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Here's what you would see if you were standing just inside
West Portal as a train approached. The last thing you would see,
that is! (By the way, once when I was a kid, we walked into the tunnel
until it was too dark to see anything. Reeeaaallly stupid. Of
course, now there's so many security cameras there that you'd be nabbed within
moments...) |
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Now let's follow a train.
I like to change up the photos from time to time. For this
installment, the subject is the Ski Train and the time is late
December 1994! |
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 With a pair of SP GP60s on the point, the westbound Ski Train exits the
west end of Rocky siding. The climb into the mountains has begun. |
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Now approaching the Big 10 curves, the train is
gaining elevation and will shortly be on the track visible above. You can
see the hopper-car windbreak in the foreground. |
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Here the train climbs past our position, as the flanges squeal on the tight
curve... |
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Here the train hits the east switch of Clay siding, headed geographically north
for the moment. |
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... and now the
head end is nearly to Tunnel 2. |
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Several miles later, the train is rounding the 12-degree turn below Tunnel 29
(at right). |
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After passing Pinecliffe, the train transits the last short tunnel east of the
Divide, Tunnel 30. (On my layout, things are rather compressed in this
area!) |
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About 30 minutes later, the train emerges from West Portal, adjacent to the
Winter Park ski area. |
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Now the train is unloading passengers. Most of the activity is taking
place on the opposite side of the train. The coach is PYRAMID PEAK, one of
the coach/snack cars and the 7th car on the train. In the foreground is a
MOW flat, spotted on Crane spur. |
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 After
unloading, the train proceeds down the valley towards Tabernash, there to turn
and park for the day. Here the private cars are leaving the ski area. |
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The
train is passing through the town of Hideaway Park (now Winter Park) on its way
down to Tabernash. |
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Later that afternoon, the train has returned to the ski area and is preparing to
load. The nose of the lead unit always pulled up right to the tunnel
portal, to gain maximum loading room (and also to see into, and be seen from,
the tunnel!). A casual railfan is inspecting the sharp-looking SP GP60's.
See here for
a similar scene. |
| Later that same day, Amtrak's
California Zephyr heads up the hill. Here are a few photos of
that action. |
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The train is about to enter tunnel 2 in this shot.
Amtrak used P40's intermittently on this route during the mid-1990's |
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The scenery is a lot better in this area, and the overhead
glass in the lounge comes into play as the canyon walls tower above the train. |
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Tunnel 29 is the shortest tunnel on the line. Here
the power pops out of the tunnel, just before crossing South Boulder creek. |
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A half-hour later, our colleague on the western slope catches the train as it
exits Moffat Tunnel. Obviously there's no way we could beat the train to
this location by car! |
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A few minutes later, the train snakes through
the Hideaway Park area. |
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Rio Grande era Photos |
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Close-up shot of No. 5390, a tunnel motor with the box
headlight assembly on the low nose. Compare to
the actual unit as seen in 2001 after modifications,
here. |
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Train 187 is starting into the Big 10 loops.
At this point it's headed geographically east, but that will soon change.
See here for the actual track alignment. |
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A little further on, the 187 passes around the
upper Big 10 curve and the windbreak built of retired hopper cars.
This is a trademark location on the Moffat line. |
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Now in South Boulder Canyon, the train is
passing through Tunnel 27. |
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After transiting the Moffat, the 187 is taking the siding to get around an eastbound PSCX coal train that's waiting on the main. The snow is up to the
railheads in this area. Train 702 will have to wait for the tunnel to vent
before proceeding. |
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Downhill a few miles is the town of Hideaway Park
(incorporated as Winter Park circa 1980). Vasquez road crosses the tracks
here. |
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The tracks loop around the nose of a ridge below Vasquez,
and a cut lessens the curvature. Our train is just passing into its
shadows in the late afternoon light. |
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The town of Winter Park has a huge number of condominiums
in and around it. Here the train passes below one such structure.
(Since this photo, the landlord has planted more trees around the property.) |
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Three six-axle locomotives led by Tunnel Motor
No. 5376 are descending through the Big 10 curves at Rocky with a loaded
coal train.
The lead unit is one I picked up on E-bay. I added the low-nose
headlight and renumbered it. |
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In a scene from the mid 1960s, a pair of F-units lead
a passenger special down the mountain at Cliff. |
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Amtrak
train No. 5 is headed through Clay in 1986. Note the usual pair of F40
locomotives, and the Hi-Level transition car behind the baggage. These cars,
originally built for Santa Fe's El Capitan service in the 1950s, were
used on Amtrak trains until the advent of the Superliner 2 Transition
Sleepers circa 1994. Some were used even after that time. |
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Train 103, the westbound Railblazer, is
crossing Vasquez Road on its way west, just after dusk. |
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Southern Pacific era Photos |
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The RODVT (Roper yard to Denver- Trailers) is rolling out
of tunnel 2 through Plain, with a block of insulated boxcars on the head end. |
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GP40-2 No. 3099 and an SP GP38-2 are spotted near the
service area at North Yard.
I'm starting to get scenery installed in the yard
areas. |
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Up in South Boulder canyon, the Amtrak California Zephyr threads its way
along the shelf exiting tunnel 27. View is from the north side of the
canyon. |
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In
1992, this DVOAF (Denver-Oakland Forwarder) freight is climbing up towards
Big 10 with a mish-mash of power: GP40M, GP38-2, Dash 840B, and SD40T-2.
There are no DRGW units in the consist today, and they would become
increasingly rare. |
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About
an hour later, the same DVOAF is tiptoeing along the canyon wall as it exits
tunnel 27. (In September of that year, an eastbound freight hit a
rockslide just below this location, derailing much of the train and killing
two crew members.) |
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After
waiting for the tunnel to vent, the DVOAF crossed under the Divide.
Here it's seen rolling through Winter Park, where the snow is deep and the
skiers are happy. |
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In 1991, The Ski Train makes its way west past
Clay, the first siding above the Big 10 curves. |
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Here, SP7132 West is passing
through the cut at Hideaway Park. |
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Up at West Portal, the Ski Train is
preparing to return to Denver. The ski resort is behind the train, and
Berthoud Pass is in the distance. The cars are my scratch-built Tempo
cars. |
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Cotton Belt SD45T-2 No. 9264 leads a westbound
CSUX empty into the siding at Winter Park. The snow is pretty deep up
here. |
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GP30 No. 3015 is on the point of an eastbound
freight, waiting on the main at Winter Park. The year is 1994, and
GP30's are nearing the end of their useful lives. Note the SSW beer
car directly behind the locomotives. |
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The Ski Train is in South Boulder canyon
in 1992, entering tunnel 29 in this view from atop the adjacent ridge. |
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The
closest thing to a hotshot train on the SP, the DVROT (Denver-Roper
Trailers) train coasts down pasts Winter Park siding after exiting the
Moffat. The three GP60s are in dedicated service between Denver and
Salt Lake City. |
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It's February 1996, and a pair of fairly-new AC4400s
lead coal train EYCKC.
It's about to enter the Moffat Tunnel. A pair of remote helpers is on
the rear. (See the Equipment page for
more information on these units.) |
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January 1993, and a RODVM train is coming down
the Big 10 area in the late afternoon led by GP40M No. 7132. |
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Let's follow an eastbound PSCX train for a bit.
This coal is loaded at the Energy loadout near Steamboat Springs, and is
destined for the Cherokee powerplant in northeast Denver. Here it's
about to enter the Moffat Tunnel, powered by four 6-axle locomotives. |
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90 minutes later (or 30 seconds on my layout)
it's traversing tunnel 29 below Pinecliffe, in South Boulder Canyon. |
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Another hour and we find it entering the Big 10
curves, passing the east switch of Clay siding. Note the signal shack and
signal. I've scratch-built several of these sheds, a common type of
structure in this area. |
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Moving forward to 1996-ish, a pair of new AC4400's head up
a coal train in the Big 10 area. |
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Union Pacific era Photos |
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Union
Pacific painted six SD70ACe locomotives in 2006 to commemorate some of its
historic component railroads. The Rio Grande heritage unit is usually in
captive service on the Denver-Pueblo freight run, but occasionally escapes and
makes trips up the Moffat. Here it is leading the MDVRO train through the
curves below Big 10. |
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In 2006, a pair of AC4400's under remote control (DPU)
shove on the back of a coal train as it climbs towards East Portal.
The UP flag unit is about 8 years newer than the patched ex-SP unit on the
right. |
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Amtrak No. 5 is westbound at Clay, sometime around April 2003 or so.
Viewed from the southwest, it's rounding the Big 10 curve here, with the
plains stretching out to the horizon. And a big tip o' the hat to the
nice people at Adobe... |
Obviously the scenery has a long way to go in some areas, but I am
making progress. I post updated photos as areas are improved, so keep
checking back..
