Western Railroad Discussion > A Perfect Day in the Mountains

With 3-day weekends every other week all summer long, I figured I'd do something about it this weekend (and by weekend, my normal schedule is Tues-Sat). I debated going to the Moffat Tunnel Subdivision yesterday, but uncertainty of what was coming out of Denver cost me the chance at 5 daylight trains.

When an incredibly reliable source, who knows who he is, said today would be similar, I jumped on the chance to go up. I woke up at 5:15 and was on the road by 6:00 for the hour drive. As I was south of Longmont, CO, a phone trace said the North Yard to Roper manifest was already 15 minutes past Plainview. I made the decision to head west out of Boulder up HWY 119 to Rollinsville. I got stuck behind a semi on the way up, and a couple other slow drivers once the semi pulled off, and I didn't get to Rollins until 7:30. I didn't think there was any way it would take the NYRO 1:15 to go the 20 miles from Plainview to Rollinsville.

As fancy driving would have it, I was heading west on the road to East Portal when I looked in the mirror and saw the headlights coming around the curve! UP 8758 leading UP SD60M 2300 and UP 7459 with UP 8960 on the rear.

Photo 1 is after I pulled over and decided to shoot, since I was actually on the right side of the sun! That doesn't happen in the morning very often at Rollins. I tried this one in black and white, as I felt it created mood in the photo. I think it works.

Photo 2 is a few miles up the line, nearing Tolland.

Photo 3: I was going to try to get ahead of the NYRO again when I came around the corner to find BNSF's Provo to Lincoln manifest sitting on the main at Tolland. I turned back around and got it a short ways down the hill from photo 2.

Eastbound and down! And in perfect morning light!
~wko



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/30/15 22:29 by wko.

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I was able to beat the fast-moving manifest to Rollins, however, I didn't even have time to turn off the vehicle!

Photo 4: The short BNSF train heads down at Rollins as fast as the speed limit will allow them. Rio Grande ran their trains short and fast. Shades of the olden days!

Photo 5: I got the BNSF train once more at Cliffe, then headed back up the hill, as the DS had told the NYRO they were meeting one at Winter Park. I waited at East Portal, but then the dispatcher told a track rider the eastbound was "about to come out of that tunnel" I decided to try my car, which I haven't had very long, on Rollins Pass. The 2nd word there is the key, it passed! Shortly after getting to my spot, UP 5656 came out of the tunnel heading east. Note the mid train swing DPs near the west switch.

Photo 6 is the same train at Cliffe. I was debating getting it here or at the road crossing at the actual town. I'm glad I was here, as shortly before the train showed up a truck or SUV rolled off the road into the ditch, right where I would've been set up! I got video of the ambulance passing the cars of the train.

With no other eastbounds on the lineup, it was down the hill I go!
~wko

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I thought maybe I could get the train at either Plain siding with the flatirons in the background or maybe even go in to Rainbow Cut. Well, a giant track gang was set up there, so I didn't even bother going all the way to the tracks. As I was looking something up, the coal load slipped out of Tunnel 4, which I had hoped to get a shot of. DOH!

So, I headed down in hopes of being able to maybe drive into the open space for a shot I've wanted but have been too lazy to hike into. Nope, the gate that's always been there was still there and still locked. DOH! 

Photo 7: while I was still sitting there, the train came around the corner from Plain and was about to enter Tunnel 1. I figured I may as well get a shot out the window.

Photo 8 is at Blue Mountain Road. With no other options, and more maintenance people at Rocky, I headed to Blue Mountain Road crossing.

Photo 9 is the last shot of this train at the east end of Leyden. This is one of two sets of searchlight signals on the east side, West Cliff being the only other set.

A call to Julie said Amtrak was departing Denver, and a well-timed PM said there was more activity!
~wko

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I went to the only place I could think down the hill that would have shade, the Big 10 overlook, and ate lunch while waiting for #5. I figured I was there, everything was in the shade, I may as well get the train there. It was coming along rather slowly (lots of slow orders all over), and stopped at the east switch of the siding. This is where I found out there were two track riders ahead of them checking the line. One cleared up at Eisele siding and one headed up the hill from Plain to check the tunnel district to Cliff.

Photo 10: as soon as the one cleared up at Eisele, #5 pulled up as far as Eisele siding (formerly Clay).

Photo 11 is after it started pulling again, seen at Blue Mountain Road. The train pulled from Eisele siding to Plain siding after that track rider departed.

Photo 12 is the pleasent surprise at the end of the train: CB&Q observation dome Silver Solarium from the original California Zephyr.

There was no way I wasn't going back up the hill to catch this again!
~wko



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/30/15 22:54 by wko.

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I wound up waiting at the town of Pinecliffe for almost two hours while the track riders fixed two problems they found as well as added two 10-mph slow orders. Finally the train showed up.

Photo 13 is Amtrak #5 just west of Cliff siding.

Photo 14 is similar to what I wanted, but the sun had swung to the other side. I won't complain!

Before getting photo 13, I heard the dispatcher give permission for BNSF 4061 west to depart Crescent to head west. After I got the Zephyr, I headed to the other end of the siding and waited for what I expected to be 20 or so minutes. About 8 minutes into that, the dispatcher came on the radio and said there was high wind warnings and they were to stop their train immediately until the warnings were over.

Photo 15: an hour and a half later, lots of lightning, rain, and back to sun later, BNSF 4061 round the curve at the east end of Cliff siding.

This long, heavy train wasn't going very fast, so it was an easy one to catch up with.
~wko

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Photo 16 is the whole train at Rollins. Allllllll those tank cars were loaded. They sounded fantastic going by.

Photo 17 is the DP of the Denver to Provo passing West Rollins. I found the dust and sand mix thrown up by the 7117 very intriguing. I've never seen anything like it

Photo 18 is at East Portal. I was expecting something similar to the previous scene, however there was another high wind warning on the west side, so they stopped before entering the tunnel. 

Ultimately, the 3 westbounds behind this would get stopped due to the same high wind advisory, and the sun would dip behind the mountains before any of them would move. I decided then to head home after a 5 train day. Sure, it could've been 8, but I'm not going to complain. Sunny, upper 70s, and hardly any wind (where I was, anyway!). Can't beat that for June 30!

Thanks for looking, hope you enjoyed!
~wko

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wko Wrote:
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> Photo 1. I tried this one in black and
> white, as I felt it created mood in the photo. I
> think it works.
>
> ~wko

Definitely works, wko!

As ALL of 'em do.   Great stuff, bub.

Pat from Littleton, Colorado

 

Great bunch.
JB

Perfect indeed! What a Great series, #5 and #8 are my personal favorites. Thanks for sharing your day with us.

Great series, Kirk! Looks like a pretty good day on the hill...

James Nelson
Thornton, CO
www.flickr.com/mojaveflyer

...just what the doctor ordered! An A+ day behind the camera. Really nice stuff!!

Lance

GREAT stuff...!! Thanks for sharing. I like Pic 5!!

I have never seen one from the angle you shot No. 5, and it's great.  Very nice series.

Thanks for the kind words, everyone! It was a stereotypical Colorado day, sunny and nice with an afternoon shower!

nycman Wrote:
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> I have never seen one from the angle you shot No.
> 5, and it's great.  Very nice series.

Thanks! That was shot on the road up the original Rollins Pass line. 4WD and high clearance are the only way this shot can be done. This is only the 3rd time I've done it, last fall and 2005 were the other two.
~wko

Great set of pics. Nice angles!

Ted Curphey
Ontario, OR

Congratulations on IOTD. What an outstanding series. Every picture is a winner in my opinion.
John

Great shots! It WAS a nice day in the mountains. My favorites would have to be all with the CZ observation. What a classic car. Nice IOTD, too! === === = === JLH

Excellent series. That angle of the eastbound coal loads leaving Moffat Tunnel is simply outstanding, IOTD for tomorrow if it were up to me ;-) 

Thanks for sharing,
~Ryan

Great photos.
I drove that route once during last December, I see the photo spots but you often need a train to make it right. You had both, good shootin'.
t4p.

Great series of photos.  Made my afternoon of train picture viewing here on TO!  Congratulations on IOTD.

Rich