ColoradoRailfan 2018 Tennessee Pass Special coloradorailfan.com
A day long tour over the famed rail line that has not seen a train in over 20 years.
Table of Contents 4
History
30
Princeton
8
CaĂąon City
32
Kobe
10
Parkdale
34
Malta
12
Spikebuck
38
Tennessee Pass
13
Texas Creek
39
The C&S
15
Cotopaxi
44
Pando
17
Vallie
46
Belden
22
Swissvale
48
Minturn
23
Salida
59
Avon
27
Buena Vista
62
Wolcott
29
The Midland
69
Sage
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ColoradoRailfan — 2015 Tennessee Pass Special
Author’s Note... This is the first time I’ve ever created a publication that wasn’t added in HTML format on a web page. Apologies for any missed grammatical errors. I am not sure how much of a “story teller” I am, so I hope you don’t find the words contained in this journey to repetitive or boring. I also hope the layout was appealing as I’ve definitely never associated the term “graphic artist” with myself!
In this first issue of ColoradoRailfan magazine, I’d like to thank my dad, Eric. It was his passion for trains and photography that he passed on to me. Little did he know when I was six years old and standing along the Moffat just how much of a “monster” he was creating. A special thanks to my wife Karla. While she has no great love of trains, she is always supportive of my railfan efforts, no matter how ridiculous they might seem to her. She never ceases to amaze me, such as on this day when she was willing to ride with me for 11 hours and put up with my frequent U-Turns, sudden stops, and constant door opening as I got out to take a picture of something train-related.
It is my goal to produce a digital publication, such as this one, once or twice each year. We shall see how close I come to accomplishing that goal! For now, I hope you enjoy this day long tour of Tennessee Pass. The photos from Cañon City to Minturn were taken (and the story written) in the summer of 2015. The photos from Minturn to Sage were taken (and the story written) in the spring of 2018. The last through train was a westbound taconite train that departed Pueblo on August 23, 1997. Please feel free to visit my website at http://www.coloradorailfan.com/ for more photo updates. Thanks! Kevin Morgan
Front Cover The east portal of Tennessee Pass as the rail emerge toward Tennessee Pass siding. Back Cover My wife, who graciously rode along with me to get my shots, looks up at the east portal of Tennessee Pass tunnel, some 10,200 feet above sea level.
Original photos and text (up to Minturn), ©2015. First Revision with photos and text added from Minturn to Sage, ©2018.
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Ten
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nnessee Pass
Where Silence Has Lease Story and Photos by Kevin Morgan
At the top of Tennessee Pass, there is little to hear other than the sounds of wildlife and perhaps the occasional car passing by on nearby U.S. 24. No train has rolled on these rails in nearly 18 years. ColoradoRailfan — 2015 Tennessee Pass Special
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A Brief History
ennessee Pass got its start in 1872 after the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, a narrow gauge at that time, had completed their line from Denver to Pueblo. The original intent of the railroad was to build south to Mexico, hence “Rio Grande” in its name (from the Rio Grande River). The Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad, however, already beat the D&RG out of southern Colorado, over Raton Pass, and into Mexico. So, the D&RG looked west toward the Royal Gorge.
Once again, Santa Fe also had its sights set on the westward alignment. The battle over the route reached a point at which both railroads hired armed gunmen. Few shots were actually fired, and the situation was ultimately resolved by the Treaty of Boston. Rio Grande won the exclusive rights to the Royal Gorge Route and, in return, agreed not to build south toward New Mexico and compete with Santa Fe. Rio Grande reached Salida in 1880, following the Arkansas River west of the Royal Gorge. From Salida, William Palmer’s railroad actually left the Arkansas River behind and built west toward Marshall Pass. The narrow gauge railroad crested the Continental Divide at 10,842 feet and descended to the Gunnison River. The tracks followed the Gunnison River to Grand Junction. This portion of the line was never converted to standard gauge, and is not a part of what is left of Tennessee Pass today. Not long after construction of the line toward Marshall Pass started, a branch line was constructed north out of Salida, continuing to follow the Arkansas River. This branch line was headed to Leadville to gain access to the mining town. Construction of the line continued north of Leadville and crossed the Continental Divide at Tennessee Pass at an elevation of 10,220 feet. The branch line followed the Eagle River on the west slope of the divide to Dotsero, where the Eagle River merges with the Colorado River. From there, the line was built west through Glenwood Canyon, and eventually connected with the original mainline in Grand Junction in October of 1890. That same year, Rio Grande added a third rail to the line between Pueblo and Minturn. This “dual gauge” setup allowed both narrow gauge and standard gauge trains to be run. The line over Marshall Pass was too steep to convert to standard gauge and, as standard gauge replaced narrow gauge as the standard in American railroading, the “branch” line over Tennessee Pass became the new mainline in favor of the line over Marshall Pass. The name “Tennessee Pass” came from a group of surveyors from the state of Tennessee. They gave the name when coming through in the 1860s. Ultimately, the narrow gauge was removed and the standard gauge line would become a vital mainline for the Rio Grande (and railroading in general in the United States) for over 100 years to come. Travelers in Denver looking to head west could either take trains north to Cheyenne and then west on the Union Pacific, or head south to Pueblo on the Rio Grande and then turn west through the Royal Gorge. The Moffat Road, which is used today for both freight trains and Amtrak west of Denver to Salt Lake City, was not available until 1934. The Moffat Road was built by 6
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the Denver and Salt Lake Railroad (owned by David Moffat), but it never reached its destination of Salt Lake City. Money ran out when the railroad reached as far as Craig, CO (west of Steamboat Springs). In 1932, the Rio Grande and the Denver and Salt Lake reached an agreement that allowed for the Dotsero Cutoff to be built. This is a 42 mile section of track was laid along the Colorado River between Dotsero and Bond (also know as Orestod, which is “Dotsero” spelled backward), connecting the two railroads. The connection was completed in 1934, just a year before the Rio Grande fell in to bankruptcy. When the railroad emerged from bankruptcy in 1947, it merged with the Denver and Salt Lake, gaining total control of the Moffat Road and the Dotsero Cutoff, providing a new, faster means of traveling between Denver and Salt Lake City. Over the next 40 years, the Rio Grande continued to run trains on Tennessee Pass (although all passenger trains had disappeared by the mid-1960s). The cost of operating Tennessee Pass was significant. In addition to the high altitude, the western approach to the summit has several miles of 3% grades. Rio Grande had to station multiple helper sets in the town of Minturn. These helper sets were added to eastbound trains to assist in the climb up to the summit.
In 1987, Rio Grande diverted as much traffic off Tennessee Pass as possible in order to see if they might be able to shut it down. Only a single train per day each way (on average) was running over the pass. However, that all changed in 1988 when Rio Grande purchased the Southern Pacific Railroad. The purchase opened up a new flood of traffic for the railroad, making Tennessee Pass very much vital once again. A mere eight years later, Union Pacific and Southern Pacific merged, keeping the Union Pacific name. While there was still plenty of east-west traffic, Union Pacific had its Overland Route in Wyoming, a route with two tracks and grades far more desirable (and less expensive to operate) than Tennessee Pass. Almost immediately Union Pacific started making plans to shut down Tennessee Pass. In August of 1997, they were finally successful. The final train to run over Tennessee Pass, a westbound taconite train, departed Pueblo on August 23, 1997. A handful of “local” trains would occasionally run up the east side of the divide as far as Leadville. A couple of cars were on the line for various cleanup operations. However, those trains ceased by the early 2000’s and the CTC signal system was turned off over most of the route.
Today, the line still sees a small amount of action between Pueblo and Cañon City. The route through the Royal Gorge is now owned and operated by the Royal Gorge Route Railroad, a tourist operation. Between Parkdale, CO, and Gypsum, CO, the line sits idle, not abandoned, but not active. Quietly waiting for its fate to be decided.
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Cañon City
ur tour of the line begins in the town of Cañon City. This small town was settled in 1860 and was formally incorporated on April 3, 1872, the same year the Rio Grande built tracks west toward the Royal Gorge.
There is a small yard east of the depot in which the tourist line stores some equipment. They have several F7s that are not currently in use, as well as surplus passenger cars that can be used in the future if necessary.
Today, Cañon City is home of the Royal Gorge Route Railroad. This tourist line purchased a 12.7 mile stretch of the line between CP RG159 (milepost 159.2 on Union Pacific) and Trailhead (milepost 171.9 on Union Pacific), just west of Parkdale. As a condition of the sale, Union Pacific received permanent trackage rights. So should Tennessee Pass ever be put back in to service, Union Pacific can easily travel over the 12 miles of track owned and operated by the Royal Gorge Route Railroad.
Below CCRG 402, a former Chicago Northwestern F7, sits quietly in the yard in Cañon City with a pair of passenger cars not currently in use.
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Above The other two F7s (an F7A and an F7B), both of CNW heritage, rest in the yard. Note #402 in the distance. Left Former Rio Grande Caboose #01516 sits with some beat up passenger equipment.
Right Once used in commuter service, these veterans sat for a long time in Union Pacific’s North Yard in Denver. They were finally transferred down to Cañon City a few years ago. ColoradoRailfan — 2015 Tennessee Pass Special
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Parkdale
n this particular trip, I did not have the time to drive in to the Royal Gorge. This trip was intended to primarily cover the portions of Tennessee Pass that are no longer active. That makes Parkdale the first real stop on the journey. Parkdale is just on the west side of the Royal Gorge at milepost 171. There is a high water detector just east of the east switch which was currently active when passing through, no doubt do to the large amounts of rainfall. When you have miles of tracks that aren’t being used to move trains, it makes them ideal for storing cars. With the recent decline in coal demand, surplus cars need to be stored. The east
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end of Tennessee Pass is as good a place as any! Union Pacific has hauled in a couple miles worth of high side “bathtub” gondolas for storage. The cars started roughly halfway through the siding at Parkdale and extended west of the west switch, a little ways up the canyon.
Opposite Page The approach to the east switch of Parkdale as seen from the U.S. 50 overpass. Below A string of (high side) gondolas sit in storage at the west switch of Parkdale.
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Spikebuck
est of Parkdale, the track followed the Arkansas River through Pinnacle Rock Canyon. The siding of Spikebuck (milepost 176) is in the canyon as well. The tracks remain on the opposite side of U.S. 50 through the canyon, so pictures had to be taken across the Arkansas River.
Had it not been for the 3% grades on the west slope of Tennessee Pass, railroading in Colorado may have been extremely different today!
A lot of foliage has grown along (and between) the tracks over the course of the last 18 years. At times, it is even difficult to clearly identify where the rails are! At this point on the journey, we are roughly 5,900 feet above sea level. The tracks are following a fairly steady grade between 1.2% and 1.4%, grades that are, overall, less severe than on the Moffat.
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Below Foliage grows over the tracks on the mainline in Pinnacle Canyon.
Texas Creek
A
fter emerging from the west end of Pinnacle Canyon, the tracks reach the siding of Texas Creek. This 6,200 foot long siding is at milepost 184.5 and is just over 6,200 feet above sea level.
Above The lower signal head is missing from the westbound signal at the east end of Texas Creek.
Below The remains of the dwarf signal at the east end of Texas Creek siding are nearly obscured by the surrounding plants.
The overgrowth through Texas Creek is significant. Looking east out of the siding, the tracks quickly disappear into a sea of green and brown plants and weeds. Looking west, the overgrowth in even worse, making it impossible at times to even see the railhead.
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Cotopaxi
T
he first town west of the Royal Gorge along U.S. 50 is Cotopaxi. Established in 1882, it was settled largely by Jewish-Russian immigrants whom were planning to start a farming colony. Realizing the Colorado climate at 6,362 feet wasn’t ideal for farming, they largely went to work for the Rio Grande, working on the line over Marshall Pass. The town’s name comes from the largest volcano (of the same name) in Ecuador.
The tracks are located across the Arkansas River where most of the houses for the towns residents can be found. The overgrowth on the tracks at Cotopaxi is even worse than at Texas Creek. After seeing a switch stand near the grade crossing, it took me a moment to find the switch point that the stand belonged to! It was for the house track, located just east of the grade crossing on the siding.
Today, Cotopaxi has a population of 47 (as of the 2010 census) and the town sports a gas station and convenience store.
Opposite Top The lower signal head is missing from the westbound signal at the east end of Texas Creek.
Opposite Bottom The remains of the dwarf signal at the east end of Texas Creek siding are nearly obscured by the surrounding plants. Right Even though plants have grown in excess of six feet in the right of way no train has come through in over a decade, buses in Cotopaxi must still stop at the grade crossing. ColoradoRailfan — 2015 Tennessee Pass Special
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Above Can you find the tracks? The railhead for the mainline is more or less visible to the right, but finding the siding is even more of a challenge. You can just see one of the railheads near the left side of picture.
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Vallie
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est of Cotopaxi, the tracks and the Arkansas River diverge a bit from U.S. 50. However, some side roads still allow for fairly easy access to the tracks.
Above The tracks are all but gone (from view, at least) at the west switch of Vallie. The signals, all of which still have their heads, are about the only evidence as to where the track can be found.
Off of U.S. 50 you can find County Road 45. You’ll note a sign advertising the Vallie Bridge alongside the road. This road leads to a campground and, eventually, the tracks.
As has been the case at most places we’ve stopped up to this point, mother nature is reclaiming the right of way. Vallie is a little over 6,500 feet above sea level, but the small weeds and plants have no problem making their way up through the old ballast.
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White paint covering the D&RGW “No Trespassing” sign is slowly wearing off over time. Nipple Mountain is a 12,204 foot high mountain peak in the Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range. ColoradoRailfan — 2015 Tennessee Pass Special
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Above The dirt road is now actually covering the rails at this grade crossing near Vallie Bridge.
Above While the mainline is still visible, the siding at Vallie is totally obscured.
Above Can you spot the tracks? This view looked west from near the west switch of Vallie. 20
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Above The valley west of the siding of Vallie is beautiful! It is unfortunate the trains will likely never run over these tracks in this beautiful land again. Above (Inset) Some of the signals along the line, such as this pair of intermediate signals west of Vallie, still appear to be in good shape, at least on the outside. Internally, open boxes tell a different story. Broken glass and clipped wires cover the ground.
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Swissvale
he siding of Swissvale is roughly between the small town of Howard and the town of Salida. The Arkansas River Valley has opened up a bit through this area and there are a fair number of houses throughout the area.
The tracks follow fairly closely to the river, occasionally crossing over from one side to the other, but primarily staying on the north/east side of the river.
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Below The hotbox detector at milepost 203.4 is visible alongside the overgrown rails. Bottom A grade crossing near Howard, CO, stands ready to protect cars from trains that will never come.
Salida
A
t the east switch of Salida, we find an industry that looks like it has been idle for as long as the tracks that run alongside it! There are signs around the perimeter of the old structure warning people to stay out as the ground are not safe.
Above A long-abandoned industry sits quietly at the east switch of Salida.
Below The south rail of the main track lays among a sea of yellow-flowered plants alongside the yard in Salida.
Another sad sight during the day long tour of Tennessee Pass. The yard at Salida was once a key component in the Rio Grande system. For years, the yard had dual gauge rails (both standard and narrow gauge) and interchanged traffic from several sources. The narrow gauge line over Marshall Pass (original mainline for the Rio Grande prior to the completion of Tennessee Pass), traffic from the Monarch Branch, and standard (Continued on page 26)
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Once a center of action for Rio Grande, supporting both narrow gauge and standard gauge traffic, the yard in Salida now consists of three rusty tracks, not used regularly in 18 years. 24
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(Continued from page 23)
gauge traffic along Tennessee Pass all came through here. Today, 18 years after the last of the trains came through, the yard consists of a single track alongside the 7,240 foot siding and the mainline. As of the latest census, Salida had 5,236 residents. While many residents had railroad or mining-related jobs in the past, today the town primary operates on tourism. In the winter, there are nearby ski resorts (such as Monarch) and in the summer, there is a lot of rafting in the Arkansas River.
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Above At milepost 215, in the yard at Salida, you can probably infer the blurred word on the hut.
Below The town of Salida has completely paved over the siding at the grade crossing near the west end.
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Buena Vista
est of Salida, the tracks encounter the sidings of Brown Cañon and Nathrop. The former is 9,960 feet long and the latter is 6,890 feet long.
joined by the Colorado Midland’s tracks. The Colorado Midland was built west out of Colorado Springs and paralleled the Rio Grande between Buena Vista and Crystal Lake, not far off from Leadville.
Another seven miles beyond Nathrop and the town of Buena Vista is reached. Unlike Salida, there isn’t even a siding (let alone a yard) in Buena Vista.
Buena Vista is nearly 8,000 feet above sea level. In the last 80 miles, we’ve climbed approximately 2,500 feet.
Buena Vista is about half the size of Salida and marks the halfway point between Salida and Leadville along U.S. 24.
Above Main Street (quite literally) in Buena Vista includes a crossing with Tennessee Pass. While the crossing lights still stand, their gates have long since been broken, snapped close to the base. An afternoon storm clears out to the east.
Buena Vista was significant in the early 20th century as it was the location at which the Rio Grande’s tracks were ColoradoRailfan — 2015 Tennessee Pass Special
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Above Some clear evidence of erosion could be seen along the right of way in Buena Vista. The ends of ties stick out from washed out ballast.
Opposite (Top) A trio of tunnels, built by the Colorado Midland, offers evidence of the railroad scrapped 95 years ago. Opposite (Below) The grade for the Colorado Midland (to the right) was higher than the grade for the Rio Grande (to the left). 28
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Colorado Midland The Colorado Midland Railway was founded in 1883. One of the first standard gauge railroads in Colorado, it was the first standard gauge railroad to build over the Continental Divide in Colorado. The railroad crossed over three summits (Hayden Divide, Trout Creek Pass, and Hagerman Pass) between Colorado Springs and Glenwood Springs. The railroad also dealt with grades in excess of 4% while climbing toward the Continental Divide.
Colorado winters were extremely rough on the railroad. The line would frequently be closed for days due to snow that couldn’t be cleared from the rails. The worst example was in the winter of 1899 when the line over Hagerman Pass (the Continental Divide) was closed for 77 consecutive days. The crossing at Hagerman Pass was originally at 11,925 feet but was lowered to 10,953 in 1891 with the completion of the 9,394 foot-long Busk-Ivanhoe Tunnel. In 1917, the United States Railroad Administration (a government agency that essentially took over the railroads during World War I) redirected most of the central Colorado rail traffic over the Colorado Midland. The Midland was unable to handle the additional traffic and, not long after, the USRA redirected traffic elsewhere. The loss of traffic combined with the steep operating costs was too much for the Midland and the railroad shut down in 1918. Two years later, in 1920, the line was ripped up and became an entry in the history books.
When it was in operation, the Colorado Midland paralleled the Rio Grande between Buena Vista and Crystal Lake near Leadville. Evidence of the original Colorado Midland grade can still be seen. Most notably in the form of several tunnels (now along Country Road 371 northwest of Buena Vista.
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Princeton
S
ince just south of Buena Vista, the tracks have been following U.S. 24. U.S. 50 turned east along with U.S. 285 and headed toward Colorado Springs. The siding of Princeton is 7,640 feet long and marks the tracks’ entrance into San Isabel National Forest.
Unlike most sidings, the siding does not follow parallel to the main at the east end. The tracks are significantly lower than U.S. 24, so you have to pull over and look down the hillside in order to see them.
The name of the siding comes from the Mount Princeton, a 14,000+ foot
Above At the east switch of Princeton, the siding diverges from the mainline.
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mountain peak in the Sawatch Range of the Colorado Rockies. Just over 15 miles away from Leadville, the tracks are now 8,655 feet above sea level. The vegetation is starting to thin out along the right of way, at least to some degree.
Above Another look at the tracks at Princeton from alongside U.S. 24. Not too far in to the siding, the main and siding converge and run in parallel through the remainder of the siding. Right The signal door is opening (and possibly missing) at the west switch of Princeton. The signal appears, on the outside, to be in descent condition.
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Kobe
B
y the time we reach Kobe, the tracks clear of most of the large amounts of foliage. The ballast is also composed of black volcanic scoria, a staple of the Rio Grande. The 8,090 foot long siding, located at milepost 263.5, is 9,137 feet above sea level. This is just 100 feet shy of the elevation at the Apex of the Moffat Tunnel. But whereas the Moffat achieves this elevation gain in about 50 miles, Tennessee Pass achieves this gain in about 100 miles, demonstrating that the east side of Tennessee Pass is not as steep as the Moffat. While Southern Pacific spent time laying welded rail along parts of Tennessee Pass, the project was never completed. 32
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Consequently, the tracks (both the mainline and the siding) at Kobe are all jointed rail.
Opposite The east switch of Kobe doesn’t look too bad. Even the rail looks surprising free of rust as an afternoon storm has the skies socked in with clouds.
Above Jointed rails lay across the top of scoria ballast heading east out of Kobe. The sign displaying “35” to the right indicates that the maximum speed for all trains is 35 miles per hour.
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Malta
S
ix miles beyond Kobe, the tracks reach the siding of Malta, just outside Leadville. The Tennessee Pass line never actually enters Leadville proper. The tracks skirt the west side of the town.
There is a yard at Malta from which a connection used to run into Leadville. The connection allowed Rio Grande to interchange with the Colorado and Southern line that serviced the Climax
Above Many Colorado 14ers can be seen at various times along Tennessee Pass. Here, at the east switch of Malta, Mount Elbert can be clearly seen. At 14,440 feet, Mount Elbert is the tallest mountain in Colorado.
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Molybdenum Mine. The connection from the yard has since been removed. Malta is a 7,800 foot long siding, lying at an elevation of 9,580 feet above sea level. The previously mention yard at Malta branches off from the siding, with 2-3 tracks located on either side. At this point, other than the abandoned yard, the tracks look as though they may have been used as recently as last week!
Left (Top) The yard at Leadville sits empty, tracks branching off both to the right and to the left of the siding.
Left (Middle) Rio Grande built a make-shift load out at Malta. A pair of hopper cars were filled with dirt and allows trucks to drive on them and dump material in to the cars parked on the stub track below.
Left (Bottom) Looking east, the stub track connects with the main line at the east switch of Malta. The derail has been left aligned for the main, not that it matters one way or another.
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Mount Elbert, the tallest mountain in Colorado standing at 14,440 feet, watches over the idle tracks of Tennessee Pass as the tracks quietly wind through open fields roughly three miles away from the summit. ColoradoRailfan — 2015 Tennessee Pass Special
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Tennessee Pass
fter a journey of 120 miles, we have arrived at the summit of Tennessee Pass. The tracks here are 10,221 feet above sea level. Until being shut down in August 1997, this was the highest non-tourist rail line in the United States. That honor has since been passed on to the Moffat Road. Trains cross the Continental Divide through a 2,550 foot long tunnel. It is rumored that there is a significant amount of ice that has built up in the
Above The western bore of the one half mile long Tennessee Pass Tunnel. When eastbound would emerge from the tunnel, they’d usually be accompanied by massive amounts of exhaust, accumulated during the slow climb up the grade.
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middle of the tunnel. With no direct sunlight, the water runoff has built up over the years. Just outside of the east portal of the tunnel, you can find the 7,870 foot long siding of Tennessee Pass. Eastbounds charging up the 3% grade would stop at the siding in order to cut out their helpers. The helpers would then return to Minturn to await their next (Continued on page 42)
Colorado and Southern The Colorado and Southern actually had a small presence in Leadville up until the closure of the Molybdenum Mine at Climax in 1995. The mine reopened in 2012, but used trucks, rather than trains, for hauling out the ore. Well into the 1950s, the Colorado and Southern kept a standard gauge steam engine stationed at Leadville. It was responsible for taking cars to and from the Climax mine and interchanging the cars with the Rio Grande. For a long time, the mine at Climax produced roughly three quarters of the world’s Molybdenum. Molybdenum is a metal (a chemical element) that is widely used in alloys. For example, it is used in steel as it is highly resistant to corrosion and can be easily welded.
The steam engine that was used by the Colorado and Southern was ultimately donated to the city and now stands, inoperable, near the Leadville Depot. A small tourist line called the Leadville, Colorado and Southern now operates a passenger train twice a day between Leadville and Climax. ColoradoRailfan — 2015 Tennessee Pass Special
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The signal at the east end of Tennessee Pass sits quietly in the late afternoon sun. The plentiful rainfall of the summer of 2015 has provided for ponds that generate a perfect reflection. 40
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(Continued from page 38)
assignment. The tunnel has a curtain, which was lowered in the winter months in an attempt to keep snow from blowing in to the tunnel and piling up. West of the tunnel, the tracks begin their steep descent toward the town of Minturn. While Tennessee Pass is at an elevation of 10,221 feet, Minturn is only at 7,825 feet. That is a loss of 2,400 feet but in only 20 miles. Put in another way, the tracks haven’t been that low in elevation on the east slope of the pass since east of Buena Vista. That is 40 miles east of Tennessee Pass!
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Above The curtain used to protect the tunnel from the elements is rolled up above the east portal.
Above On the west side of the divide, the tracks curve away from U.S. 24 toward the former siding of Mitchell, descending down a steady 3% grade.
Opposite Page (Left) The switch machine at the west switch of Tennessee Pass has been torn apart. Whether by Union Pacific or scavengers (or a mix of both), the switch is further evidence of the tattered shape the CTC system is in. Opposite Page (Right) Looking west inside the tunnel, you can clearly see the portal at the west end. At least there have not been any (serious) cave-ins within the tunnel to date. ColoradoRailfan — 2015 Tennessee Pass Special
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Pando
ith the summit of Tennessee Pass now behind us, we begin the short but steep descent down toward Minturn. Just six miles west of the tunnel, and we have already dropped about 1,000 feet in elevation.
Today, while the tracks are relatively clear of foliage, that is not the case at the west switch of the house track, where several bushes have grown in to the siding. The bushes are 8-10 feet tall!
Pando is an 8,260 foot long siding in the same valley where the U.S. Army’s Camp Hale was once located. Camp Hale was
built in 1942 for the 10th Mountain Division of the Army. The camp was used for winter training and also held roughly 400 prisoners of war during World War 2. There was once a depot at Pando that served the camp. The camp remained until 1965 when it was dismantled and the land was given to the U.S. Forest Service. 44
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Above Looking west toward the U.S. 24 overpass, the house track (left), siding (center) and main (right) all sit quietly. Right A classic shot looking west at Pando from the U.S. 24 overpass. Many shots of Rio Grande trains attacking the 3% grade from this spot.
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Belden
fter Pando, the tracks and U.S. 24 part ways for a bit. The tracks descend to 8.600 feet by the time they reach the town of Red Cliff, which is only 4 1/2 track miles from Pando. Just beyond Red Cliff you find the west switch of the siding of Belden. At 10,430 feet long, this siding has a lot of interesting characteristics. For starters, the siding is extremely
difficult to shoot. Almost the entire length of the siding is deep in a canyon with the Eagle River. Unless you are willing to hike in, there are only a few places that offer a view of a few hundred feet of track.
The second interesting feature of this siding is the fact that the main crosses the Eagle River and the main and the siding run on opposite sides of the canyon from one another! This was a logical solution to the problem of “how do we fit two tracks in a relatively narrow canyon.” Eighteen years after the last train, the siding appears to be in pretty rough shape. It has fallen victim to numerous rock slides in the canyon and is buried in multiple locations.
Left The tracks poke out of the canyon at the west end of the siding of Belden along the Eagle River. You can see a rock slide that has buried a portion of the siding near the top of the image.
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Above Almost directly over the west switch of Belden is this impressive steel bridge that carries U.S. 24. The bridge opened in 1941 and is one of only two steel arch bridges in the state of Colorado. The lower bridges carries local traffic the town of Red Cliff, CO. The tracks, charging up the 3% grade, are at the bottom along with the Eagle River. Right There are a handful of places along U.S. 24 that allow for a look down into the canyon where the siding of Belden is located. In this picture, the main is on the left, the Eagle River runs center, and the siding is on the right. Multiple rock slides have buried a large portion of the siding throughout the canyon.
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Minturn
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ColoradoRailfan — 2015 Tennessee Pass Special
Opposite Top The signals are still present at the east switch of Minturn, although the lenses and much of the electronics have been removed. Opposite Bottom Looking east from the east switch of Minturn shows the mainline with some foliage growing amongst the rails. Above The east switch of Minturn is located 301 miles away from Denver, via Pueblo. The original Denver & Rio Grande built from Denver south to Pueblo, and then turned west to go over Tennessee Pass, increasing the mileposts the entire way. Left Due to the grade on the west slope of Tennessee Pass, it was very common for eastbound trains to use sand...and lot of sand...to start pulling from a stop. 20 years later, the east end of the Minturn siding is still covered in sand!
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e have arrived at one of the most “railroad” towns in all of Colorado. Whether you have heard of the other locations we traversed on Tennessee Pass or not, more than likely you have heard of Minturn. Located right at milepost 300, the city is 7,825 feet above sea level and has just over 1,000 residents. The town exists because of the small yard and amazing operations that took place here in the past. Prior to the closing of Tennessee Pass, you could find a plethora of trains in the yard. In particular, you could always count on finding 10-15 engines in the yard, ready to be used at any time in helper service. Minturn essentially is “ground zero” for the attack on the western slope of the pass. Immediately east of Minturn, the grade is 2.3% all the way to Red Cliff. At 50
ColoradoRailfan — 2015 Tennessee Pass Special
Red Cliff, the grade jumps to 3% for the 12 1/2 remaining miles to the top of the pass. The 3% climb was not only rough on eastbounds. Heavy westbounds descending from the tunnel could turn into “runaways” if the engineer was not careful. Such a runaway occurred in February 1996 when a student engineer lost control of a westbound before it derailed in three places. Unfortunately, the student engineer and the (fully qualified) engineer were both killed. The conductor survived.
Opposite Page The old depot at Minturn still sits along the tracks, but is now boarded up. Right Despite the fact that Tennessee Pass is not abandoned, the city of Minturn has paved right over all the tracks at the east end of the yard. Bottom If freight trains were to ever run again over Tennessee Pass, no doubt the residents of Minturn would not be thrilled. The residents of these condos would likely be among the first to complain about the noise.
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A classic shot in the yard at Minturn. Many photographers stood at or near this location to shoot westbound trains arriving in the yard, preparing to add helpers for the climb up the 3% grade to the summit of Tennessee Pass. 52
ColoradoRailfan — 2015 Tennessee Pass Special
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Minturn Rock-Block
ountain railroading always involves the risk of rock slides. Today, you can find slide fences along many mainlines that travel through slide-prone area. These slide fences both help prevent rocks from landing on the tracks as well as alert the dispatcher if they do. While slide fences are obviously not needed on a line that hasn’t seen a train in two decades, no slide fence in the world would have stopped this behemoth from reaching the rails.
Sometime around 2013, spring runoff eroded enough of the hillside away to allow this multi-ton boulder to come
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crashing down, landing right on the mainline. The boulder ripped through iron rails like they were wooden matchsticks! The boulder created a crater and shoved dirt up around it. Not that there were any on the schedule, but no trains are going to roll through here anytime soon!
Below A look at the boulder now resting where the mainline should be, about a quarter of a miles west of the east switch of Minturn.
Right Top The crater created by the boulder allows you to easily get down to the eyeline of the rail head looking east. Right Middle The rails of the mainline are pinned underneath the boulder. Unable to pull the rail to the east, the rails ripped in half. Right Bottom The boulder did not touch the siding, but the dirt shoved up and toward the siding moved the rails. It moved them further than they could move, so they snapped in half! Below Looking east from just west of the boulder allows you to see both the rails and their tie plates ripped off of the ties on the mainline.
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A gigantic boulder fell from the mountain above, landing on the mainline at east Minturn, severing both the mainline and the siding. The powerful rocked ripped the iron rail in two on both tracks.
Above Looking east, the tracks in near the west end of the yard at Minturn look like they are in descent shape, roughly two decades of built up rust notwithstanding.
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Avon
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ust west of Minturn, US-24 meets up with I-70 and the tracks follow through a very touristy part of Colorado. The first touristy town we come to is Avon. A lot of skiers that enjoy going to Vail or Beaver Creek stay (or live) in Avon. The town’s population is around 6,500 and, if Union Pacific (or any other railroad) were to try to reopen Tennessee Pass, no doubt a major voice of opposition would come from those folks as most are likely not railfans and have become accustomed to the silence of the rails. The siding itself is about 8,300 feet long,
running right through the middle of the town. There are condominiums and apartments on either side of the rails through town. The grade of the tracks drops quickly west of Minturn, following a 1% to 1.2% grade down along the Eagle River. Avon is 7,400 feet above sea level.
Above A tree is attempting to overtake the signal at the east switch of Avon. Someone has used the hand throw switch to center up the switch points. ColoradoRailfan — 2015 Tennessee Pass Special
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Above Looking east from the east switch of Avon, you can see the mountains the tracks are moving toward that will soon have to be conquered to get to the other side of the Continental Divide at Tennessee Pass. Right This tree has sprouted up around the base of the signal, between the signal and the control box. It’ll be interesting to see just how far this tree has come in overtaking the signal in another twenty years. 60
ColoradoRailfan — 2015 Tennessee Pass Special
Above The cover of electronics box on the power switch has been removed and the wiring inside looted. Note the hand throw lever sticking nearly straight up as the switch points are centered between the rails.
Below A closer look at the switch at east Avon. The “Hand Throw” lever looks as though it may be rusted in the current position.
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Wolcott
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ontinuing west from Avon, the tracks pass through the town of Edwards before coming up to the next siding at Wolcott.
main and the siding, but the second has grown directly between the rails of the siding. It is well over ten feet tall at this point!
At the east end of Wolcott, the tracks splice right through the middle of the Eagle Springs Golf Club. This course is a full 18 holes, half on one side of the tracks and half on the other. No hole crosses the tracks as the club opened in 1995, two years prior to the shut down of Tennessee Pass.
Of note, Wolcott is the closest Tennessee Pass and the original Denver and Salt Lake line come to each other (not including the Dotsero Cutoff). Bond is only ten miles north (as the crow flies) from Wolcott at State Bridge.
The siding is just over 7,500 feet long and there are some interesting this to find at the west switch. Specifically, a pair of trees. One has grown between the 62
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Above A tree grows between the main and the siding at the west end of Wolcott. Right A second tree came up between the rails of the siding about a hundred feet from the west switch of Wolcott.
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Left Top The west end of Wolcott is right at milepost 319, about 17 miles west of downtown Minturn. Here at Wolcott, the track dip beneath 7,000 feet as they continue west. Left Bottom Weeds and rocks gather alongside the siding at Wolcott. Below Just west of the west switch of Wolcott, the tracks curve with the Eagle River and cross from the north side of the river to the south side. Note the slide fence that once stood alongside the north side of the tracks here on this curve.
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ColoradoRailfan — 2015 Tennessee Pass Special
West of Wolcott, the tracks follow along US-6 and I-70 through the valley toward and through the town of Eagle. This shot looks east along the tracks just east of Eagle. ColoradoRailfan — 2015 Tennessee Pass Special
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Above Being a life long fan of the Rio Grande, I have always loved the various signage they used trackside. The D&RGW “No Trespassing” signs quickly disappeared from the Moffat as they were replaced (first) with Southern Pacific and, later, Union Pacific. However, you can still fine these signs and others in near perfect shape on Tennessee Pass. Right The west switch of Sage doesn’t look all too bad at 6,400 feet above sea level. The word “Sage” has almost completely disappear from the silver control box. 68
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Sage The final siding as trains head west on Tennessee Pass is the siding of Sage. It is located on the west side of Eagle, right along US-6. Originally named “West”, the siding name was changed to “Sage” sometime between 1967 and 1970. The siding is 7,700 feet long and, from time to time, has seen a little action in the 21st century. Referring to it as “action” might be a little generous, but on more than one occasion, Union Pacific has used the siding at Sage to temporarily store cars that are not needed due to a downturn in the economy.
From the west switch at Sage at milepost 332.8, it is about two miles to active track. The far west end of Tennessee Pass still sees a train a week as the Minturn Local, which runs out of Grand Junction, travels about 6 1/2 miles from Dotsero to Gypsum. A company called American Gypsum, which produces drywall, is located here and ships drywall by rail.
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That just about wraps up this journey over Tennessee Pass. As mentioned previously, about two miles west of Sage we find active rails again. They may only see one train a week, but one train a week is better than zero trains a decade, which is what most of the rest of the pass has seen. The good news? The line has not yet been abandoned. It is “railbanked” so that UP can bring it back to life at some point in the future if they so choose to do so. To those that say Tennessee Pass will rise from the ashes and see rail traffic again, I can say with total honesty that I hope that you are correct. However, time and failed rumors have turned me in to an eternal skeptic. There are rumors that surface every few years that suggest UP is looking in to reopening the line. While it is true that the 70
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do patrol and inspect the line periodically, nothing has ever come from such inspections. The most credible rumor I ever heard dates back to 2007. It is said that, with the Moffat close to its capacity with coal traffic plugging the line, UP investigated reopening Tennessee Pass. If there is any truth to this rumor, the economic downturn and subsequent shift of the economy away from coal quickly killed any such plans. With the Moffat running at 1/3 capacity (at best) as of this writing in 2018, it seems extremely unlikely Tennessee Pass will ever return from the dead.
Above Looking west from the west switch of Sage, it is just two miles to the American Gypsum drywall plant and a short seven mile stretch of active tracks on the west end of Tennessee Pass. Above Left All of the signals at the west end of Sage are still intact, which is to say the signal heads are all still present. No doubt the electronics within have long since been raided. ColoradoRailfan — 2015 Tennessee Pass Special
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