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California Zephyr Ride-Along! Lincoln to Salt Lake City.

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Posted by Stourbridge Lion on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 11:35 AM

Mark Watson
Tunnel 27 (9:10).
Tunnel 29 (9:12) (Hey! What happened to tunnel 28?).

Tunnel #9 and Tunnel #28 were Day-lighted

#28 would have been at:  39°55'45.64"N / 105°25'3.61"W

#09 would have been at:  39°55'20.24"N / 105°17'24.38"W

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Posted by Modelcar on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 11:30 AM

......All that was pretty neat.  The "stills"....comments....and video.  Enjoyed it all.  What an expensive route that must have been to construct, back in the days of building thru the mountain territory.

So many tunnels, and so close together. Grade seemed to be very decent.  Difficult to tell, but the sound of the train seemed to be quite consistent.

Quentin

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Posted by SteamDonkey74 on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 11:27 AM

Gorgeous scenery there, Mark! I like how you called that one feature "Hemi's Spire."

 

 

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Posted by jeaton on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 11:22 AM

Doesn't look like much snow on the ground!  Can't be great for ski resorts.

"We have met the enemy and he is us." Pogo Possum "We have met the anemone... and he is Russ." Bucky Katt "Prediction is very difficult, especially if it's about the future." Niels Bohr, Nobel laureate in physics

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Posted by Mark Watson on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 11:18 AM

A view of the mountains over the Moffat.

 

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Posted by Mark Watson on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 11:06 AM

Man, it is BRIGHT outside, especially considering I've been in a dark train all morning. :p

 

 

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Posted by Mark Watson on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 10:52 AM

Pulling into Fraiser / Winter Park. 

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Posted by Mark Watson on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 10:46 AM

Good morning Darren!  

Well it was a bit hazy in Denver but up in the mountains it's dead still and perfectly clear. :( 
Yes, that's cause for frownies because when your riding a train through the mountains, absolutely nothing beats doing so through a snow storm!
And exit cell service. :p
Passed Crescent Siding at 8:59
Tunnel.
Tunnel.
Tunnel.
Tunnel 22 (9:05).
Long tunnel.
River!
Ice jam on the river!
Tunnel 24 (9:07).
Tunnel.
 "Hemi's Spire" (9:09).
Tunnel 26 (9:09).
Tunnel 27 (9:10).
Tunnel 29 (9:12) (Hey! What happened to tunnel 28?).
Picked up some speed. 
Tunnel 30 (9:18).
Toilet brush! (no kidding!) (9:20)
UP coal meet at Rollins (9:21) (mid train helpers)(second pair of mid train helpers!)(rear helpers)
River crossing (9:27)
Tolland siding. (9:28)
Moffat announcement. (9:30)
And enter Moffat! (9:35)
Exit Moffat! (9:44)
 Cell service!

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Posted by Stourbridge Lion on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 10:16 AM

While Mark is busy shooting in and out of tunnels, here is some video I took awhile back in this section that will give you a feel for where he's at right now...

watch?v=AetppJVAb1Y

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Posted by Stourbridge Lion on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 9:46 AM

Good Morning Mark!  Cowboy

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Posted by Mark Watson on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 9:44 AM

Just passed through Big Ten, now we're slowly entering the tunnel district. :)

Cell service usually cuts out for the next few hours but we'll see if I get any breaks. 

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Posted by Mark Watson on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 9:23 AM

Bye bye Denver.  Time for breakfast! :D

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Posted by Mark Watson on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 8:09 AM

Backing into Denver Station. Hey wait a minute! It's on the wrong side! :p

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Posted by Mark Watson on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 7:18 AM

Goodmorning.  The first glimpse of dawn has reached the East. We're about 50 miles away from Denver yet. 

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Posted by Mark Watson on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 2:47 AM

One last bit of fun before bed. While in Hastings, we stopped just so that my window was on the end of the platform canopy with the "Hastings" sign. I decide I'd try for a quick snapshot so I pulled out the DSLR. 

I took the photo and then we started moving and the idea hit me, let's play with the lights through the window of a moving train!  I set up some 3 second exposures and just started clicking as we made out way through Hastings.  I must say some of them look really cool! Perhaps in Denver I can try and post them. :)

Ok, now it's really time for bed. :p

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Posted by Mark Watson on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 2:24 AM

Eastbound Zephyr just zoomed past.  Still in Hastings and now that the eastbound is clear we're crawling into the station. 

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Posted by SteamDonkey74 on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 2:21 AM

I think I m heading to bed, too. I'll check in tomorrow.

 

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Posted by Mark Watson on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 2:10 AM

Now pulling into Hastings. 

Im starting to drift to sleep so the next update will likely be in Colorado. :)

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Posted by Mark Watson on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 1:16 AM

Time for a late night snack. :)  Apple sauce and strawberry pineapple jello. 

 

OH NO. I dont have a spoon! :(  I guess I'll have to improvise until morning. :p

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Posted by SteamDonkey74 on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 12:51 AM

Looking good so far! 

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Posted by Mark Watson on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 12:42 AM

And I'm on board. Shucks, they have me seat #1 which means I get to feel how smooth (rough)  the rails are.  

I only counted 7 superliners on today's train.  4 up front, the lounge, diner then two on the back. 

Wistle just blew and we're moving.  Bye bye Lincoln. 

 

And what do ya know, interesting spotlight #1: A guy who is clearly drunk has lost his seat. The conductor is trying to help him find it but the drunk guy can't even say where he's traveling to. :p

 

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Posted by Mark Watson on Tuesday, January 24, 2012 11:41 PM

Ok, let's test out the image posting:

Burlington Route 710 sits outside Lincoln Station. 

 

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Posted by Mark Watson on Tuesday, January 24, 2012 11:34 PM

How quickly we go from 18 minutes early to 15 late. :p

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Posted by Mark Watson on Tuesday, January 24, 2012 11:15 PM

All packed and heading to the Haymarket.  Amtrak says they left Omaha 18 minutes early! 

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Posted by Mark Watson on Tuesday, January 24, 2012 10:15 PM

My goodness!  I dont think I've ever encountered a fellow Lincolnite online this quickly before!

Speaking of getting to Lincoln, I still don't understand a thing of this new Arena and how they're planning to move the station tracks.  I would say its a shame to abandon the old station building, but Amtrak barely uses but a small hallway on the side of it anymore anyways.  If it wasn't for the Haymarket, I'd say that building's days are numbered.  Of course, maybe they already are. 

Ok, about an hour left to pack the lunch box! :)

 

 

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Posted by Mookie on Tuesday, January 24, 2012 8:57 PM

Ms. Mookie and her Driver have a 10:30 pm bedtime, so won't make the departing.  But I do hope Amtrak is on time at least tonite.  Sometimes it gets lost in the dark coming to Lincoln.  (and the midnite+ boarding is a bite...)

Have a good trip  er....ride.....

She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw

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Posted by Paul_D_North_Jr on Tuesday, January 24, 2012 8:35 PM

Welcome

Wonder if Ms. Mookie - a frequent reader and poster here - and her Driver will be there at the platform in Lincoln to wave goodbye and wish you a good trip ?  Smile, Wink & Grin 

Anyway, thanks for the 'heads-up', and we'll be looking forward to your 'real-time' (almost) trip report ! 

Might be interesting, too, to see who your fellow passenger are, and what they might have to say about the trip and the sights along the way. 

Do you have a scanner ?  If not, it might be worthwhile to find someone on the train who does, so you can be better informed about the railroad's operations. 

- Paul North.   

"This Fascinating Railroad Business" (title of 1943 book by Robert Selph Henry of the AAR)
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Posted by Mark Watson on Tuesday, January 24, 2012 7:36 PM

Thanks Darren and Adam!  

 

I just had a final dinner with dad and now it's time to clean up all my messes in the train room and work shop. 

 

Amtrak estimates train 5 is running just 4 minutes late. :)

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Posted by SteamDonkey74 on Tuesday, January 24, 2012 7:04 PM

Mark, 

I am excited to see another ride-along, and congratulations on having a film at Sundance!

I'll just find my seat now and kick me feet up.

Adam

 

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Posted by Stourbridge Lion on Tuesday, January 24, 2012 6:50 PM

Mark - Welcome to Trains.com! Cowboy

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