As DenverInfill visitor, Adam pointed out in his comment on Monday, canopies are being removed from the Amtrak passenger platforms behind Union Station. The first photo below shows progress as of this morning. The first of those canopies has been reinstalled as a cover over the sidewalk at the entrance to the temporary Amtrak terminal at 21st and Wewatta streets. You can see it in the second photo (above the minivan).

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More of the recycled canopies will eventually be installed over new platforms across Wewatta Street from the temporary terminal. Familiar foundations for canopy support posts are visible in the following photo which I took from the edge of Wewatta Street  looking toward Union Station.

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Speaking of canopies, frames for the mall shuttle canopies are being installed today. In the first photo taken from the Millennium Bridge, the first frame stands alone. Within an hour or so, three frames were in place as you can see in the second photo that I took from the eighth floor of Glass House. As I write this at 1:00 pm, all seven frames are in place. The design is obviously different than the long canopy of the light rail station. It appears from the foundation locations, that the newer canopies will cover the platform for the mall shuttle and another, smaller platform for the light rail. You should be able to pick out the foundations in a V shape in the first photo.

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One more news item for today. As I mentioned in updates #34 and #38, rails will be welded before they are laid. Here’s a photo taken through the construction fence of the welding operation currently in process behind Union Station. Notice the sparks near the ground to the left of the worker with the X on his orange vest. Several rails are welded end-to-end and staged nearby. You can see some of them in the foreground of the photo.

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I expect to get an inside-the-fence look at the welding process next week when it moves to the light rail area next to the freight tracks. During that photo session, I hope to learn more about the welding process and why rails are welded prior to installation.

Please see our Denver Union Station page at JobSiteVistor.com for more photos that I uploaded today.