Photo ID: 105313 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, July 11, 2015 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed MP 242 Buena Vista, CO 2162 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Tennessee Pass (UP) Union Pacific, Rio Grande, CRM A few miles west of Buena Vista finds Tennessee Pass running parallel to the Arkansas River on one side and County Road 371 on the other. For 34 years, between 1886 and 1920, there were tracks where County Road 371 lies to the right. This is part of the original grade for the Colorado Midland. The two railroads paralleled each other between Buena Vista and Crystal Lake (just south of Leadville) prior to the shutting down and abandonment of the Midland. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 105312 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, July 11, 2015 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed West of Buena Vista Buena Vista, CO 2871 (1 Comment Posted) Subdivision Railroad Yard Shots CMR This picture was taken along County Road 371 west (geographically north) of Buena Vista. These tunnels were not created for the road. This is actually part of the original grade of the Colorado Midland Railway. The "Midland" started in Colorado Springs and departed west, climbing over Hayden Divide and Trout Creek Pass before arriving in Buena Vista alongside the Rio Grande. At Crystal Lake, the Midland turned west and went over the Continental Divide at Hagerman Pass. The three passes and the steep grades (in excess of 4% in places) ultimately led to the downfall of the Midland. It was abandoned in 1918 and the tracks were ripped out in 1920. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 105311 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, July 11, 2015 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Buena Vista Buena Vista, CO 2197 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Tennessee Pass (UP) Union Pacific During my day long drive over Tennessee Pass, this was the only specific sign of significant erosion that I saw. That isn't to say that there were other spots where erosion has occurred, this is simply the only spot in which I noticed it. The plants have taken over so much of the rest of the line, it would be difficult to see any erosion anyway. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 105310 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, July 11, 2015 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Buena Vista Buena Vista, CO 2116 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Tennessee Pass (UP) Union Pacific I love how the tracks in Buena Vista cut right through downtown. Must have been quite a site (and quite a sound) when a train with five SD40T-2s came through. Today, the tracks serve as little more than an artificial barrier between parking lots. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 105309 Date Shot Photo By Saturday, July 11, 2015 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Buena Vista Buena Vista, CO 2289 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Tennessee Pass (UP) Union Pacific Main Street Buena Vista (literally)! With 2,600 residents, the town of Buena Vista is roughly half the size of its neighbor Salida. Interestingly, there is no siding in Buena Vista. The main line just comes through town. 100 years ago, Buena Vista was the city in which Rio Grande's Tennessee Pass was joined by the mainline for the Colorado Midland. The two railroads paralleled each other between Buena Vista and Crystal Lake. Here, an afternoon storm pushes its way east out of town. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.