Photo ID: 112687 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, June 29, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS003 (Utah Junction) Denver, CO 20 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak Three P42DCs lead the Zephyr west at Utah Jct, under what might just be the last-remaining Rio Grande signal bridge on the former Rio Grande. The searchlight signals on the bridge are also some of the last Rio Grande signals still in operation in Colorado. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112686 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, June 29, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS003 (Utah Junction) Denver, CO 24 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The California Zephyr is on UP's Moffat Tunnel Sub, crossing over the diamond for the Belt Lead at Utah Jct, at the north end of North Yard. This is the second consecutive day that the train is running with three P42DCs. Not sure why...perhaps just a power move to California. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112685 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, June 29, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed North Yard to Utah Jct (MP 3.0 to MP 3.2) Denver, CO 27 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The westbound Zephyr has three P42DCs on the head end today on a train whose number today is 1005 instead of 5. The train purposefully departed Chicago four hours late the day before, with the entire schedule delayed by four hours, all the way to Emeryville, CA. As such, an on time departure from Denver would have been 12:46pm. The train was about an hour delayed when it finally departed, now passing by North Yard to the right, and Rennicks yard to the left. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112667 Date Shot Photo By Friday, June 27, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 29 (MP 36.4, 75 ft) Boulder County, CO 19 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak This location is something of a classic on the Moffat, as the Zephyr wraps around the tight curve on the approach to Tunnel 29, the shortest tunnel in the Tunnel District at only 75 feet in length. My dad has a shot of the Rio Grande Zephyr, with DRGW 5771 leading, from roughly this same perspective. Note the slight discoloration in the rock by the final Superliner, This used to be Tunnel 28, but was daylights decades ago due to cave-ins. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112666 Date Shot Photo By Friday, June 27, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 26 (MP 35.2, 320 ft) Boulder County, CO 20 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak Deep in the Tunnel District, just west of Tunnel 26, passenger aboard the California Zephyr enjoy the views that only the Zephyr can bring! The train is high above South Boulder Creek, heading toward Tunnel 27. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112665 Date Shot Photo By Friday, June 27, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Tunnel 1 (MP 23.4, 366 ft) Arvada, CO 19 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak While the Operation Lifesaver unit, AMTK 203, it obviously different from the normal Phase 5b paint scheme, I am little curious what the blue stripe on the nose of the lead unit, AMTK 51, is all about. The train is approaching the east portal of Tunnel 1. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112664 Date Shot Photo By Friday, June 27, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Detector (MP 22.6) Arvada, CO 17 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The westbound Zephyr, with a baggage car and nine Superliners, crosses Blue Mountain Drive and passes by the hotbox detector at MP 22.6 on a morning in which the temperature has already reached 80°F (27°C). Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112663 Date Shot Photo By Friday, June 27, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Eisele to Plain (MP 21.8 to MP 24.0) Arvada, CO 19 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak One of the most uniquely painted locomotives is certainly AMTK 203. It was painted in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Operation Lifesaver. I think the designers did a very good job of using one of the two parts of the cross in the railroad crossing signal to wrap around the base of the nose. Unfortunately, the unit was the trailing unit this morning. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112662 Date Shot Photo By Friday, June 27, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS022 (West Eiesle (Clay)) Arvada, CO 21 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The westbound Zephyr, having departed Denver only about seven minutes late, has knocked down the green signal at the west end of Eisele (Clay). AMTK 203, Amtrak's Operations Lifesaver unit, is second out in the consist. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112650 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, June 24, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS050 (West East Portal) Gilpin County, CO 38 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak In the Valley where the Moffat Tunnel is located, we see the westbound Zephyr, running about three hours late, on the main track at East Portal. The train is just about to knock down a clear (green) signal, and dive into 6.2 miles of darkness, passing underneath the Continental Divide at roughly 9,200 feet above sea level. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112649 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, June 24, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 26 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak About a month ago, Union Pacific reinforced the track on the north edge of Big Ten Curve. A lot of rip rap rock was laid on the slope of the track, as you can see to the right. The California Zephyr, with nine Superliners, climbs up and around Big Ten. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112648 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, June 24, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS019 (West Rocky) Arvada, CO 28 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak After meeting a Provo-Denver here at Rocky, the Zephyr has already accelerated back up to track speed as it blasts through the OS at the west end of Rocky. Union Pacific gives IDs to all control points, in addition to names. As you can see, the control point ID here at West Rocky is "CP DS019". The "DS" comes from "Denver and Salt Lake", David Moffat's railroad that built the line well over a century ago. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112647 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, June 24, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Little Ten Curve (MP 18.7 to MP 18.9) Arvada, CO 36 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak AMTK 147 and AMTK 194 lead the westbound Zephyr on the main at Rocky as two DPUs pass by the P42s on the tail end of an eastbound BNSF Provo-Denver. The dispatcher set up a really good meet here, and neither train ultimately had to stop. This is referred to as a "rolling meet". Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112645 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, June 24, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Barbara's Gulch (MP 15.9 to MP 17.2) Arvada, CO 30 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The westbound Zephyr that departed Chicago on June 23rd had a late start. Unfortunately, it lost more time on its journey west toward Denver, and departed Denver a little over three hours late. Here, that train is coming up to an approach (yellow) signal at the east switch of Rocky. It will be meeting a BNSF Provo-Denver which is already in the block at the west end. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 112640 Date Shot Photo By Monday, June 23, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Plain (6,530 ft) Jefferson County, CO 37 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak While the east half of Plain is one of the most commonly photographed portions of the east side of the Moffat, the west half is likely one of the least photographed portions as it is quite remote. Here, the Zephyr has come to a stop on the main at the west end of Plain. Passengers are going to have to be patient and wait for about 90 minutes for some track plate repairs to take place between Tunnel 2 and Tunnel 3. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.

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