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What odds do you personally give the Tennessee Pass reactivation plan of actually happening?

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Posted by Bruce Kelly on Friday, April 23, 2021 1:27 PM
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Posted by MidlandMike on Friday, April 23, 2021 1:58 PM

Murphy Siding
I can't imagine why anyone other than UP would want control of the tunnel.

The owner of a trucking company and the Ambassador Bridge across the Detroit River into Canada, bought the Conrail tunnels under the Detroit River.  He then decided to build a biger bridge instead, and sold the dual tunnels back to railroad interests with the condition that the tunnels could not be converted for comepting truck traffic.

I have been thru a couple of long single lane auto tunnels in Alaska and New Zealand.  The Alaska tunnel is also shared with ARR, with alternating times for both auto directions and trains.  Coverting the Moffat Tunnel to alternating direction auto/truck traffic would be a welcome alternative for drivers going over the hairpin switchbacks of Berthoud Pass, especially in winter.

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Posted by bedell on Saturday, April 24, 2021 1:48 PM

We live in Canon City, CO right now so when we drive west on US 50 along the Tenessee Pass line it is easy to see what a huge job it would be to get the line open again.  From that pespective the chances look slim.

That being said, after we left South Western New York in 1999 the old Erie Lackawanna main was reopened.  Then after we left Virginia in 2013 number 611 was brought back to operating condition.   Now we are about to move out of Colorado and head back east.  So will our "charm" still work?

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Posted by Overmod on Saturday, April 24, 2021 1:55 PM

bedell
Now we are about to move out of Colorado and head back east.  So will our "charm" still work?

At least you didn't leave before 4014 was complete... you better move quickly so we can get 3985 operational again! Laugh

 

(Yes, I know Colorado is not Wyoming, but chuckle anyway...)

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