17-06-22b PHOTOS: Colorado Carcass

I'm calling this a "transcontinental" Amtrak trip, but as I said before, the destination was Denver and I had taken the California Zephyr twice before.  Past Grand Junction, CO, the line had already been re-signaled prior to 2014, so I could sit back and relax a bit with my mom in the sleeping accommodation instead of standing at my perch by the rear facing window.  However between the junction with the old Tenessee Pass route at Dotsero and Bond my coverage could use a bit of a refresh and furthermore I wanted to check out two islands of searchlight signaling between Bond and the Steven Moffat Tunnel.

Not to keep you in suspense, the searchlights were all gone and after Bond I didn't have much to do besides enjoy a nice steak dinner in the dining car as we descended towards Denver. You can view the full set of photos here.

Like the west end of the yard seen in the last set, the east end of the yard was full of stored power.  However instead of UP GP15-1's, this time it was HLCX and GATX SD40-2's.

The line soon passes the High Line Canal diversion, that diverts Colorado River water for agricultural uses around Grand Junction.

Our power, Amtrak P42DC's #124 and #172 as seen from the dining car around a bend in the river.

Colorado River gouge as seen approaching Glenwood Springs.

This Union Pacific fixed blade plough was one of the few pieces of equipment in te Gleenwood Springs Yard.

The old DRG&W searchlight signal bridge had been replaced by this new structure :-(

My perch from the rear of the Zephyr.

Beyond Glenwood Springs, the route switches onto the Moffat Tunnel route, following the Little Colorado River into the Rockies.

To the west of the railroad bridge, a new concrete road bridge replaced an old timber span that allows for recreational access to the valley.

The river cuts through time and exposes the red rock strata below.

Red cliffs overlooking some sort of ranch.

One of the surprisingly few tunnels on the west side of the Moffat Tunnel route.

MoW cars (and not much else) in the Bond, CO yard.

UP Ac4400 #7691 coupled up to brand new EMD SD70AH-T4 #3019.

Another SD70AH-T4, #3027, is coupled to the first.

While an elderly looking UP SD70M, #3980, is coupled up to the train.  Bond is a junction with a dead end coal line that heads deeper into the mountains.

Some UP MoW trucks on the main line east of Bond.

Getting pased by our counterpart, Amtrak Train #5 at Yarmony, CO.

Passing a BNSF train with C44-9W #4601 on point.  Man, never though I'd see the day when -9's were getting long in the tooth :-\

UP SD70ACe #8849 and SD70M #5159 on the Frazier siding with some ballast cleaning equipment.

Some views out the side of the switchbacks on the descent into Denver and the Great Plains.

These DRG&W hoppers were set onto the hill to prevent high winds from derailing trains on the horseshoe curve.

Brand new Denver RTD 'G' Line flyover.

The new RTD 60th & Sheridan/Arvada Gold Strike Station is trying to compete for the title of longest station name in the commuter rail division because everybody knows that WMATA will win the open class hands down ;-)

Twilight for the searchlights at Utah Junction.

UP AC4400 #6458 in the old DRG&W Denver yard.

BNSF sure liked its C44-9W's as I caught a second in the form of #5169.

UP AC4400 #6314 coupled to newer SD70ACe #8525 at Denver.

Departing Fox Jct we pass our last searchlights and also the final moments of my trip.  Unlike the two prior years I was to detrain in Denver and while I would miss the plains of Iowa and Nebraska, I would instead get to sample the many f assets of rail transit in Denver.

Of course that is a tale for another time.