Greetings!
While I've long read both Trains Magazine and the forums here, this is my first post.
This past Saturday, I finally did something I've want to do for about 15 years. I drove the length of Tennessee Pass! Well, not quite the entire length. The journey was from Canon City on the east end to Minturn on the west end. This covers the inactive part of the line, save for about 40 miles west of Minturn.
When it comes to Tennessee Pass, there are those that believe freight will once again roll over the line at some point in the future. While I'd be the first to cheer if that happened, I am the eternal cynic. Save for the possiblity of some type of commuter line, I suspect the only other future Tennessee Pass has is to be abandoned and scrapped. Here's hoping the future proves me wrong.
My cynicism was strengthened on Saturday when I saw the condition of the line. Setting aside, for a minute, the condition of the rails, ties, and ballast, mother nature is working hard to reclaim the line. Certainly the parts of the line at lower elevations. At various places, there are bushes that are anywhere from 3 to 10 (yes, 10!) feet tall along the tracks or even in the middle of the tracks. In some places, you cannot even tell tracks are still there. Rather than go in to great detail in this post, I decided to do something a little different. I created a digital publication covering the days journey. An online magazine, if you will. It is my first attempt (and I am no graphic artist or great story teller), so I hope you all will enjoy it. I'd like to do such a "magazine" once or twice a year (on various topics). Without further delay, here is a link to the publication. I also picked out a few of my favorite pictures from the day to include here.
1. My personal favorite shot of the day came near milepost 276. This is the open valley near Leadville, about three miles from the top of Tennessee Pass. 14,440 foot tall Mount Elbert (the tallest mountain in Colorado) stands watchfully in the distance.
2. At the east switch of Tennessee Pass siding, the Tennessee Creek has overrun its banks a bit and formed a nice reflecting pond. I would have given about anything for an eastbound to come rolling through!
3. Here we are! 10,220 feet above sea level, the tracks come to the summit. We are looking east from the west end of Tennessee Pass siding, a few hundred feet from the entrace to the tunnel. The east slope of Tennessee Pass is actually quite reasonable in terms of grade. It doesn't exceed 1.7%.
If you are interested, here is a link to all the pictures from the day on my website.
Thanks for looking and I hope you enjoyed the tour!
Kevin MorganArvada, COColoradoRailfan.com
A really nice set of photos. Nice to see the area after so many years, but so sad to see the run-down condition. What a waste of good trackage! Thanks for posting.
Wow! Thanks for the memories and update. Really made my day. I once saw Rio Grande tunnel motors etc., run this line. Those were the days..
This set of photos and your documentation should convince those who think (wish) the UP would again open the Tennessee Pass line. Its days as an operating RR are gone.
Great photos! Every time we travel that route, I wish the line were still active. We live in Canon City so at least we get the Royal Gorge Route trains and the Front Range Aggregates traffic from Parkdale.
For many years we lived in southwestern New York state near the old Erie mainline which had some large trees on the tracks - now that line has been re-activated. We also lived in Virginia near Roanoke where 611 sat gathering dust. So perhaps there is still hope.
The Tennessee Pass line was passed, and checked out for a ways, some years ago, and it was in remarkably good shape for being mothballed.
It seems UP’s favorite tactic is to let a line just sit. Probably in 200 years the public outcry will be so much the government will just tell the railroad to pull up the tracks, without hearings or anything.
The Phoenix Line of UP, the western part, has had a similar tactic, but the difference is all the signals disappeared.
So, the Tennessee Pass line and the Phoenix Line’s western section seem to be having a similar thing happen. A time machine would be a wonderful thing to have right now, to see if both lines are still mothballed 50 and 100 years from now …
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- K.P.’s absolute “theorem” from early, early childhood that he has seen over and over and over again: Those that CAUSE a problem in the first place will act the most violently if questioned or exposed.
Kevin:First of all, I want to thank you for your effort here and also your photos on Colorado Railfan. I would strongly recommend that others take alook at the website.
Second, we just concluded our vacation to Colorado and I used your website as a resource for my limited railfanning (my wife was quite generous with the trains as she is considerate of my passion for the rails). We spent time in Minturn then drove to Leadville for the night and learned to fly fish just south of Leadville at the borrow pit/park just south of the overpass. I walked south of the road (to the park) and took a look at the signal.
We also followed the line from Salida to Canon City and then rode the Royal Gorge train up to Parkdale. As we were driving east on US50 there was a string of coal hoppers just west of Parkdale and I got all excited about the possibility (extremely slim) that a train would be on the line. Obviously the coal cars are parked due to the downturn in coal business (which isnt good for the Rio Grande lines).
I think the line can be placed into service again...but only if there are extreme reasons to do so. Hey, lets consider the positives:
1. The track is still in place.
2. The westbound grade is reasonable.
I can foresee a situation where the line is used directionally (westbounds) to alleviate conjestion on other lines. However, with no UP connection at Pueblo other than round about, it will be difficult (but not impossible).
A year ago we were all wondering how the rails will handle all the freight that appeared. Then the oil tanked and coal is getting shut down. Now (suddenly) there are issues with business levels (downturns) and capex budgets are being reduced. UP and BNSF are not handling nearly the amount of coal and oil is flat. Merchandise freight is a little lower.
My guess is that UP simply is holding on to 1. Keep it out of another railroad's hands. 2. Keep it from being a bike trail (and one hell of a trail it would be! We saw all those fit bikers training at Leadville and Independence Pass (elevation 12000)
It is very cheap insurance for UP, particularly if something happens with the big tunnel.
Kevin...what is the State of Colorado's stance on the rail line?BTW, there is a new website (railfanatlas.com) which uses google maps with flicker to show photos on a map which can then be enlarged. Wow. What a tool. I saw some amazing photos of Colorado on that site.
Kevin, do you know of a major photo article Mark Hemphill wrote in another magazine about 20 years ago on Tennessee Pass? I think it was TRP. It had great photos. My memory and filing system is not what it used to be.
Thanks for your photos and I will take a look at your album (link).
Ed (from Indiana)
didn't UP abandon and tear up the inside route ( wendal ? ) line after its service stopped on Tennessee Pass ? Is it possible that the ROW agreement that SP signed has provision that all ROW dirt needs to be put back to prior condition before RR ? Also remove any HAZ MAT ? Would that require that washouts be repaired after a certain time. That may be reason for continuing resurecting rumors ? Maybe a hi-rail every certain number of days ( ?) MC ?
MP173/ Ed - Might one of these be the article(s) ?
"Royal Gorge Swansong: Remembering the last days of Tennessee Pass" by Chuck Conway, from CTC Board, April 1998
"what is the State of Colorado's stance on the rail line? "....The bus people at CDOT could care less. There is not a qualified railroader on staff. (They keep a handful of grant administrators around for light rail $$ from Washington. Bus people are obsessing over Bustang which is predestined to fail.)
Their one attempt at freight railroading was mis-handled and is now threatening economic disaster in part of SE Colorado.
I'm not as quick to write off the line as some here and the trails advocates are dumber than CDOT and won't be able to come up with the $$$$.
blue streak 1 didn't UP abandon and tear up the inside route ( wendal ? ) line after its service stopped on Tennessee Pass ? Is it possible that the ROW agreement that SP signed has provision that all ROW dirt needs to be put back to prior condition before RR ? Also remove any HAZ MAT ? Would that require that washouts be repaired after a certain time. That may be reason for continuing resurecting rumors ? Maybe a hi-rail every certain number of days ( ?) MC ?
What is the "inside line"? Is that the former MP route E of Pueblo, which was sold to a shortline operator whose main business is scrapper?
UP received approval from EPA to remediate the Leadville branch contaminated ballast, by paving it over for a bike trail. This method has been approved in other situations, and could be used for the main Tennessee Pass line.
Wow! You have done a wonderful job of documenting your subject. I thank you for your effort. I like you drove the route from Canyon City to Salida. However, as we were heading to Alamosa, we left the line at Salida. I always wondered what we would see had we chosen to head North. Now I know. If you were a student, you would get an A+ for your work Perhaps Trains would be interested in a condensed article submision. Again, Thank you.
I'm putting together a proposal for a commuter train service along the Tennessee Pass route using DMU equipment. Hopefully UP will be willing to lease the tracks for this.
I will post the full proposal in a few weeks.
Here is a summary:
1) Eagle County attracts 550,000 winter tourists who stay on average 6 days and spend on average $2000 each. The railroad would provide a unique winter mountain experience from Eagle County.
2) The Salida/Buena Vista area attracts ~400,000 summer tourists a year. Of these, 200,000 spend on average $120 each for raft trips and $50 each for train trips.
3) The entire route along Tennessee Pass and the Upper Arkansas River valley is very scenic. The recent designation of Brown’s Canyon as a National Monument provides a lead marketing carrot.
4) The tracks and right of way are generally high quality.
5) The train would be different from other tourist railroads in that it provides attractive destinations in addition to a scenic journey. The train would connect the unique mountain towns of Eagle, Wolcott, Edwards, Avon, Minturn, Redcliff, Leadville, Granite, Buena Vista, and Salida. The most attractive of these towns are Avon, Minturn, Redcliff, Buena Vista, and Salida. There would be intermediate stops to access popular recreational locations for hiking, biking, and rafting (Camp Hale, Tennessee Pass, several river stops, 4 mile, Brown’s Canyon).
6) New light weight multiple unit rail equipment (DMUs) provide the key extra capabilities of speed, comfort, and low operating costs. This equipment is proven in the mountain grade and weather challenges of Norway and Switzerland.
7) The nearby Royal Gorge Railroad and Leadville Railroad show there is demand for a tourist railroad.
8) A train would be compatible with existing summer & winter mountain recreation and would diversify tourist options.
9) The train will be able to charge more per ride and distance than typical subsidized urban commuter railroads because of the tourist dimension.
10) A train that provides commuting as well as scenic tours provides much community benefit and is the best use of the valuable tracks. Local and state governments are likely to support this combined tourist/commuter railroad.
cstork:Good luck on your proposal. I certainly would ride that train. Kevin...I somehow missed your "publication" but had looked at the photos on the website. Today I saw the link and really enjoyed your work. It was depressing seeing the railroad, knowing there have been no trains for years. Next trip out I want to go to the summit/tunnel area. Meanwhile, I am looking thru my old railroad magazines on anything about Tennessee Pass and Colorado.
You did a great job. I really enjoyed reading it.
Ed
I was thinking that the rail line does not get within walking distance of either Vail or Beaver Creek ski areas, but then I remembered that when I skied at Beaver Creek about 20 years ago, day skiers had to park near the tracks and take a 2 mile shuttle ride to the ski area. Vail was talking about creating another base area in Minturn, but that was dependant on UP selling the railyard real estate to the resort. Perhaps a trial service between Eagle Airport and Mnturn would be a reasonable start.
Thanks for the hard work in putting this together. You brought back many memories from my college train chasing days in the late 80s. It saddens me to think that I will never again hear the awesome sounds of 8 locomotives crawling up the 3% on the west side of the grade, a sound I will never forget.
What does it mean that it was mothballed? I feel like UP hasn't torn up the tracks yet bc they will bring it back. If not someone will purchase it and turn it into a commercial line since it's pretty historic and the scenery on the line is amazing.
ILRAILFANWhat does it mean that it was mothballed? I feel like UP hasn't torn up the tracks yet bc they will bring it back. If not someone will purchase it and turn it into a commercial line since it's pretty historic and the scenery on the line is amazing.
You just answered your own question.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
NEVER say NEVER. Remember that Stevens Pass was reopened after being closed for many years as a bypass or traffic into the Seattle area. BNSF thought it worth the cost of reopening and maintaining it, so who knows.
caldreamer NEVER say NEVER. Remember that Stevens Pass was reopened after being closed for many years as a bypass or traffic into the Seattle area. BNSF thought it worth the cost of reopening and maintaining it, so who knows.
Johnny
I hope it's Stampede Pass, or all the work I did in the late 90's was for naught at prosser, Richland, Toppenish, Bristol and Cle Elum was for naught.
Woulda/Coulda/Shoulda don't cut it. UP still holds it as an escape route and it has come close to reopening twice before the coal slump hit. The reactivation of the Climax mine or Moffat Tunnel rehab may cause part of it or all of it (Gypsum to Parkdale) to reopen yet. ILRailFan is as bad as some of the trails nuts on the issue. (He ought to be more concerned about P&E Bloomington-Mansfield vanishing) Uncle Pete justifiably changed his position on shedding the line just after the merger. Leave it be.
The way things are going in Colorado with coal, I just hope the Moffat tunnel route can stay open!
Mark Meyer
mudchicken ... The reactivation of the Climax mine or Moffat Tunnel rehab may cause part of it or all of it (Gypsum to Parkdale) to reopen yet. ...
... The reactivation of the Climax mine or Moffat Tunnel rehab may cause part of it or all of it (Gypsum to Parkdale) to reopen yet. ...
The Climax mine reopened 5 years ago. The concentrate is trucked to Kremmling where it is transferred to UP's Moffat line. Last I checked, they produce about the equlivent of one covered hopper load per day. UP has already pulled the rails on their Leadville connection to the ex-C&S Climax branch.
(1) the mine has some serious plans. The pittance coming out of there now is peanuts and largely for evaluation puposes.
(2) The connection is out, but it has not been abandoned at Leadville. Mostly out because of CDOT's whining about the US-24 crossing. Colorado PUC considers the crossing removal temporary, not officially gone. The crux is the UP/BNSF connection to what now is the LC&S. The City of Leadville was supposed to get the line as a rail trail under an NITU that the city managed to screw up and fail to follow through on. If rail service does come back, expect lots of flying pig's feathers in local government.
MC,
A few years back I got a look at the stretch of rail leading to Tennesse Pass. The orginal plan was to fly to the airport at Salida but weather forecasts changed our plans. Both the guy I was flying with and I were disappointed we didn't land at Leadsville but enjoyed the drive to Salida. Beautiful country to say the least.
It saddened me to see the rails going to rust. While that stretch may not be the best option it still might make a good escape path.
Norm
mudchicken (1) the mine has some serious plans. The pittance coming out of there now is peanuts and largely for evaluation puposes. (2) The connection is out, but it has not been abandoned at Leadville. Mostly out because of CDOT's whining about the US-24 crossing. Colorado PUC considers the crossing removal temporary, not officially gone. The crux is the UP/BNSF connection to what now is the LC&S. The City of Leadville was supposed to get the line as a rail trail under an NITU that the city managed to screw up and fail to follow through on. If rail service does come back, expect lots of flying pig's feathers in local government.
I don't know the legal status of the rail-trail, however, the physical transformation seems to have already taken place. As part of the UP with USEPA mitigation of mine wastes used as track ballast, the rails were pulled up, and the ROW paved over to keep the wastes from being leached out from rain percolating thru. A more recent EPA news release on the California Superfund site talks about a former Leadville railyard being developed for 250 homes.
https://www.epa.gov/superfund-redevelopment-initiative/superfund-sites-reuse-colorado
Follow AB33-117X over on the STB site. The 1.8 mile abandonment in Leadville smells. Abandoned yes, rail trail no, BNSF/LC&S still have a right to connect to the national network. Leadville & Lake County dropped the ball in July 1999 (No NITU/CITU) and title to the R/W is clouded.
It would be really nice if the STB, now a stand alone agency, with budget to staff up, went back and examined the abandonment dockets and NITU cases that have become fraudulent thru neglect or greed. (They ought to start with the Monon High Bridge murder mess in Indiana and go from there...)
MidlandMikeAs part of the UP with USEPA mitigation of mine wastes used as track ballast, the rails were pulled up, and the ROW paved over to keep the wastes from being leached out from rain percolating thru.
What a fascinating way to 'finance' a paved trail for free! Good thing the ARTA people haven't tried the same thing based on the 'oil emissions over time' supposedly from the locomotives, or whatever... seems like the sort of thing Keet and his minions would thrive on.
OvermodGood thing the ARTA people haven't tried the same thing based on the 'oil emissions over time' supposedly from the locomotives, or whatever... seems like the sort of thing Keet and his minions would thrive on.
Of course, it really doesn't make any difference - they don't want the trail, either. They just want the tracks gone.
But that's another topic.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
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