I really love this video. It great seeing the area again. As a kid my father used to take us up there quite often in our VW camper. I will never forget when we went over those bridges that he would tell us to look out the window and then over to see how far the drop off was. It was just wide enough for our vehicle. My mom hated every bit of it telling him to keep his eyes on the road. What an experience.
I spent 10 years in The United States Air Force Academy Band. Tours and overnight engagements took our tour bus right through this area often, 1972-1982. This brings back many memories of watching the trains out my bus window. It was great showing my son, Jordan the Moffat Tunnel and the rockies where I spent 10 years of my life. My son and I have enjoyed your videos and love your layout. A dream come true as you build your layout. Pete Rosa, SMSgt, USAF Retired
Great video... I used to go up to Needle's Eye often on the east side '99-'09. I only had a '93 Dodge Dakota 2WD then. I used to ride a lot of the old rail grades through those mountains. Since '09 I've been back in Fl...and with a moded rock crawling '92 Jeep Wrangler now that I wish had while I lived there... Seeing this scenery again is so peaceful and yet aggravating knowing the fun I could have had out there with a Jeep... Thank you for the memories...
Beautiful site. Not only for railfans, also for ecotourism, mountain climbers and hikers. Hard and extreme to reach but the most interesting part. This is the heart of the Colorado Rockies. Greetings from MEXICO.
in 1964 our family took a self guided drive/ture over the pass. We had a guide book and there were numbered numbered posts and you read what you were looking at.
Yes, nearly all the video is of the original "temporary" line over Rollins Pass. This line was used until the Moffat Tunnel was completed in 1928. Ja, fast alle das Video des ursprünglichen "vorübergehenden" Linie über Rollins Pass. Diese Linie wurde verwendet, bis die Moffat Tunnel im Jahr 1928 fertiggestellt wurde. (Google translation)
Hi Brad. The only place in the video that you can access in March is the west portal of the Moffat Tunnel. It is not too far from Denver on Highway 40. Go to Google maps and look for Winter Park, CO. To see the rest, you should go in summer with a 4-wheel drive vehicle. I don't have much info on train frequency. There is an Amtrak train once a day in each direction and a number of coal trains.
Thank you Bill, for sharing your adventure with us. Your camera took good images. Love the railroad history. I can't imagine taking that train in the Winter!!
It still blows me away, that that line was never intended to be anything but temporary. Man, they just don't build em like that anymore. With DPU's and such, it probably wouldn't take much to put tat line back in service, but Riflesight Notch might be a problem.
I am amazed in how ANY tunnel is constructed without it CAVING in on someone while digging through. I mean, that's a lot of earth coming down on top of you during that phase. I'm sure their were some fatalities in those days.
Hi Tony, I worked for the D&RGW railroad back in the early 70's. I was on a 5 man signal gang and we worked every mile of the mainline over the years from Denver to Salt Lake and that included work up to and inside the 7 mile Moffat tunnel. The signal control wires and dispatcher lines were all ran on the ceiling of the tunnel. But yes I agree with you digging a tunnel through solid granite for almost 7 miles is truly an amazing feat!.. especially when it was done with 1920's technology. The tunnel was dug starting at each end and the plan was to meet in the middle! And the story goes that they missed hitting each other dead center by only a foot. Imagine that! Crazy stuff for sure. Yes there were fatalities. Working inside that tunnel that was built back in the 20's for much smaller narrow guage steam engines and boxcars fills to capacity with todays much larger modern train is never more obvious than it is inside the Moffat tunnel. Its an experience you never forget. Scary stuff when you see deep scars on the coal soot & diesel fume encrusted rock walls from past incidents of dragging equipment. There are man sized shallow indents in the rock walls spaced out every so often about the thickness of a man inside the tunnel that are there for you to back into as a train passes. The trains are just a couple feet from your nose in the pitch black as they rumble by. I don't care who you are..thats some scary stuff the first time. Lol. Thanx for listening and God bless!
I really love this video. It great seeing the area again. As a kid my father used to take us up there quite often in our VW camper. I will never forget when we went over those bridges that he would tell us to look out the window and then over to see how far the drop off was. It was just wide enough for our vehicle. My mom hated every bit of it telling him to keep his eyes on the road. What an experience.
I spent 10 years in The United States Air Force Academy Band. Tours and overnight engagements took our tour bus right through this area often, 1972-1982. This brings back many memories of watching the trains out my bus window. It was great showing my son, Jordan the Moffat Tunnel and the rockies where I spent 10 years of my life. My son and I have enjoyed your videos and love your layout. A dream come true as you build your layout. Pete Rosa, SMSgt, USAF Retired
I tried to go up East approach one time and ran into a snow bank not very far up. Thanks for sharing this. I can imagine the 2-6-6-0s on this route.
Great video... I used to go up to Needle's Eye often on the east side '99-'09. I only had a '93 Dodge Dakota 2WD then. I used to ride a lot of the old rail grades through those mountains. Since '09 I've been back in Fl...and with a moded rock crawling '92 Jeep Wrangler now that I wish had while I lived there... Seeing this scenery again is so peaceful and yet aggravating knowing the fun I could have had out there with a Jeep... Thank you for the memories...
Beautiful site. Not only for railfans, also for ecotourism, mountain climbers and hikers. Hard and extreme to reach but the most interesting part. This is the heart of the Colorado Rockies. Greetings from MEXICO.
I LOVE THAT AREA,SO MUCH HISTORY!!!
Stunning scenery.
in 1964 our family took a self guided drive/ture over the pass. We had a guide book and there were numbered numbered posts and you read what you were looking at.
Nice Catch with that X-SP 6291, And Operation Lifesaver 6721 and on One Train!
Yes, nearly all the video is of the original "temporary" line over Rollins Pass. This line was used until the Moffat Tunnel was completed in 1928.
Ja, fast alle das Video des ursprünglichen "vorübergehenden" Linie über Rollins Pass. Diese Linie wurde verwendet, bis die Moffat Tunnel im Jahr 1928 fertiggestellt wurde. (Google translation)
@HunterR909 In the summer there are many mountain bikes on this road, along with four wheel drive vehicles, ATVs, and motorcycles.
Hi Brad. The only place in the video that you can access in March is the west portal of the Moffat Tunnel. It is not too far from Denver on Highway 40. Go to Google maps and look for Winter Park, CO. To see the rest, you should go in summer with a 4-wheel drive vehicle. I don't have much info on train frequency. There is an Amtrak train once a day in each direction and a number of coal trains.
Thank you Bill, for sharing your adventure with us. Your camera took good images. Love the railroad history. I can't imagine taking that train in the Winter!!
Great vid! I love this area and made a vid of the road myself.
Nice Bill!! I still have a hard time seeing UP trains through Moffat Tunnel.
awesome video Bill, thanks
Epic scenery.
It still blows me away, that that line was never intended to be anything but temporary. Man, they just don't build em like that anymore. With DPU's and such, it probably wouldn't take much to put tat line back in service, but Riflesight Notch might be a problem.
@arthurhouston3 I use a Sony HDR CX110 Handycam
Good luck with your travels!
my fathers company did the recent ventilation work for that tunnel....
do you have pictures or a web site to see it?
I am amazed in how ANY tunnel is constructed without it CAVING in on someone while digging through. I mean, that's a lot of earth coming down on top of you during that phase. I'm sure their were some fatalities in those days.
It's scary!
Hi Tony, I worked for the D&RGW railroad back in the early 70's. I was on a 5 man signal gang and we worked every mile of the mainline over the years from Denver to Salt Lake and that included work up to and inside the 7 mile Moffat tunnel. The signal control wires and dispatcher lines were all ran on the ceiling of the tunnel. But yes I agree with you digging a tunnel through solid granite for almost 7 miles is truly an amazing feat!.. especially when it was done with 1920's technology. The tunnel was dug starting at each end and the plan was to meet in the middle! And the story goes that they missed hitting each other dead center by only a foot. Imagine that! Crazy stuff for sure.
Yes there were fatalities.
Working inside that tunnel that was built back in the 20's for much smaller narrow guage steam engines and boxcars fills to capacity with todays much larger modern train is never more obvious than it is inside the Moffat tunnel. Its an experience you never forget. Scary stuff when you see deep scars on the coal soot & diesel fume encrusted rock walls from past incidents of dragging equipment. There are man sized shallow indents in the rock walls spaced out every so often about the thickness of a man inside the tunnel that are there for you to back into as a train passes. The trains are just a couple feet from your nose in the pitch black as they rumble by. I don't care who you are..thats some scary stuff the first time. Lol.
Thanx for listening and God bless!
6:43 Amtrak snake
@HunterR909 Because the Forest Service thinks that it is not safe.
yah, but they don't have jurisdiction over a county road.
Schoene Bilder!
Teilweise wohl die alte Strecke?