| Posted by on January 13, 2017 | |
Tragic!
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| Posted by bradley on January 13, 2017 | |
My wife and I followed this line ourselves about two months after this pic was taken. I got the same impression about ever seeing activity on this line again. It would seem that now decades of sitting idle would make almost everything here of suspect integrity. Think switches, signals, bridges, etc. Also noticed that a lot of the line itself has taken up the hobby of rock collecting. Several large boulders that have fallen from above seemed to come to rest between the rails. I'm a firm believer in "never say never", but I'm thinking after 20 years UP is probably pretty well convinced they can get by without this one...
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| Posted by GRNDMND on January 13, 2017 | |
Sometimes you see certain perspectives and that feeling of deja vu hits you like a sack of potatoes, and this is definitely one. As for Tennessee Pass returning to service, I've got some swamp land in Florida for sale, so hit me up if you're interested!
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Two things effectively killed this line: the UP merger and 3% grade on the west slope. UP rapidly moved overhead traffic off the former D&RGW. Moffat Tunnel capacity was an issue that prevented SP or DRGW from closing the route beforehand (it had been tried), and UP had (and may continue to have) an expensive time in rerouting business to make it work; but if Moffat line coal loadings remain low the problem is moot. Since the abandonment of the old MP Hoisington Sub the primary feeder for business on this route ceased to exist. It's hard to imagine what would have to happen to make this route viable again, but it was once perhaps the most scenic line, per mile, of any.
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What was once good for SP isn't good for UP. SP had many successes while UP has made blunders in some cases.
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