Everything about this shot screams Rio Grande! The most common ballast found along Rio Grande tracks was a black volcanic scoria, which the railroad received from a mine near Crater on the Craig Branch. The sign with the "35" on it indicates that the maximum speed for all trains is 35 miles per hour at that location. While Southern Pacific started a program to add welded rail to Tennessee Pass, the line was closed before the project could be completed. As you can see here, the main line is cleared jointed rail.
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Posted By Gerry On Saturday, August 19, 2017 At 2:24:34 AM (PT)
When driving from Leadville, CO to Buena Visa I noticed that in some places the line was double track. Also, the second track appeared to be welded rail and not jointed rail. Can you clarify what I saw from our moving car?
