In a cloud of brakeshoe smoke the caboose bringing up the rear of DRGW 5337 west descends the steep three percent grade of Tennessee Pass at the old siding site of Mitchell.

Westbound "Ford Fast" starting it's descent of Tennessee Pass at sight of old Mitchell siding near the summit

The rear of D&RGW 5382’s westbound train is still in the Continental Divide and Tennessee Pass summit tunnel as the train now begins its 3% decline at Mitchell, Colo. The train will drop almost... (more)

Southern Pacific was only a short-time tenant on Tennessee Pass in Colorado. Originally a part of the Denver & Rio Grande Western, the line became a part of SP when the D&RGW absorbed the larger r... (more)

Led by Rio Grande’s first Tunnel Motor, SD40T-2 No. 5341, an eastbound Rio Grande freight climbs the steep 3-percent grade of Tennessee Pass at Mitchell on a July 1984 morning. A total of 20,850... (more)

An eastbound Rio Grande freight climbs the steep 3-percent grade of Tennessee Pass at Mitchell on a July 1984 morning. A total of 18,600 horsepower of EMD locomotives is clawing at the rails with ... (more)

Ten AC4400CWs up Tennessee Pass
A Southern Pacific coal train grinds up the steep 3% grade of Tennessee Pass at Mitchell, Colorado, on September 5, 1995. On the point of this 105-car un... (more)

Two manned helper sets!
In the days on the Southern Pacific before the use of DPUs, two manned helper sets shove a 105-car coal train up the steep grade on Tennessee Pass at Mitchell, C... (more)

Cut in 15 cars from the rear of the coal train, the second set of manned helpers grinds by at Mitchell, Colorado, on September 5, 1995. A total of ten new Southern Pacific GE AC4400CWs were used t... (more)

A coal train drops downgrade at the old Mitchell siding location just west of Tennessee Pass, Colorado, in July 1984. Denver & Rio Grande Western SD40T-2 No. 5409 leads four Missouri Pacific SD40-... (more)

Westbound D&RGW manifest No. 143 drops downgrade at Mitchell, CO on June 14, 1989, led by SP B36-7 No. 7759 and a pure lashup of SP power.

Eastbound manifest No. 134 was slowly grinding upgrade at Mitchell, CO on June 14, 1989, with SD50 No. 5513, GP40 No. 3136 and CSX B30-7 No. 5504.

Rio Grande SD50 5514 is the lead engine on a mid-train 4 unit helper set shoving an Eastbound through the S-curve at Mitchell under threatening skies.

SP 264 struggles on the assault for the Continental Divide at Mitchell. It is early June and snow still clings to the higher elevations on a perfect June morning in the Rockies. Nine new AC loco... (more)

Eastbound auto racks led by a pair of tunnel motors (and an SP unit) approach the sweeping curves at Mitchell, Colorado.