On August 2, 1996, Southern Pacific’s westbound KCOAF (Kansas City to Oakland Forwarder) has just arrived at Colorado’s scenic Tennessee Pass. Led by EMD SD40M-2 No. 8650 (still looking like a... (more)

Thunder on Tennessee Pass
The summer monsoons in Colorado’s high country have arrived again on the afternoon of August 2, 1996, as an eastbound Southern Pacific freight that has been ... (more)

Southern Pacific’s westbound KCOAF (Kansas City to Oakland Forwarder) has just arrived on top of Colorado’s scenic Tennessee Pass, on August 2, 1996. Two GE AC4400CW locomotives from the Mintu... (more)

Southern Pacific’s KCOAF train pauses on top of scenic Tennessee Pass, on August 2, 1996. Two GE AC4400CWs from the Minturn helper pool are moving from the house track onto the point of the Kans... (more)

Even at a 10,221-foot elevation, small trees are taking foot on the rusty main line and siding at the summit of the former Rio Grande main line over Tennessee Pass. Still “railbanked” by Union... (more)

The 10,221-foot-high summit of the former Rio Grande main line over Tennessee Pass sits quiet and rusty today, with heavy trains no longer grinding through the lofty 2,550-foot tunnel beneath the ... (more)

Most of the time when visiting Tennessee Pass I rarely saw other fans but towards the end it seems that lots of folks had the same idea. Get out and grab some shots as the days were numbered. By t... (more)

An SD45 and a couple tunnel motor roll over the now abandon Tennessee Pass.

SP262 charges up the heavy grade at West Mitchell. The train is sitting on the longest sustained portion of 3% grade on Tennessee Pass. The head-end is about to enter a short section of the origin... (more)

Nearly two decades have passed since the last freight train rumbled through this passage and polished the rails at the continental divide. Today the famous Tennessee Pass tunnel lies dormant with... (more)

Tennessee Pass—1985
Rolling over the very top of Tennessee Pass after helping an eastbound Rio Grande freight up the 3% grade out of Minturn are four SD40T-2 Tunnel Motors—the engin... (more)

Tennessee Pass—2015
Like a grave site bouquet, flowers begin to grow between slag ballast and rusty 136-pound rails laid by Rio Grande in 1970’s, as nature slowly reclaims what is h... (more)

TENNESSEE PASS Southern Pacific AC4400 #164 claws at the 3% grade and rounds Kindig's Curve. The big GE is less than 1 year old and still has a very shiny "Rudolf" nose. A storm front is appro... (more)

A battered veteran of mountain railroading climbs Tennessee Pass. While the coal trains got the new AC4400s, drag freights got whatever could be thrown together. On this train a mixed lash-up of... (more)

A stormy afternoon on Tennessee Pass, sees this westbound with a long snoot Southern Pacific tunnel motor in the lead. This train had 3 SD40T-2 and a SD40 for its trip to Grand Junction.