Railroad photograph
Photo by: Kevin Morgan
This westbound train has seven (yes, seven!) mid-train swing helpers. Looks like the days of Tennessee Pass! The reason for the power is because this is actually two trains, combined as one. As you can see, the second half of the train is a coal empty. To keep the general manifest cars moving, UP added them to the front of this coal empty, headed for Grand Junction. They did this so the manifest cars would not have to wait for the (regularly scheduled) MNYGJ. Most of this power will be used on the coal train after the train is split in Grand Junction. This type of train blocking is all the result of the theory known as Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR). A philosophy that Class 1 railroads in particular have really embraced.
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Sunday, September 20, 2026 at 15:13:22
image date



Location Information

City or County and State
Gilpin County, CO

Subdivision
Moffat Tunnel (UP)

Milepost or Control Point
Tolland to East Portal (MP 47.7 to MP 48.9)




Train Information
Railroad
Union Pacific
Model
ES44AC
Primary Unit Number
UP 8034

Paint Scheme
UP Flag/Lightning/Wings
Symbol
CAOWE-13
Train Type
Manifest


Photo Information
Camera Make/Model
Hasselblad / Mavic 3 / Mavic 3 Pro [L2D-20c]
ISO
110
900
Flash
Did Not Fire

Focal Length
24 mm
Shutter
1/1600 seconds
Aperture
f/2.8