Nostalgia & History > Remember Tennessee Pass and SP AC-powerred taconite tra

All,

Here's an image from the sunset of operations over Tennessee Pass, shot of one of the many westbound AC-powered taconite trains. The scene is just west of Malta, east of the pass proper, along a dirt road that dropped down from Leadville, then paralleled the ex-Rio Grande right-of-way. It was July 2, 1996.

RC Farewell

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I remember the taconite trains, but only through Wisconsin and to MinnTac on 'da range! Nice shot.

Another great shot RC. So does this mean we will soon be seeing a secret places Tennessee Pass book? ;-) I remember them, wondering why a westbound train that looked empty would be running with 2 sets of "helpers" passing my house west of Minturn. The cars were half loaded since taconite is so dense, and DPU was new at the time. Trains ran 2x2x1 or 2x2x2 once SP got the AC's. Pre AC days they had to double the train down the hill to Minturn. Thanks for the memory.

TME

I remember the MNGVC trains SPCSL ran on the BN thru Missouri. They took three AC4400's to make the hill at Palmyra MO if they didn't pull a drawbar out of one of the first 10 cars. SPCSL guys called them "Lungers" because of their jerking at low speed when they were new.

Loved seeing and taping those taconite trains.

regards
Q-GP30

Bummer, I was deluding myself into thinking that I would see a cab-ahead hammering hard with an ore drag but since taconite didn't come around until long after the last AC-9, this was not the case.

Butch,,,,,,,,,hey I can dream can't I?