Western Railroad Discussion > Frigid Rocky Mountain High

The clock reads just before midnight, and the thermometer reads three degrees. On this frigid night in Colorado’s high country near the Moffat Tunnel, there is complete stillness and silence across the frozen landscape. The blanket of snow, refreshed over the previous days, only briefly reflects light from a partially-obscured moon. Though clouds to the east carry a muted glow from Denver, civilization feels ages away. It is a defining moment of both solitude and loneliness. Reflecting on the engineering of the Moffat route, it is remarkable to consider the feat of building a railroad through this remote wilderness. Even the brutality of winter in this place could not derail dreams of interstate commerce. And, on this night, that drive remains alive. Indeed, out of the silence, there is a distant rumble from deep within the valley below, louder with the passing of each minute. It is an unmistakable sound echoing off the snow-covered ridges. It is the sound of power and struggle against gravity. A glow appears on the mountainside, and ever-louder grows the roar. Those ribbons of steel begin to glint, brighter and brighter. Then, there it is! From around the bend, lights stream into view. The frozen landscape begins to rumble heavily under foot, and tremors are felt to the core. The massive locomotives slowly, but steadily claw upgrade with thunderous might reverberating across every inch of the surrounding terrain. And behind them, wheels piercingly squeal in protest of the onward climb, as they are dragged toward the apex of the line. With one final locomotive shoving hard on the rear, the valley again shudders with the roar. And then, it is gone. The sounds will echo for many minutes more, and one dull light from the DPU will linger in the distance, but this remote landscape will soon return to its winter silence. Red signals reflect off the snow until the train moves onto the next block, upon which they, too, will return to their dormant state. Stillness regains grip on the area, and once again one feels alone in this vast expanse. It is time to return home.

1-3. A westbound UP manifest roars into view from around the bend just outside Tolland, interrupting the silent winter night. It continues to grind its way upgrade through East Portal.

More to follow



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/22/18 13:22 by 757guy.

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4-5. Light from a DPU steadily fades into the distance as the train continues its climb through East Portal. A towering Continental Divide looms in the background under dim moonlight. As the landscape returns to complete silence, only red signals on East Portal siding provide reminder of the train. They, too, will soon return to darkness.

6. In an earlier scene from this week, Amtrak 6 drops downgrade toward Plainview through the freshly-fallen snow that also impacted areas closer to Denver.

More to follow



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/22/18 13:24 by 757guy.

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7-8. An eastbound BNSF manifest drifts down from Tunnel 1 with plenty of snow blanketing the ground.

9. Amtrak 6 exits Tunnel 29 on February 18th. Veterans locomotive 42 was in the consist. It is remarkable that the weather was 68 degrees, the day prior to the single-digit temperatures and snow impacting the area.

Thanks for looking!

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Fantastic narrative and pictures.
Well done.
Graham.

Shiver me timbers!

I REALLY like Pics 6 and 8!!

Wow! #2 is amazing, great set

Thank you for sharing ...

Your night shots are great ...
really interesting perspectives!

Cheers,

Odyssey
Evergreen, CO

ns1000 Wrote:
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> I REALLY like Pics 6 and 8!!


Those are calendar shots!

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Good shots I like 7&8 the best .Kristie

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While the Rio Grande trains may be long gone, the scenery is timeless!

Cheers, Jim

Thanks for the kind comments everyone. I appreciate it!

Awesome photos! If you haven't entered any for awards, I recommend you do so!!