Western Railroad Discussion > Minturn last Monday

I paid a quick visit to Minturn, Colorado, the other day to see what was going on. Still no trains, but there were a couple hopeful signs of impending activity.

1. These crossbuck signs appear to be freshly installed - the wood post had barely weathered and the signs themselves were still clean and damage-free. It looks to me they haven't seen a winter yet. If I recall from my last visit, the crossbucks were on the old metal post previously.

2. The west siding switch was lined for the passing track, rails still rusty.

3. The flangeways in the crossing were filled in with dirt, so nothing has moved yet.

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4. As has been reported here previously, the signal system is in pretty bad shape. The West Minturn control point signals are both damaged to some degree.

5. The passing track signal has the front lens shot out, and the searchlight mechanism was swimming in dirt inside the housing.

6. The main signal has the back of the housing opened, and the mechanism partly removed.

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7. The track realignment west of the I-70 crossing is complete with fresh ballast. It looks to be a quickie job, but at least the track is somewhat straight now....

8. The Oxford Daisies were plentiful in the area, but are now likely buried under several inches of fresh snow that arrived last night. Fall is definitely here in the Rockies!

I can't wait to have the chance to photograph trains on this route again. Let's hope all the rumors of a reopened Tennessee Pass come true....

-Rick

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Where is this located?

Thanks

Sorry, Minturn, Colorado, on the UP's ex-DRGW Tennessee Pass route...

Rick Selby
Redmond, WA
Pacific Northwest RPM

Thanks for the report, good job. This is definitely a glass is half full/empty situation for anyone interested in the TP operations. More than a few would say the glass is completely empty. What is the status of the aspen groves on the mountainsides? Are they peaking or are there maybe a few weeks more of colorful fall foliage?

hogantunnel Wrote:
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> What is the status of the aspen groves on
> the mountainsides? Are they peaking or are there
> maybe a few weeks more of colorful fall foliage?

For the most part the colors are gone. Last weekends storms took care of most of the color. What is left, will most likely be removed with the storms currently passing through.

Todd

RAS Wrote:
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> 1. These crossbuck signs appear to be freshly
> installed - the wood post had barely weathered and
> the signs themselves were still clean and
> damage-free. It looks to me they haven't seen a
> winter yet. If I recall from my last visit, the
> crossbucks were on the old metal post previously.


Good find, these are new for sure.

TME

hogantunnel Wrote:
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> What is the status of the aspen groves on
> the mountainsides? Are they peaking or are there
> maybe a few weeks more of colorful fall foliage?

Still some color to be found all around the area, but the peak is past and the colors are starting to fade. The snows last night (and those forcast for the rest of the week) will probably finish off what's left.

-Rick

Rick Selby
Redmond, WA
Pacific Northwest RPM