Some of these
photos were taken pretty quickly, without worrying much about proper lighting
and such. That said, you should be able to gain a flavor of the layout,
and what it will become in the future.
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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. In this installment, we'll chase Amtrak's train No. 5, the
westbound California Zephyr, up the main
line. Pretend for a moment that the time is February, 1994. |
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There's not a lot for the lounge riders to see as the
train rolls through North Yard. The scenery doesn't open up until the
rails get out into the suburbs. |
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Now at the base of the foothills, the train is
passing the west end of Rocky siding. On my layout, Tunnel 2 is just
above, though the real thing would be located a few miles north. |
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Now the Zephyr is climbing up around the Big 10
curves. In Clay siding in the background, the West Helper is waiting
for Amtrak to pass. |
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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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Now up in South Boulder canyon, the Zephyr threads its way
along the shelf exiting tunnel 27. View is from the north side of the
canyon. |
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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. |
| Here are some photos of freight
train No. 187 as it climbs the hill. Rewind that calendar to 1983 for
a moment. |
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Here
the train 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 train 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.
(The landlord plans on planting more trees here soon...) |
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Here are some shots from around the railroad. |
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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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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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Up in South Boulder canyon, the
eastbound Ski Train is passing through Tunnel 27.
I have since completed the foreground scenery,
although the backdrop still needs to be "adjusted"... |
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The Ski Train makes its way west past
Clay, the first siding above the Big 10 curves. |
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Here, the tail of a westbound freight is passing through
the Pinecliffe scene, about to enter Tunnel 29. This was the first
fully-scenicked area, and my first backdrop painting project. Looks
like a tree has fallen in the forest. I guess I didn't hear it...
|
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Here's a different train, SP7132 West, passing
through the cut at Hideaway Park. |
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Train 103, the westbound Railblazer, is
crossing Vasquez Road on its way west, just after dusk. |
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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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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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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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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. The signal shack and
signal are new additions... |
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Newest on the layout, a pair of AC4400's head up
a coal train in the Big 10 area. |
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Going back 30 years, here a pair of F-units lead
a passenger special down the mountain at Cliff. |
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..
