Re: #4014 on the Moffat in 2020

All,

WOW. As if I need a reason to get back out to Colorado next spring/summer. I'm really surprised this hasn't leaked out into other social media channels yet. The issues raised about operating 4014 over the Moffat are all fairly easy to address:

1. Yes, Ed was a regular engineer on the Moffat. I guarantee you he is very familiar with clearance restrictions and curvature issues. There is a 14 or 16 degree curve, or at least there was one, in Byer or Gore Canyon, and I'm pretty sure it is still there. I don't have the operating requirements of a 4-8-8-4 committed to memory, but at 10 or 15 mph, a curve like that should be doable, unless he just plans to turn her at Tabernash and head back.
2. Like Greg Scholl said, let the diesel do the work going through the Moffat, that way you won't have to worry about blasting all that soot off the roof of the tunnel.
3. Equip the head end crew with modern respirators, masks and air supply and you won't have to worry about gas asphyxiation. It's maybe 20 minutes to get through the tunnel at 30mph, no?

Sincerely,

Steamingly Spellbound and Shell-shocked in Ohio