Good evening (okay, middle of the night)... Turns out the Zephyr made it to Salt Lake with a P42 that wouldn't load. After running west on the MNYRO last Saturday, UP 1989 just happened to be on hand in Roper and the UP power desk gave 'er up to Amtrak. I picked up my kids from daycare and headed straight for the Moffat Tunnel. We got to the tunnel with about ten minutes to spare before the Zephyr popped out on its journey east. Unfortunately, the lighting was pretty bad at East Portal as the sun was still higher in the sky then I had hoped. However, a slow order just east of Rollins and a loaded coal train down near Crescent helped to slow the Zephyr's progress a bit. We were able to get some shots at East Portal, Tolland, Coal Creek Canyon, Big Ten and in Denver. ============================ 1. The Zephyr emerges from the Moffat Tunnel with UP 1989 on the point. The rather....ummm....harsh lighting merited a black and white shot. 2. Some of the best light of the evening could be found at the base of Coal Creek Canyon. UP 1989 leads the Zephyr across CO Highway 72. 3. The loaded coal train takes the siding at Rocky ahead of the Zephyr. DS-82 got the Zephyr a restricting signal out of Clay and around Big Ten. 4. A wide angle shot looking down at Big Ten Loop. The Denver skyline can be seen about twenty miles to the southeast.
5. The Zephyr backs down the passenger lead into Union Station past a BNSF plow. In the background, the Colorado Rockies take on the Pittsburgh Pirates at Coors Field. 6. Last shot of the day for me. The Zephyr makes its station stop at Union Station before departing - with UP 1989 still on the point - for Chicago. ============================ Interestingly, Amtrak did *not* have a spare P42DC on hand in Denver (which they typically do). As a result, UP 1989 was kept on the point of the Zephyr when the train left east for Chicago! Here are all of my shots of the train descending the Front Range between the Moffat and Denver. For those of you that have models of the Zephyr as well as the DRGW Heritage Unit, congratulations! You can now run them together and genuinely say it is prototypical.
Oh Man, I wish I knew about this in time to get downtown and get a shot too! :tb-cool: :tb-cool: :tb-cool: :tb-cool:
Kevin, wow man, great photos! How awesome is that to have the Rio Grande Heritage unit on the front of Amtrak! :thumbs_up: :tb-biggrin: -Mike
What a totally awesome catch! It is good to see the Rio Grande name leading the California Zephyr again. Ben
And that right there was the train I was on from SF to Lincoln! I have some great video/pics from on board that will be uploaded here in the next few days.
And you were just a few miles from my house and didn't stop by to say Hi why??? Look forward to reading a "Trip Report" when you can put this trip together... :tb-wink: :tb-wink: :tb-wink: :tb-wink:
Looking forward to the pictures. Now for the big question though...were getting more shots of 1989 on the point, or of all the railfans chasing the train outside?? :tb-biggrin:
I actually only saw one railfan. A guy driving a white suv who followed us, I think, all the way from Salt Lake City to Denver. Is that by chance anyone we know? But yeah, I spent half the trip down by the doors of the last coach trying to snag shots of 1989 on point. I had the coolest conductor who let me open the window for quick pic and video as long as we weren't going too fast. Here's a glimpse.
Awesome! Kevin, photo number 1 is my wallpaper now, thanks for sharing! Mark, I love that canyon shot--where was it?
I believe it was right after Gore Valley, but don't quote me on that. Here are two of my favorite pics I took from the trip that might give reference. These two were taken not too far down the track from my self pic above.
Mark, that shot was indeed taken in Gore Canyon. In fact, Tunnel 35, 36, and 37 are very close together in that canyon. The shot I commented on first was near Azure. I should have seen the road high on the cliff! Doh! In fact, sharp eyes will note Inspiration Point, and Trough Road high above on the other side of the river. This is the road-level view of the tracks:
Very cool! That's awesome that you had a cool conductor willing to let you open the window from time to time. That doesn't happen to terribly often. I do know the guy in the white SUV. He is a very dangerous railfan that gives all railfans a bad name. He has no regard for the rules or for the safety of others. I have seen him passing cars on a two lane road by driving 70 MPH on the shoulder of ON COMING traffic! Thanks Hemi! To be completely honest, shot #1 was my least favorite of the day. It's good to know that others like it as I almost didn't post it.
I didn't want to say at first in case he was anyone here, but the conductor said he had met him too and didn't have anything good to say about him either. :-x In fact, the first time I saw the SUV was as the train took a curve with a dirt road crossing up ahead. The engineer was laying on that horn for close to a minute straight as the white SUV raced the train to the crossing, beating us by probably less than 30 feet. :thumbs_down:
That's the kind of person you get a photograph of the Plate/Tag and turn it in... :mmad: :mmad: :mmad: :mmad:
Ah, so thats why 1989 was in amtraks yard when i rode the cardinal into chicago yesterday! I thought i was going insane.....
I just found this thread and had to share what I had on this train,A friend of mine lives in Brookfield Illinois sent me an email about this train. DRGW 1989 was on the point all the way into Union Station, now how cool that must have been!!!
