An Old Line Over Moffat Tunnel???

[Deggesty]

bubbajustin

I was looking at Google Earth last night and I saw over the "genaral" area of the preasent day Moffat Tunnel, there were a few photo's of an "old rail line abandond in the 70's." Did UP run a line over the tunnel? Was this a short/tourist line?

Thanks!

Justin

If you are referring to a line that was north of the current line through the Moffat Tunnel, it is the original line over Rollins Pass, which was abandoned after the line through the tunnel was completed--in the thirties. This line had three short tunnels, crossed the Divide at 11,660 feet, went almost all the way around Yankee Doodle Lake, and crossed over itself over the west portal to Tunnel 33.

I'm not an expert on Colorado narrow gauge roads, but I can give you information from the SPV atlas. This atlas shows the Colorado Central running from Golden to Georgetown, and the Georgetown Breckinridge & Leadville going on to Graymont, and the Argentine & Gray's Peak running from just west of Silver Plume (on the GB&L) to Mt. McClelland. These lines are south of the Denver and Salt Lake.

North of the D&SL, the Colorado & Northwestern ran from Boulder to Sunset, with a line going (mainly) west and north to New Market, and another line going (mainly) south and west to Barker reservoir and Eldora.

All of these roads were built to transport ore/metal to Denver.

One section, at Georgetown, was rebuilt comparatively recently as a tourist road.

Johnny

[beaulieu]

bubbajustin

I was looking at Google Earth last night and I saw over the "genaral" area of the preasent day Moffat Tunnel, there were a few photo's of an "old rail line abandond in the 70's." Did UP run a line over the tunnel? Was this a short/tourist line?

Thanks!

Justin

 

You may not know it, but the Union Pacific does not own the Moffat Tunnel. The tunnel is owned by the Denver Water Board, who uses the adjacent "Pioneer Tunnel" to bring water from the west side of the mountain to the east side to feed Denver's need for more water. The Pioneer Tunnel which has a smaller diameter was bored first, then connecting links were driven to excavate the larger Moffat Tunnel. The rental of the Moffat Tunnel to the railroad paid for the expense of boring the water tunnel. The tunnels were bored in the 1930's, before that the Denver & Salt Lake RR. went over the top and crossed the Front Range through Rollins Pass, well above the Moffat Tunnel. The railroad could not afford to pay for the tunnel itself. With the completion of the Moffat Tunnel the Denver &Rio Grande Western RR. leased the Denver & Salt Lake RR. in purpetuity, and built the connecting link from Orestod to Dotsero.

[bubbajustin]

I was looking at Google Earth last night and I saw over the "genaral" area of the preasent day Moffat Tunnel, there were a few photo's of an "old rail line abandond in the 70's." Did UP run a line over the tunnel? Was this a short/tourist line?

Thanks!

Justin