Photo ID: 113228 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, October 5, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Minturn Yard Minturn, CO 48 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Tennessee Pass (UP) Union Pacific, Rio Grande I sure wish I had had the opportunity to get shots here at Minturn Yard before Tennessee Pass was railbanked by Union Pacific. That railbanking occurred just over 28 years ago, and these rails have been silent ever since. In all likelihood, they will never see another train run on them again. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113227 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, October 5, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Minturn Yard Minturn, CO 45 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Tennessee Pass (UP) Union Pacific, Rio Grande We look east in the yard at Minturn, noting a few rocks that have fallen and landed on or near the tracks. You can also see the crossovers that were once used to bring helpers out of the yard and cut them in as mid-train swing helpers on eastbound trains looking to tackle the 3% grade between Minturn and the top of Tennessee Pass. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113226 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, October 5, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Minturn Yard Minturn, CO 29 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Tennessee Pass (UP) Union Pacific, Rio Grande Not unique to the yard at Minturn, but actually becoming somewhat common all over Tennessee Pass, trees have grown up right in the middle of tracks. This small bunch of trees are indeed in the middle of the yard. Of course, it is of little difference to Union Pacific! Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113225 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, October 5, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Minturn Yard Minturn, CO 34 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Tennessee Pass (UP) Union Pacific, Rio Grande The old engine shop as Minturn Yard looks like it might be used for something else these days. Not sure if Union Pacific sold it or if they are simply leasing it out to someone else. But fencing has been built across a few of the yard tracks in the long-defunct yard at Minturn. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113224 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, October 5, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Minturn Yard Minturn, CO 34 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Tennessee Pass (UP) Union Pacific, Rio Grande Three decades ago, these tracks in the yard at Minturn would have been filled with power waiting to cut in to an eastbound coal load and help the train up the 3% grade of Tennessee Pass. The rails have now been silent for 28 years as new homes continue to be built in the area. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113223 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, October 5, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Minturn Minturn, CO 43 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Tennessee Pass (UP) Union Pacific, Rio Grande A look toward the east end of Minturn on Tennessee Pass shows the damage done by a huge rock that landed here on the rails over a decade ago. Of course, there is no reason for Union Pacific to repair the rails here as the line hasn't seen a train now in a little over 28 years. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113222 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, October 5, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Minturn Minturn, CO 47 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Tennessee Pass (UP) Union Pacific, Rio Grande Over ten years ago, near the east end of Minturn on Tennessee Pass, two huge rocks ("Lions Head") came loose from the mountain side ahead and landed right in the middle of the right-of-way. Someone (presumably Union Pacific) has since shoved the rocks off to the side of the right-of-way, but the main and siding remain smashed and destroyed. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 113221 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, October 5, 2025 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed East Minturn Minturn, CO 27 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Tennessee Pass (UP) Union Pacific, Rio Grande At the east end of Minturn, we look through the hole of a dwarf signal that no longer contains a lamp on railbanked Tennessee Pass. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 107476 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, May 6, 2018 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Minturn Minturn, CO 1546 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Tennessee Pass (UP) Rio Grande, Union Pacific When a multi-ton boulder came crashing down on the mainline on Tennessee Pass at Minturn, it created a mini crater in places. One such place was right in the middle of part of the mainline. It made it easy to get this shot at the railhead eye level, looking east. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 107475 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, May 6, 2018 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Minturn Minturn, CO 1549 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Tennessee Pass (UP) Rio Grande, Union Pacific The welded rail of the mainline of Tennessee Pass lies pinned and broken underneath a boulder that came tumbling down from the hillside near east Minturn. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 107474 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, May 6, 2018 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Minturn Minturn, CO 1547 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Tennessee Pass (UP) Rio Grande, Union Pacific Despite how indestructible rail seems when you are standing next to it or touching it, Mother Nature reminds us just how insignificant something like iron rail really is! A huge boulder that landed on the mainline here did not directly touch the siding. But the shifting dirt away from the rock push the siding past its breaking point. Both rails were snapped in half like wood matchsticks! Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 107473 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, May 6, 2018 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Minturn Minturn, CO 1450 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Tennessee Pass (UP) Rio Grande, Union Pacific When this boulder came crashing down on the mainline near east Minturn, the north-most rail was squished by the rock. Both the rail and many of the tie plates were ripped right out of their ties. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 107472 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, May 6, 2018 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Minturn Minturn, CO 1430 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Tennessee Pass (UP) Rio Grande, Union Pacific A look up the hillside from where this huge boulder came from. Must have been a terrifying thing to witness in person! You can see the ties and rails of the mainline underneath part of the rock. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 107471 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, May 6, 2018 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Minturn Minturn, CO 1368 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Tennessee Pass (UP) Rio Grande, Union Pacific When this boulder came down off the hill and landed on the mainline, it also shifted a lot of earth around. The rails of both the mainline and the siding were severed as a result of the impact. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 107470 Date Shot Photo By Sunday, May 6, 2018 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Minturn Minturn, CO 1519 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Tennessee Pass (UP) Rio Grande, Union Pacific Just in case you were wondering how little UP invests in doing any maintenance on Tennessee Pass, this should be a good answer! Mother nature did what it always does and eroded enough of the hillside to dislodge this massive boulder. It came rolling off the hill sometime around 2013 and landed right on the mainline near the east end of Minturn. Five years later, the boulder continues to rest in its new home. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.

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