Folks, This trip has been one of the most memorable trips I have made to this area! Today's catch: 2 UP coal empties 3 UP coal loads 1 UP manifest Amtrak 2 BNSF manifests And a bonus, Laurel-Denver BNSF train (not on the Moffat, but cool either way) Mike and I did Tunnel 2-8 today, All over from Rollins, Cliff, and East portal yesterday, and some footage from Tunnel 19-23 on weds. What a trip! I have video, but unsure of how to add Hi-8 stuff to computer.... Stay tuned!!!! It was a blizzard at East portal at 7Am yesterday, and I have some hopefully great shots!
Hey Jeremy, that afv shot is awesome!! Could you please email me a high-res shot for my wallpaper? Thanks!!!
How big do you want it? I posted a full-sized shot on RI at 1050x788, for wallpaper purposes... There was every bit of 8" of fresh snow at 8AM when I arrived to get this shot from Rollins Pass road...
After a nice trip up to the Tunnel District,a nd getting some pics of my own, I am gonna back up a bit, and show some shots of the Plainview-T8 area.... East Plain hosts an empty coalie westbound, entering the siding, chugging hard on the 2%: Here's Plain Siding, as viewed from atop Rainbow Cut, looking timetable eastbound (south): http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/data/628/plainview_tangent.jpg Rainbow Cut is so-named due to the colorful rock strata layers found in the cut. Looking South: http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/data/628/Rainbow_cut_south.jpg Looking North: http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/data/628/rainbow_cut_North.jpg Plainview siding enters Rainbow Cut and curves due west for a few hundered yards, then curves back due north, with the end of the siding a few hundred yards from Tunnel 2. A UP coal empty meets a load at west Plain, with the empty's crew doing a rollby inspection for the load: After the load clears, the empty gets permission, and digs into the grade westbound, with all 3 ACeez belting out a thunder not soon forgotten: Next up, Tunnel 2!
I took only 140-some odd shots, the usual tally is over 300, but I took video as well. I tolks bunches of modeling reference shots, not really something worth posting here, tho. This shot between T5/6 here describes why mountain railroading is so difficult, and dangerous: (yes, that is a wrecked boxcar at the bottom of the valley)
Thanks for sharing!! I noticed, though, that the afv shot was only 1015, while the others were 2048... Those work a little better for wallpaper
Tunnel 2 and 3! A BNSF Stockton-Denver manifest drifts downgrade out of Tunnel 2: Here's Tunnels 2-4, as viewed from atop Rainbow Cut, looking timetable westbound (north): Tunnel 2's east and west portals, respectively: http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/data/629/T2_EP.jpg http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/data/629/T2_WP.jpg Tunnel 2 exits to a sharp curve, and a small flatiron finger obstructed the right-of-way, so a cut was made thru the finger, like so: http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/data/629/Bull_Gulch_T3.jpg Tunnel 3's east portal, as viewed from atop T2: http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/data/629/T3_EP_from_T2.jpg Tunnel 3's east and west portals, respectively: http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/data/629/T3_EP.jpg Nothing more than a gash in a slab... http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/data/629/T3_WP.jpg Next up, Tunnels 4 and 5!
Tunnel 4 and 5! Tunnel 4's east and west portals, respectively: Tunnel 5's east and west portals, respectively: http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/data/629/snow_t5_wp.jpg Amtrak #5 thunders out of Tunnel 5 westbound: Next up, Tunnels 6, 7 and 8!
Tunnels 6 and 7! Between Tunnel 5 and 6, a wrecked boxcar lies in ruin at the base of the canyon: http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/data/629/wrecked_car_at_T5_6.jpg Tunnel 6's east and west portals, respectively: The railroad once again encountered a flatiron finger small enough to make a cut rather than a tunnel, and made a cut along the face of the flatiron wall. This enabled the surveyors to make a tangent, the first since Plainview! An EB coal load takes me by surprise, and with not enough time to even zoom back to wide-angle, the trailing AC fills the viewfinder at the east portal of T7: The same load, drifting thru the cut just east of Tunnel 7: (crappy light, but hey, it's a train, right?) http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/data/629/snow_T7_loads.jpg Looking west toward Tunnel 8, with a similar cut on the west side: http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/data/629/snow_t7_wp_area.jpg http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/data/629/BNSF_west_of_T7.jpg T7's west portal: http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/data/629/snow_t7_NYRO.jpg Next up, Tunnel 8, and beyond!
The light this time of year is nice on the east portals, but the west side of the tunnel is usually shaded... Maybe next time I go, I'll get sunny shots.. The early morning light is perfect for Tunnel 1-8 shots.
Tunnel 20, from a different vantage point: Tunnel 21 west portal: Tunnel 23, and coal load exiting, shot from atop Tunnel 22:
