Trains descending the 3% grade of Tennessee Pass would see this view all the time as they approached the yard at Minturn. This is the east switch, which looks like it is in relatively good shape at first. But, look a little closer, and you'll see the lenses have been removed from most of the signal heads. The electrical equipment (wiring) is all long gone, too.
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This shot looks east from (near) the east switch of Minturn. The tracks here have become a very common hiking trail for residents in the area. When out taking picture today, I came across two sets of people on a rail hike along with their dogs.
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A tree at the east end of Avon is growing around the base of the signal and up between the signal and the control box! It'll be interesting to see what the tree looks like in another twenty years...
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A look at the switch at the east end of Avon. The switch has been taken out of "power mode", which is not surprising as power has been supplied to it in two decades!
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The electrical box for the power switch at east Avon has been opened and it has been stripped of its wiring. Note the switch point also moved a little way away from the main. The hand throw on the power switch shows why.
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Looking east from Avon, the rails do not appear to be all that bad. Welded rail was laid here before the pass was closed. The tied, on the other hand, look to be in pretty rough shape!
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A look to the west at the east switch of Avon on Tennessee Pass. The siding here is over 8,300 feet long! Perfect for meeting long trains that, in all likelihood, will never traverse the line again. Note the hand throw has been set such that the switch points are centered between the rails.
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When exploring Tennessee Pass at various times in the past few years, I have seen some growth of bushes near, and even encroaching on, the rails. However, I have not seen anything like this tree at the west end of Wolcott. It has grown to well over ten feet, right between the rails!
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In addition to the weeds growing, a few rocks have also gathered near the rails of the siding of Wolcott. The signal head from the siding has been removed. You can still see the pole for the signal with a "P" plate in the distance.
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The west end of Wolcott is located right at milepost 319, as you can see here. It is interesting to note that this is the location at which the original Rio Grande (over Tennessee Pass) is closest to the Denver & Salt Lake mainline (now the Moffat), with the exception of the Dotsero Cutoff, of course. Bond is just about ten miles to the north, as the crow flies, from Wolcott.
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The siding diverging quite a bit from the main track at the west end of Wolcott. In between the main and the siding, this tree has sprouted and appears to be flourishing.
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Just west of Wolcott, the tracks wrap around a near-90° curve, following along the Eagle River. Note the "X" sign, indicating the grade crossing ahead. There was once a slide fence here, though the wires have long since been removed. If you look closely, you can just see the signal at the west end of Wolcott in the top-left quadrant of the shot.
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A few cattails grow along and between the rails as we look to the west toward Eagle and Gypsum.
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These classic "No Trespassing" signs disappeared from along the Moffat (and the rest of the Rio Grande) relatively quickly after SP and, in particular, UP moved in. However, you can still find some near-perfect example along the Tennessee Pass mainline.
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A few miles east of the town of Eagle, we look east along the Tennessee Pass mainline. The tracks here follow US-6 and I-70. US-6 is visible off to the right. The mountains in the distance represent the challenges that lay ahead for the line, up the 3% grade, to conquer Tennessee Pass.
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