Re: Tunnel message found

I don't know where Bob got this info, as it is new to me. In the years I worked there, the track was never raised in Rock Tunnel. OY was hauled through Rock Tunnel from Antonito in the fall of 1977 for use in the 1978 rotary run.
Rock Tunnel is a BIG hole. The DRG enlarged it sometime in the distant past (photos prove this).
It clears a locomotive by at least 5 feet vertically. I have sat on the cupola of 0503 going through the tunnel and could not touch the roof (don't try this at home kiddies). A man on the roof of a boxcar will easily clear. The track would have to have been lifted about 4 feet to cause a clearance problem.
Which brings to mind a question I have never been able to answer. There are tell tales of (relatively) modern construction on each end of Rock Tunnel. OK, no big deal, lots of roads did this. But 3 miles east at Mud Tunnel where the clearance is MUCH tighter and a man on the roof would be surely taken out, there are none. Further more, there is very little reason for someone to be on the roof at Rock Tunnel, whereas Mud Tunnel is only 1/4 mi west of Toltec siding. In the days before "the devil's invention" (radio), a crewman had to be on the roof to signal the headend when pulling out. With the curves, there was no way to see the rear from the front end. To aid the engineer there is a marker on the west end of the tunnel with the number "60" to tell the engineer how many cars are past the west switch. It seems a telltale at Mud Tunnel would have been a necessity.
Concerning the width of DRGW NG equipment. All the outside frame locomotives are wider than their standard guage counterparts. Dispite what you might think, a 490 is not the widest engine, 470's are the widest by nearly 6". 470's also have the longest wheelbase (pony truck to trailer truck).