UP paint scheme. 15 years ago, most of the buildings (and houses) visible in this shot did not exist. This western most part of Arvada has grown a lot.
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While UP has been focused on rebuilding some older unit, they still have 170 Tier-4 GE units (ET44ACs) on the roster. UP 2583 is an example of one of these units, as noted by the extra large radiator intakes and interesting bulge directly ahead the radiator intake.
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UP 9576 is a C44ACM, recently rebuilt from SP 8112, a C44-9W. One of the largest parts of the rebuild included changing the units from DC traction motors to AC traction motors. Several Class 1 railroads are pursuing rebuilds instead of buying new Tier-4 units from either GE or EMD.
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Two decades ago, coal train dominated the Moffat. Fast forward to the time of this shot and coal has been replaced by oil. A westbound empty sits on the siding at Rocky in the foreground, while an eastbound oil load slows to a stop on the main track at Eisele in the distance.
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A freshly repainted C44ACM, sporting UPs newest "go forward" scheme leads a loaded oil train through the crossing at Blue Mountain Drive, through the curves east of Tunnel 1.
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It is not uncommon to find a ex-SP AC4400CW roaming the rails, but it is less common to find an ex-SP C44-9W. UP 9576 happens to be exactly that! It was originally SP 8112, but was just recently rebuilt as a C44ACM, having its DC traction motors swapped out with AC traction motors. It and two other GEs lead an eastbound oil train at Tunnel 1.
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At the time of this shot, the westbound Zephyr was delayed in Denver due to a mechanical issue. DS-380 was planning on bringing an eastbound oil train down the main here at Rocky, meeting a westbound empty on the siding. You can see the yellow (Approach) at the west end. Amtrak would resolve their issues and this signal would be taken back. The oil load would hold the main at Eisele (Clay).
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A westbound empty oil train is stopped in the siding at Rocky and will be holding here for a little while. The westbound Zephyr is going to run around the train on the main, and it will continue to hold for an eastbound loaded oil train as well.
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