Photo ID: 110899 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, August 14, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Blue Mountain Drive (MP 22.43) Arvada, CO 301 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific Underneath accumulating afternoon clouds, three elephant-style GEs lead an eastbound oil train at Blue Mountain Drive. Despite all wearing the same scheme, the schemes are clearly in varying states of "wear and tear". the tail end of the train is still on the other side of Tunnel 1 across the valley. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 110898 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, August 14, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Coal Creek (MP 23) Arvada, CO 320 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific Just east of the bridge over CO-72 at the base of Coal Creek Canyon, three units (elephant-style) make their way through a cut. Clouds are moving in, and the relatively gentle looking clouds seen here will give way to dark storm clouds within an hour or so. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 110897 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, August 14, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 1 (MP 23.4, 366 ft) Arvada, CO 319 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific A loaded eastbound oil train winds through the S-Curve east of Plain, on the approach to the west portal of Tunnel 1. This is, of course, the final tunnel (when heading east). The train is just a few miles from the open plains. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 110892 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, August 14, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS012 (East Leyden) Arvada, CO 362 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific For a couple of years, UP's schedule for the MGJNY seemed to be such that it often arrived in Denver in pre-dawn hours. Sometimes, on the longer days of the year, it might arrive in early morning light. However, something seems to have shifted a bit as it has become more common for it to show up in the mid-morning to mid-afternoon. Here, the manifest rolls east out of Leyden one minute before 1 o'clock in the afternoon. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 110891 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, August 14, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Leyden (7,020ft) Arvada, CO 345 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific I was a little bit surprised to find UP 1100, a GP60, on the eastbound MGJNY. Why surprised? Well, I caught the same unit also going east exactly two weeks earlier. Heading east again so soon, makes me suspect that it has some sort of mechanical issue that needs to be sorted out. If that's the case, it is likely headed for North Platte, NE. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 110890 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, August 14, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Leyden (7,020ft) Arvada, CO 346 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific A little over halfway through Leyden, UP's thrice weekly MGJNY (Manifest, Grand Junction to Denver) is accelerating toward track speed as it passes by the numerous western Arvada neighborhoods, most of which were built in the last 25 years. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 110889 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, August 14, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Leyden (7,020ft) Arvada, CO 330 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific Can you spot both the trains in this shot? The eastbound UP manifest is pretty obvious. But, less obvious, is the oil train off in the distance, crossing like a thin black stripe across the mountain in the distance. This westbound oil train is at Eisele (Clay) after meeting the manifest at Rocky. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 110888 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, August 14, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Eisele to Plain (MP 21.8 to MP 24.0) Arvada, CO 416 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific, Rocky Mountaineer On the climb up the roughly 2% grade toward Tunnel 1, a pair of UP SD70Ms lead ten cars on the Rocky Mountaineer. As we get closer to fall (and fall colors), passenger volumes on the Rocky Mountaineer will continue to increase to enjoy the colorful trip from Denver to Moab (or back). Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 110887 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, August 14, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Detector (MP 22.6) Arvada, CO 427 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific, Rocky Mountaineer Just west of Blue Mountain Road, the Rocky Mountaineer passes by the hotbox detector at milepost 22.6. This detector will report the number of axles, train speed, and temperature to the crew. In this case, if the detector reports anything other than 52 axles, the crew will have to either inspect the train, or reduce speed until the next detector. However, the detector reliably reads out 52 axles this morning. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 110886 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, August 14, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS022 (West Eiesle (Clay)) Arvada, CO 468 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific, Rocky Mountaineer SD70Ms have the reigns on the westbound Rocky Mountaineer this morning, the train running right on time past the green foliage at the west end of Eisele (Clay). Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 110885 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, August 14, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Leyden to Rocky (MP 13.4 to MP 17.4) Arvada, CO 421 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific, Rocky Mountaineer This season has seen the power on the Rocky Mountaineer consistently inconsistent! Seemingly on a weekly basis, the power has switched from Rocky Mountaineer GP40-3s to UP SD70Ms and back again. On this Wednesday, UP power is on the point again as the train blasts west of Leyden, the Denver skyline in the distance. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 110878 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, August 8, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Leyden to Rocky (MP 13.4 to MP 17.4) Arvada, CO 325 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific, Amtrak A UP C44AC-CTE, now rebuilt as a C44ACM, is leading the westbound Zephyr on an afternoon that brought some much needed moisture and cooler temperatures to the area. There has been no significant rain in weeks, and temperatures have been well into the 90°Fs (32°Cs). Today, the temperature is very pleasant 60°F (15°C). Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 110877 Date Shot Photo By Thursday, August 8, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Leyden to Rocky (MP 13.4 to MP 17.4) Arvada, CO 389 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific, Amtrak The westbound Zephyr arrived in Denver a little over two hours late, and ended up getting delayed another hour in town when it stopped to pick up a UP unit as a new leader, likely due to a mechanical issue with one of the P42DCs. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 110876 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, August 7, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP W005 (Sand Creek Junction) Commerce City, CO 482 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Greeley (UP) Union Pacific UP 6230 leads an ES44AC and an SD70ACe across the diamond at Sand Creek as it crosses over the diamonds namesake (Sand Creek). UP 6230 was delivered in May 1995 as SP 150. The train is also passing by the Suncor oil refineries. There are technically two refineries on the property, capable of processing close to 100,000 barrels of oil each day. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 110875 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, August 7, 2024 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP W005 (Sand Creek Junction) Commerce City, CO 431 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Greeley (UP) Union Pacific A trio of elephant-style units provide the sole power on a long manifest that consists mainly of covered hoppers. No DPUs on the train today, suggesting the train probably consists of empties more so than loads. The train is passing through the Suncor oil refinery on its way north on the Greeley sub. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.

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