*ANNG Raton Pass Tunnel
| November 19, 2021 12:29PM |
|
*Almost Nearly Narrow Gauge
On my way up to the Nebraska Panhandle last week I stopped off at the top of Raton Pass to see if I could snag an image of the 'long lost' West Portal of the original Raton Tunnel
Photo of the Elusive, West Portal of the Original Tunnel
For a while, DRGW489 told me he believes that the west portal had collapsed from what we can see in the fleeting moments from the train. The tunnel portal was at the end of a deep cut and the 'new' 1908 bore is longer and lower (they both share the same location of the east portal.
The only post abandonment photo I've ever seen of the tunnel is in the Colorado Rail Annual No. 23, which showed the plugged portal with the capstone shown in the link above. Other than that, the ROW was about the same height as it was when rails ran up through it. (The caption says the keystone was a manhole and the date when THAT was ultimately plugged is the date in the photo)
Today:
The west portal has indeed collapsed, though the actual end is still intact, just the 50 feet behind it is gone. The tunnel was apparently wood lined its entire existence, one of the main factors in its abandonment. You can see how the soft earth of Raton has begun filling in the cut approaching the tunnel, nearly burying the entrance (note the 'capstone').
Both west portals in relation to each other.
On my way up to the Nebraska Panhandle last week I stopped off at the top of Raton Pass to see if I could snag an image of the 'long lost' West Portal of the original Raton Tunnel
Photo of the Elusive, West Portal of the Original Tunnel
For a while, DRGW489 told me he believes that the west portal had collapsed from what we can see in the fleeting moments from the train. The tunnel portal was at the end of a deep cut and the 'new' 1908 bore is longer and lower (they both share the same location of the east portal.
The only post abandonment photo I've ever seen of the tunnel is in the Colorado Rail Annual No. 23, which showed the plugged portal with the capstone shown in the link above. Other than that, the ROW was about the same height as it was when rails ran up through it. (The caption says the keystone was a manhole and the date when THAT was ultimately plugged is the date in the photo)
Today:
The west portal has indeed collapsed, though the actual end is still intact, just the 50 feet behind it is gone. The tunnel was apparently wood lined its entire existence, one of the main factors in its abandonment. You can see how the soft earth of Raton has begun filling in the cut approaching the tunnel, nearly burying the entrance (note the 'capstone').
Both west portals in relation to each other.
| Subject | Author | Posted |
|---|---|---|
|
WilliamDiehl | November 19, 2021 12:29PM |
|
Mark Petersen | November 19, 2021 12:33PM |
|
John K | November 21, 2021 11:42AM |
|
Roger Hogan | November 22, 2021 08:47PM |
Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.
488 stops for water at Los Pinos tank on closing day Oct. 1979. Photo courtesy Don Richter
The NGDF was started by Don Richter and is currently operated in his memory by Nathan Holmes and others. Others who have contributed to the upkeep of this board are (in no particular order): Charles McCandless, Everett Lueck, Ted Wilton, Cole Adams, James Bane, John Moellmer, Jon Bentz, Linn Moedinger, lloyd lehrer, Rod Jensen, John Craft, Steven Forney, Herb Kelsey, Bill Ramaley, Russ Sperry (El Russo Loco), Josh McNeal, John West, Jim Armstrong, Bob Bergstrom, Greg Scholl, Blake Forbes Doug van Veelen and Mark Fuller.