Nice video, especially for us. fans of Rio Grande Railroad's Tennessee Pass. One of greatest examples of mountain railroading anywhere in the world. Thanks for sharing.👍
Beautiful place, old Denver and Rio Grande line where SD40 and 45s put on a show, beautiful old mining buildings, storage tanks, etc, really nice story put together here, thank you from New Zealand.
It's crazy to have watched the videos on UA-cam in the 90's when the trains were active in this exact area and then to see you guys walking through it now. Mind blowing.
Well, Union Pacific’s lifeless Tennessee Pass Line has been a hot commodity over the last year or so. The Colorado Pacific Railroad wants to lease the route to move agriculture product, while the Rio Grande Pacific has plans for a line that would carry both freight and passengers. It is still unclear if the Rio Grande Pacific plan will include the transport of oil. Union Pacific is supporting the Rio Grande Pacific version to develop service on the Tennessee Pass Line to move freight and passengers. It has agreed to lease the line to Rio and insists it is not negotiating with other companies. However, Rio Grande Pacific is facing a lawsuit involving the Uinta Basin Railway project in Utah. Already approved by the Surface Transportation Board, the project could transport up to 350,000 barrels of waxy crude oil on Union Pacific’s Moffat Line, which is active, through Dotsero in western Eagle County and along the Colorado River en route to Denver and Gulf Coast refineries. Eagle County and other environmental groups filed the lawsuit. The question is would the transport of oil happen on the Tennessee Pass Line? Rio Grande Pacific officials insist it would not use Tennessee Pass to move oil. In fact, Rio Grande Pacific recently amended its lease with Union Pacific to exclude the presence of hazardous materials on the Tennessee Pass Line. Eagle County officials claim they have not heard from Rio Grande Pacific in months regarding the project, and Chaffee County (Colorado) commissioners wonder if the crude oil would be included under the hazardous material definition. The STB rejected an expedited deal by Colorado Midland & Pacific, which is working with Rio Grande, to lease the Tennessee Pass Line. The Colorado Pacific Railroad said if the STB grants a lease request involving Colorado Midland & Pacific and Union Pacific it will not eliminate the underlying issue of whether crude oil, coal, or hazardous commodities traverse the line "because Union Pacific is the underlying owner of the rail and it cannot refuse to transport those commodities if someone makes a reasonable request for service." Colorado Pacific wants the Tennessee Pass to serve as a viable alternative to Union Pacific’s Moffat Tunnel route for freight traffic. The company also offered a daily roundtrip passenger service between Pueblo and Minturn, Colorado, but does not believe there is enough population to support such a move and pulled the idea.
I'am always amazed at mine owners. They make millions of dollars, scar and pollute the land and then just walk away and leave everything behind like the world is their trash can. Beautiful valley and great video. Thanks.
The danger can be worse. In my college days in Tennessee my dorm mate took me t a remote part of Tennessee near the Kentucky border. Short story new mining laws required extra operational considerations the mine owners either could not afford or could not comply. They took everything of value except the explosives. In the four mines visited there were tons of dynamite and blasting caps. I knew this could fall into the wrong hands. We reclaimed the stable new explosives for use on his families farm, lots of rocks in the pastures. The remaining we wired and detonated in place after a very thorough search of the area. No one was hurt and I am glad someone from a radical group did not discover the explosives. Be careful around old mines the danger is the old blasting caps they can explode very easily because manufacturing mistakes before the 60's.
You should get a rail speeder cart so you can use the rails. Cover more ground quicker. I just added this to my must see list. That entire area should be a museum. The air compressor machinery room is a mechanical gem.
This place is great!!, so much to explore, so much to see, I live in TN. and I thought at the title it said Tennessee, but in Col. so I will just have to see it from your eye's .
Going back into service for freight and passenger... all my co-workers said it’d never happen 🤣. I’m just hoping my company has to rehab the line as I’ve always wanted to work this.
Two years later, and your co-workers are still correct. Line still dead and rotting away. Current estimates of almost $280 MILLION dollars to rebuild this line. Not even remotely cost effective to put this line back in service.
Sorry ,, that is not what you say ,, the pass was close to the army post ,, camp hale ,, going into leadville,co. ... what you are showing ( or what I saw ) was the gilman mine which mined for zink and the bridges was at redcliff, co. ... at the time ( don't know if still is ) the only place where three (3) bridges cross over each other at "battle mtn." ,,, lived at camp hale when I was a kid for seven (7) years , we had eighty (80 ) acres across from the base on hwy twenty four (24) ,,, family sold the property and is now a snowmobile and guided tour spot .........so if anyone would like tp take a jeep ( or snowmobile ) tour just go up and check it out ,,, sorry I don't remember the name of the company ,, maybe I will look it up and put it here ..........
I'm really glad to see more then just the town site. Most videos are urban explorers only showing the buildings. It looks like you found a bunch of artifacts not in the town
The Uinta Basin oil project in Utah is going to put a lot of pressure to reopen the abandoned tracks from Dotsero to Pueblo through the TN pass, especially with the issue of wanting to send the crude to the refineries on the Gulf Coast. There is opposition on the issue, especially from environmentalists over the risk that an eventual derailment of an oil train could spill crude into the Arkansas River, causing an unimaginable ecological disaster, but the pressure on Union Pacific to reopen TN Pass will go increasing especially when shipments of crude oil begin by Railroad from the Uinta Basin to the refineries in the Gulf Coast.
@@wd840films It is a Rio Grande Pacific company that belongs to a short lines holding company (I don't know if it is independent or it is from the G&W group or the WATCO group) that is interested in reopening the route through TN Pass and from Union Pacific they had confirmed said negotiations.
That track isn't abandoned, it's been idled by the Union Pacific. They could reopen the line at any time but probably never will. Walking on it is technically trespassing.
They won't open the line because it now ends at Pueblo. UP removed the old Missouri Pacific mainline that ran east of Pueblo effectively eliminating any future potential through freight trains over the line. If they reopened the line they would have to run trains north along the I-25 corridor towards Denver or south over Raton Pass. I don't see either scenario happening.
@@wd840films I figured as much. Would love to take this hike but don't especially want to end up with a trespass :( thanks for letting us live vicariously through you tho :)
That is really old equipment. The only value is for museum collections, of which there are few for this and scrap metal. It's better off leaving it where it is.
Negotiations are going on right now for a company to lease this RR line from the Union Pacific and run trains on it again after they do some maintenance.
Gilman wasn't abandoned, it was condemned for contamination. The residents had about 4 hours to gather their things and get out. There are dishes on tables, cars in garages, curtains in windows. It is still a Superfund site and is quite toxic to go into. We lived in Leadville at the top of that pass for several years. I could be wrong, but I do believe that UP keeps that rail line minimally maintained from the Leadville side, but I know of no trains that have gone on that track for 20 years.
Scott Boberek www.realvail.com/two-companies-hope-to-revive-passenger-freight-rail-service-on-tennessee-pass-line/a9538/#:~:text=The%20Tennessee%20Pass%20Line%20runs,the%20Colorado%20River%20through%20Glenwood
@@zitiziti Key word is hope. Lots of trackwork would have to be done. And for what if no established customer base exists + 2-3% grades. Doesn't seem realistic. We will see.
Scott Boberek www.realvail.com/two-companies-hope-to-revive-passenger-freight-rail-service-on-tennessee-pass-line/a9538/#:~:text=The%20Tennessee%20Pass%20Line%20runs,the%20Colorado%20River%20through%20Glenwood
here’s a recent article about efforts to reopen this rail line (not necessarily this specific rail spur) www.railwayage.com/freight/short-lines-regionals/tennessee-pass-revival-its-complicated/
i use to live there in cotopaxi colorado and i have always wished that they would reopen the tennessee pass so i can sit on my front portch and watch the train go by as it goes through the old crossing im near at.
here’s the link to the cab ride the train does pass all of the mining buildings shown in the recent video hiking along the tracks ua-cam.com/video/VDV8RlpUWbM/v-deo.html
Nice video, especially for us. fans of Rio Grande Railroad's Tennessee Pass. One of greatest examples of mountain railroading anywhere in the world. Thanks for sharing.👍
👍🏻
Beautiful place, old Denver and Rio Grande line where SD40 and 45s put on a show, beautiful old mining buildings, storage tanks, etc, really nice story put together here, thank you from New Zealand.
It's crazy to have watched the videos on UA-cam in the 90's when the trains were active in this exact area and then to see you guys walking through it now. Mind blowing.
yeah crazy what 20 years can do
It is sad they closed the Tennessee Pass Subdivision rail line, I wish it would re-open
Well, Union Pacific’s lifeless Tennessee Pass Line has been a hot commodity over the last year or so. The Colorado Pacific Railroad wants to lease the route to move agriculture product, while the Rio Grande Pacific has plans for a line that would carry both freight and passengers. It is still unclear if the Rio Grande Pacific plan will include the transport of oil.
Union Pacific is supporting the Rio Grande Pacific version to develop service on the Tennessee Pass Line to move freight and passengers. It has agreed to lease the line to Rio and insists it is not negotiating with other companies.
However, Rio Grande Pacific is facing a lawsuit involving the Uinta Basin Railway project in Utah. Already approved by the Surface Transportation Board, the project could transport up to 350,000 barrels of waxy crude oil on Union Pacific’s Moffat Line, which is active, through Dotsero in western Eagle County and along the Colorado River en route to Denver and Gulf Coast refineries. Eagle County and other environmental groups filed the lawsuit.
The question is would the transport of oil happen on the Tennessee Pass Line? Rio Grande Pacific officials insist it would not use Tennessee Pass to move oil. In fact, Rio Grande Pacific recently amended its lease with Union Pacific to exclude the presence of hazardous materials on the Tennessee Pass Line.
Eagle County officials claim they have not heard from Rio Grande Pacific in months regarding the project, and Chaffee County (Colorado) commissioners wonder if the crude oil would be included under the hazardous material definition.
The STB rejected an expedited deal by Colorado Midland & Pacific, which is working with Rio Grande, to lease the Tennessee Pass Line. The Colorado Pacific Railroad said if the STB grants a lease request involving Colorado Midland & Pacific and Union Pacific it will not eliminate the underlying issue of whether crude oil, coal, or hazardous commodities traverse the line "because Union Pacific is the underlying owner of the rail and it cannot refuse to transport those commodities if someone makes a reasonable request for service."
Colorado Pacific wants the Tennessee Pass to serve as a viable alternative to Union Pacific’s Moffat Tunnel route for freight traffic. The company also offered a daily roundtrip passenger service between Pueblo and Minturn, Colorado, but does not believe there is enough population to support such a move and pulled the idea.
Stunning video. And again thanks for no music.
I'am always amazed at mine owners. They make millions of dollars, scar and pollute the land and then just walk away and leave everything behind like the world is their trash can. Beautiful valley and great video. Thanks.
Yeah what a mess
The danger can be worse. In my college days in Tennessee my dorm mate took me t a remote part of Tennessee near the Kentucky border. Short story new mining laws required extra operational considerations the mine owners either could not afford or could not comply. They took everything of value except the explosives. In the four mines visited there were tons of dynamite and blasting caps. I knew this could fall into the wrong hands. We reclaimed the stable new explosives for use on his families farm, lots of rocks in the pastures. The remaining we wired and detonated in place after a very thorough search of the area. No one was hurt and I am glad someone from a radical group did not discover the explosives. Be careful around old mines the danger is the old blasting caps they can explode very easily because manufacturing mistakes before the 60's.
“scar and pollute the land”
The earth isn’t sacred, my dude.
Upvoted for natural sounds rather than music. 😀😁😃😄
The Eagle mine was a zinc mine, not coal.
Good to know, thanks.
And lead but started out as silver.
You should get a rail speeder cart so you can use the rails. Cover more ground quicker. I just added this to my must see list. That entire area should be a museum. The air compressor machinery room is a mechanical gem.
A rail cart would be awesome
This place is great!!, so much to explore, so much to see, I live in TN. and I thought at the title it said Tennessee, but in Col. so I will just have to see it from your eye's .
Beautiful and mysterious
Beautiful, great video
Thanks for posting
Back in 1995 worked the helper locomotives that shoved trains up this pass. Sad to see the line in such a sad state of affairs.
I agree, heard a short line is supposed to buy it.
Loved those sd40t-2 they ran a ton of them Thur the pass during those times right?
As of a Dec. 2020 a shortline plans to lease the line from UP, hopefully this will mean a full reactivation
Cool !!
The description is not exactly accurate. This line is not abandoned. It is out of service. There are legal differences between the two terms.
I remember wen they did some maintenance on the the tracks, prob 15 years ago, came up through Edwards fixing the ballast
I lived in Minturn along Eagle just before the Saloon and Turntable for 2 years, when they shut it down had to leave river was too damn loud. Lol
Excelente video!!
Very nice! Keep it up!
Going back into service for freight and passenger... all my co-workers said it’d never happen 🤣. I’m just hoping my company has to rehab the line as I’ve always wanted to work this.
What Railroad company is going to open this back up and when?...
Two years later, and your co-workers are still correct. Line still dead and rotting away. Current estimates of almost $280 MILLION dollars to rebuild this line. Not even remotely cost effective to put this line back in service.
Neat video , and Thank You for not putting any Stupid music in it !
That is cool
Hopefully it gets better for it as negotiations are possible to sell it for continued RR use..
Sorry ,, that is not what you say ,, the pass was close to the army post ,, camp hale ,, going into leadville,co. ... what you are showing ( or what I saw ) was the gilman mine which mined for zink and the bridges was at redcliff, co. ... at the time ( don't know if still is ) the only place where three (3) bridges cross over each other at "battle mtn." ,,, lived at camp hale when I was a kid for seven (7) years , we had eighty (80 ) acres across from the base on hwy twenty four (24) ,,, family sold the property and is now a snowmobile and guided tour spot .........so if anyone would like tp take a jeep ( or snowmobile ) tour just go up and check it out ,,, sorry I don't remember the name of the company ,, maybe I will look it up and put it here ..........
I'm really glad to see more then just the town site. Most videos are urban explorers only showing the buildings. It looks like you found a bunch of artifacts not in the town
Not a coal mine ! It was a zink mine
good to know!
Wasn’t this area in a movie once I believe it was called under siege 2 dark territory if I’m not mistaken
The Uinta Basin oil project in Utah is going to put a lot of pressure to reopen the abandoned tracks from Dotsero to Pueblo through the TN pass, especially with the issue of wanting to send the crude to the refineries on the Gulf Coast. There is opposition on the issue, especially from environmentalists over the risk that an eventual derailment of an oil train could spill crude into the Arkansas River, causing an unimaginable ecological disaster, but the pressure on Union Pacific to reopen TN Pass will go increasing especially when shipments of crude oil begin by Railroad from the Uinta Basin to the refineries in the Gulf Coast.
I hope the rail line is put back into service
@@wd840films It is a Rio Grande Pacific company that belongs to a short lines holding company (I don't know if it is independent or it is from the G&W group or the WATCO group) that is interested in reopening the route through TN Pass and from Union Pacific they had confirmed said negotiations.
@@LeitoCristofoli9022 good to hear, it will be interesting to see what unfolds
@@wd840films The last thing I read on the subject a few months ago is that the STB had raised many objections to the Rio Grande Pacific project.
@@LeitoCristofoli9022 yeah id be surprised if it gets approved
Did UP axe it to make more on shipping via the much longer Moffatt line? Both require helpers
I think they just wanted to cut costs by having to upkeep two different lines in the same area.
That track isn't abandoned, it's been idled by the Union Pacific. They could reopen the line at any time but probably never will. Walking on it is technically trespassing.
Matthew Wolff good thing I’m a UP employee, lol.
@@wd840films Me too! I guess they must not care too much.
Matthew Wolff yeah they don’t like everything else.
They won't open the line because it now ends at Pueblo. UP removed the old Missouri Pacific mainline that ran east of Pueblo effectively eliminating any future potential through freight trains over the line. If they reopened the line they would have to run trains north along the I-25 corridor towards Denver or south over Raton Pass. I don't see either scenario happening.
@@HitsTownUSA Then we are in agreement.
Imagine walking along there at night i bet it would be a little spooky.
Looks like a great hike to see some history. Any concerns about private property or anything like that?
Yeah it’s UP property, luckily I was an employee of theirs at the time lol.
@@wd840films I figured as much. Would love to take this hike but don't especially want to end up with a trespass :( thanks for letting us live vicariously through you tho :)
@@R_-_G no problem lol, glad I got the chance to do it!
there is a nice cab ride video on this line done before it was put out of serves
Ill have to look that up!
right here. ua-cam.com/video/VDV8RlpUWbM/v-deo.html
Thanks!
Good video, only I believe it’s gold and silver
Okay right on good to know👍🏻
Are you sure it's not silver and gold? ⛄
@@davidurban6813 or was it frankincense and myrrh lol
I have to agree with rubi6.4 this is Gilman,redcliff area not Tennessee pas which is near pandora and camp hale ski cooper ski area
That's a good size town. Why would they abandon it ?
The town was Gilman. It was too toxic to live in.
This location is also where they filmed Under Siege 2.
I enjoyed the video too. Where did you park your car and begin your hike?
Park off the side of the road going to red cliff near the bridge and hike the rail down👍🏻
interesting that no one has tried to salvage the equipment inside the ore processing plants?
It’s all their, pretty neat.
That is really old equipment. The only value is for museum collections, of which there are few for this and scrap metal. It's better off leaving it where it is.
8:14 isn't that the scene used in Under Siege: Dark Territory??
Yes it is
@@cwshawk wow I thought it was model or something
I admit I'd like both trains in HO scale
Nice was just wondering where under siege 2 was filmed and this video came up lol good footage
Birmingham-Rail Productions. Thanks much appreciated!
Yup
Negotiations are going on right now for a company to lease this RR line from the Union Pacific and run trains on it again after they do some maintenance.
I heard would be cool to see.
The mine was in Under Siege 2
Gilman wasn't abandoned, it was condemned for contamination. The residents had about 4 hours to gather their things and get out. There are dishes on tables, cars in garages, curtains in windows. It is still a Superfund site and is quite toxic to go into. We lived in Leadville at the top of that pass for several years. I could be wrong, but I do believe that UP keeps that rail line minimally maintained from the Leadville side, but I know of no trains that have gone on that track for 20 years.
Scott Boberek www.realvail.com/two-companies-hope-to-revive-passenger-freight-rail-service-on-tennessee-pass-line/a9538/#:~:text=The%20Tennessee%20Pass%20Line%20runs,the%20Colorado%20River%20through%20Glenwood
@@zitiziti Key word is hope. Lots of trackwork would have to be done. And for what if no established customer base exists + 2-3% grades. Doesn't seem realistic. We will see.
Watch for Rattlers the rails always have them around
I think the altitude keeps you safe if it’s 9,000 10,000 feet your okay , the foothills our a different story !
@@steveboemker6337 Timber Rattlers love the high elevation at 9 and 10,000 feet.
awesome video Warring ! : Union Paific might be considering re-activating Tennessee Pass ?
Don’t believe so but who knows, they change there minds daily
No. UP isn’t *EVER* gonna run trains on it again. To dangerous
Cold Case Files. There still hope though. UP always declines the sale as they are so greedy. Keep your fingers crossed.
Scott Boberek www.realvail.com/two-companies-hope-to-revive-passenger-freight-rail-service-on-tennessee-pass-line/a9538/#:~:text=The%20Tennessee%20Pass%20Line%20runs,the%20Colorado%20River%20through%20Glenwood
@@railfanlynx but they are in talks about leasing to a short line for tourist scenic rail route
here’s a recent article about efforts to reopen this rail line (not necessarily this specific rail spur)
www.railwayage.com/freight/short-lines-regionals/tennessee-pass-revival-its-complicated/
i use to live there in cotopaxi colorado and i have always wished that they would reopen the tennessee pass so i can sit on my front portch and watch the train go by as it goes through the old crossing im near at.
Not coal, it's zinc, lead, copper, silver, and though they don't want to admit it, because it'll bring "hard rock " mining back to CO, "rare earths".
The Climax molybdenum mine is just a few miles away.
here’s the link to the cab ride the train does pass all of the mining buildings shown in the recent video hiking along the tracks
ua-cam.com/video/VDV8RlpUWbM/v-deo.html