Calif. Zephyr in Ft. Morgan on 03SEPT2024
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 พ.ย. 2024
- This California Zephyr #5 arrived in Fort Morgan at 0541MDT (departed on schedule).P42s #71 & #45 brought the 8-car train to a stop with car 6(Sightseer/lounge) to the station platform. There was no passenger activity today. The station dwell time gave me a chance to chat with Kelly. Seems as though familiar folks are moving on and the next generation of employees are taking those emptied slots.
I had noticed the #8 car appears to be a standard coach. It is in fact a combo coach/cafe car. Kelly explained it as well.
The departure time arrived and on a clear signal, the Zephyr departed for Uniontation in Denver.
My thanks, as always, to the operating crew for the greetings this morning.
Everyone please stay safe!
Temp: 52 F. Feels like 47 F.
Expected high: 95 F.
Sunrise: 0626 MDT
Hey Hey Mr. Mike, Looks like a beautiful sunrise in FMG this morning. Thanks for the #5 coverage. A great conversation with Conductor Kelly this morning. I am happy for him as well. The SWC is another nice ride. I have been onboard with them several times. And dating myself a little bit, a little bit onboard the Super Chief (Santa Fe) as well. The Labor Day Weekend was good. No sign of FEMA yet, but we did have a roofing contractor out today. They advise that a full roof replacement is needed 😮 not only to address the hurricane damage, but to upgrade several other previous repairs that, shall we say, were not done well. At least if that's the way we go, the roof will have a 25 year warranty and we'll be starting from scratch. Scheduling is about 8 weeks out anyway, so I'll keep you posted. Low 90's today and high 80's for Wednesday. Currently 81° and partly cloudy at 2312 Hrs CDT Tuesday. Enjoy your Wednesday, be safe 👍
Signsl Indication Papa Geoff - Here we go on a clear - On a clear, thanks, OUT 🚦🚦
Good morning, Papa Geoff; Thank you for stopping by along with the comments. There are a couple other Zephyr crewmen that moved on and into the engine cab. Both Kelly and I have shared background of service in the US Navy and are both Chief Petty Officers. Not together and aboard different ships et al. The AMYRAK Southwest Chief is one I have not been on. The Santa Fe Super Chief was well known for the diner menu and alas I did not get to sample that either. I know there was a blowup between Santa Fe and AMTRAK that centered around the diner and Santa Fe refused to give up the "Super Chief" name as well as other issues to AMTRAK.
Well, at least you have an idea of what it will take to repair the roof. It is a good thing the other issues were also located. We went thru that process with this house when we had an addition put on. The prior owners of the place had been sold a bunch of "goods" that were addressed during the construction process of the addition.
We fall back on the thermometer today with a predicted high in the mid 80s. Did see 94 yesterday afternoon. Possible rain late tonight into Thursday. Not a good thing right now as the early sugar beet harvest has started as well as the corn whacking for silage. Lots of trucks on the streets and roads. That combined with the detours onto the residential streets has me not riding the trike. Might be a good thing as I need to install the winter riding hand covers on it so maybe I can ride longer this fall.
Anyway, have a great Wednesday down there,
Please take care and stay safe!
Interesting conversation today Mike. Glad for Kelly. I would come out of retirement to be able to do that. While you and he were talking about the sunrise, I couldn't help but notice that awesome tree in the background in silhouette against that sunrise. Pretty nice Thanks Mike. Have a great day.
Good afternoon, Lou; I thank you for dialing in as well as the comments. I would have too. But I've retired twice and that was enough. I did apply to AMTRAK and UP with follow up letters from both stating the same "Don't call us. We'll call you" Still waiting. BN and later BNSF didn't even reply. And so it went in the early 1990s. Now I get to live that dream thru my camera lens and quick chats with the crew members. I do enjoy that.
I am unsure how old that tree is. We moved here in 1958, and that tree was big (to me) then. It has endured a lot.
I hope that you have a great evening back there.
Please take care and stay safe!
Good morning Mike. So cool to hear that Kelly is going to become an Engineer. We all will miss him on the Zephyr.
Good morning, Richard; Thank you for tuning in as well as the comments. Yep. I am sure he will enjoy the cab and his upcoming work there. I will miss him here, yet I also look forward to meeting the next generation of conductors working on the Zephyrs.
I hope that you have a great Tuesday.
Please take care and stay safe!
Hello from the Northeast Corridor. Long time viewer, first time commenting here. So awesome to hear Kelly is moving on up! I rode #6 from GJT to FMG a few weeks ago to visit family who live in town here. He was the Conductor in my section who got on at DEN and I recognized him right away from your videos. A great guy as all the Conductors are on this train. I thought it was pretty cool seeing and recognizing him. Suffice to say, it's a train trip I'll be making again in the future! Jaw dropping scenery around every bend in the tracks!..............Thanks for your daily videos. I enjoy seeing them always, and especially so now that I've spent a week in FMG and know the lay of the land a bit.
Good evening, Timothy; I thank you for dialing in as well as the comments. Wow! someone who detrained here? Awesome. Kelly and I share a common background as we are both US Navy CPOs. A number of years and duty stations separate us, but that brotherhood is still there. I am elated for him to move on with the training and then move to the Southwest Chief working the engine crew after qualification down there. He is one of the good guys. I will miss him working thru here, yet I'll be excited to learn the next generation of AMTRAK employees on the Zephyr crews. You rode some of the best scenery on the US in my opinion. All of the states have something, but the western slope of Colorado is some of the best.
I hope that you have a great evening and a wonderful Wednesday.
Please take care and stay safe!
Good morning Mike! Sad to see friendly, familiar faces leaving 😢
Good morning, cincinnatikid; Thank you for dropping by along with the comments. Yep. I am saddened to see him go yet I am happy for him making the shift in jobs and location. Kelly and I are both US Navy CPOs and understand the moving around from command to command. That move is a given and this one is a great step up for Kelly.
Have a great afternoon and evening up there.
Please take care and stay safe!
Good Morning Mike!
Congratulations Kelly!! Got my dream job! Pretty sure they wouldn't have hired a woman for that when I was younger! Reminds me of the picture on Facebook that says, my teacher said I wouldn't have a good job staring out the window all day, and the picture is out the window of an engine! 😂
Mike.. beautiful red sky this morning!
Have a great Tuesday!
Jean
This week is all about dragon boat festival. The weather for the weekend looks beautiful! Not oppressively hot, and no rain! 🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞
Good afternoon, Jean; Thanks for tuning in along with the comments. You are right. They would not have hired a woman but there are several women operating for AMTRAK including at least one running the Zephyr. At one time I would have really enjoyed that mobile life some more. I received the "Don't call us, we'll call you" letter from both AMTRAK and UP. Never heard back from BN Or BNSF at a later date. Oh well. I do seem to live vicariously thru those that I have met at the depot.
Anyway, have a great afternoon and evening.
Please take care and stay safe!
Hi Mike; its always sad to see the " seasoned" ones leave.It's sad for me as well & I only know Kelly from your videos.Betwween the 3 long distance trains the CZ has the prettiest runp. Anyway, hope your day is going well.& thank you for the # 5 Be blessed.👋😉💥😎🐓😅
Good afternoon, Carolyn; Thank you for stopping by as well as the comments. Yep. I get one or two trained and then have to start all over. LOL!! Did that many times in the Navy. That's why there are many acquaintances and very few friends made in the military. I wish him well on his new adventures. But that also means making acquaintances with the new generation of crewmembers.
It has been a decent day here. A lot of Paralympics watched, and some other things done as well. Three more full days of the Paralympics. I am in awe of them all.
Hope that you have a great evening down there.
Please take care and stay safe!
@@MikeJensen-jt9yrWell, my eyes.Did you notice the comment I made about the CZ's " runp"? In stead of run.🤣
@@carolynsteed3649 Yep. I did see that. Oh well. Typos are part of it all. 😅
Good morning, Mike. What a way to start the week with a dramatic sunrise.
Wont be too warm her today & no rain.
Had the storms yesterday afternoon.
Stay safe, be careful and stay cool.
Have a great day.
Good afternoon, Jim; I thank you for dropping by as well as the comments. The color change in the sky was a bit on the dramatic side today. I do enjoy that. Alas, it will be just dark fairly soon and remain that way for a few months. Nice to read it cooled down a bit and dried out somewhat.
It is the start of sugar beet harvest along with the beginning of the silage chopping and hauling. The highways and byways will be madcap for a couple of months or more. I want to get back on the trike, but I don't trust any of the other idiots I share the streets with. The detour routs thru Ft. Morgan have them on the residential streets I usually ride on. So far, I have watched many blast thru stop signs and as usual, nary a cop in sight.
Anyway, have a great afternoon and evening back there.
Please take care and stay safe!
good morning Mike glad you got to chat with Kelly today. thanks for the catch of #5. have a great day and a safe one.
Good afternoon, Ken; I thank you for stopping by and the comments. I couldn't think of a better way to spend the dwell time he had in station today. Wish that diner car had not had the mechanical noise. Oh well.
Have a great afternoon and evening back there.
Please take care and stay safe!
Days are getting short. In early July it was full light when #5 pulled in. Now it's barely sunrise. The turnover in crews is a natural part of railroading. Good to know it's still happening.
Good afternoon and thanks for dialing in along with the comments. I still enjoy watching the color changes in the morning. It won't be too much longer and any color in the eastern sky will be imaginary. Then it returns sooner than we think.
Have a great evening. Please take care and stay safe!
Good early afternoon Mike! Seeing this late again today. Beautiful sunrise there just like out here! Should only be 73 degrees here today! It’s gorgeous! I guess it had to happen sometime with switching of routes and upcoming training that I heard Kelly mention. I hope you have a wonderful day out your way Sir! I definitely am enjoying this weather here as well! Thank you for updating us all! Mark in Iowa.
Good afternoon, Mark; Thank you for stopping by as well as the comments. We pasted 73 F about 2.5 hours ago. It is now 87 F and climbing. Should be cooler tomorrow. Glad to read it is that nice back there. Been a long time getting there. I am happy for Kelly. It is a great move and something we both did during our stints in the Navy. I am sure he relishes the upcoming move.
Have a great afternoon and evening back there.
Please take care and stay safe!
Beautiful sky this morning as train arrives. Enjoyed your comments and discussion with the crew
I live about 10 miles from the Martinez CA Amtrak station
Viewing this morning's video at 6:30 am pacific time, light but no sun yet, 53 degrees. High near 100 today.
Good morning, Ted; I thank you for dialing in as well as the comments. It was a nice way to spend the in-station dwell time today. I'd rather have not had the mechanical noise from the diner. Oh well. There is always something.
It won't be too much longer, and the videos will be shot completely under the lighting at the parking area. Then in December the daylight starts returning in the mornings.
I'll stick with the promised 95 F here, thank you. Sounds as though your temperature spread is much like here.
Anyway, hope that you have a great Tuesday out there.
Please take care, stay cool, and safe!
Kelly running the Chief!! Hope he’ll enjoy the different scenery & Lap, Mo.!! Wish him the best. All rain downstate & flooding there;we’re dry. Kelly going to Albs it’s been 30 yrs been that way. Sure the city has grown. Have a nice day Mike.
Good morning, Cheryl; Thank you for stopping by and the comments. Yep. I am happy for Kelly. It is a nice place for him to transfer to as well as a different position. He is gonna be very busy for a while. Kelly and I are both US Navy CPOs so we both know about moving on. WE have both done it in our careers with the Navy.
It's dry here as well. Just in time for the early harvest of sugar beets and regular silage cutting at the same time. Roads will be busy for a while and the main streets in town are torn up with new piping and pavement rework. I want to get back on the trike but not with the other idiots I have to share the streets and detours with. I'd like to have a Bradley fighting vehicle or a M-1 Tank to get around town in. LOL!
Have a great afternoon and evening down there.
Please take care and stay safe!
Good morning Mike. Another nice morning, beautiful picture with the sun rise in the background and the train. The trainmen sure move around a lot. Nice that he coming to 3 & 4 if I understood correctly. Was a little hard for me to hear. You have a wonderful day and be safe.😊😊😊😊😊
Good morning, Gerald; I thank you for dialing in along with the comments. I could not get far enough away from that noise from that diner today. Yep. Kelly is moving to the engine crew working the SWC. He departs the Zephyr in October for training and then to your neck of the hills to qualify working to and from Albuquerque. I am happy for him. One of the "old hands" was onboard the Zephyr refamiliarizing with this side of the Denver run.
Anyway, have a great afternoon and evening down there.
Please take care and stay safe!
couldn't help but notice the bicyclist crossing after the gates were down.
Good afternoon, John; Thanks for looking in and the comment. Yep. I didn't mention that biker in my comments about the video. But he does show clearly that he has no regard for himself and should be in the running for a Darwin Award.
Have a great afternoon and evening.
Please take care and stay safe back there.
Great video have a nice day Mike
Good afternoon, James; Thanks for stopping by and the comments. I appreciate it.
Please take care and stay safe up there.
Yeah good afternoon Mike I can tell that those days are getting shorter today. When you took this video was even before the dawn. You know those days are going to keep getting shorter and shorter. But it's still pretty hot out. And we're back from a 3-day weekend. So the kids are doing fine so far. But you know I bet you're in another 10 minutes the crack of dawn started to happen.
Good afternoon, Robert; Thank you for dropping by and the comments. Yep. This was taken about 23 minutes before dawn. Won't be too long before it is all lighted by artificial lighting for a while. It is 94 F. as I respond at 1358 MDT. Supposed to be cooler here tomorrow. Maybe rain on Thursday. Don't need that now. Early harvest for sugar beets started today and we will see a lot of heavy trucks on the road. We also have the silage chopping and hauling starting very soon too.
Have a great afternoon and evening back there. Please take care and stay safe!
Good morning, and a little bit ahead of the best of the sunrise. Yes, that dining car compressor was certainly making a racket. Do I understand correctly that Kelly will be moving to a different Amtrak location, possibly based in Albuquerque? I am guessing this would mean moving household, too. Is changing locations easy with Amtrak i.e. apply for a position in a new location then wait until a vacancy appears?
Good afternoon. Paul; Thank you for dialing in along with the Questions/comments. I think that compressor was really loud this morning. Even Kelly noticed it. Yep. You did hear him correctly. He is departing for AMTRAK Engineer's (Operator's) training in early October to fill an opening on the SWC working from ABQ. I am really happy for him. He and I share a background as we are both US Navy Chief Petty Officers (ret). Not on the same timelines or the same ships but we do share that CPO background. I don't know if he will move the family down to Albuquerque or not. Thay have moved as part of the Navy family, I am sure. It wouldn't surprise me to see him make that move.
He is the third A/C I have seen make the jump to the operator's cab.
It means that I'll be learning new faces and names again. Part of the fun.
Have a great afternoon and evening over there.
Please take care and stay safe!
Good morning Mike from 69 mid Tenn. This week is more fallish than last. So Kelly is moving to both engineer soon and to SW Chief train. If he's stationed in Albuquerque I bet he will like it. High country but different than Denver for sure. That is a lovely route just as CZ. Will he be eastbound or westbound out of ABQ? The noise from dining car made it hard to get most of your conversation. Not quite sunrise there but still lovely.
Good morning, Ben; Thank you for stopping by and the comments. I wish him the absolute best for the training and the move to the SWC. Kelly joins two other conductors that have moved to the cab as operators from the Zephyr trains thru here. A neat change for him. I don't know which direction he will be working down there but as with the operators from the crew at Denver, I am sure he will qualify both directions. I do hope the mechanical gang at Denver looked into that diner car noise.
Have a great afternoon and evening back there.
Please take care and stay safe!