Of the CMStP&P's Rocky Mtn Division? Are the trestles in St. Paul Pass removed, are the tunnels caved in? The rails pulled up?
I will defer to Boxcab E50 on this, but I believe part of it is an extensive bicycle trail, some tunnels included. More info here: http://www.skilookout.com/bike_home_page.html
Hemi- Check the link Dan provided. From East Portal, on west, the tunnels are all intact. There have been some rock falls, etc. But I believe all are open, and in non-RR (trail) use. AFAIK, all bridges still stand. One filled area on the west side washed out years ago. Can't recall if it was repaired, or bypassed. East of Avery, rails all went away well over 20 years ago. There is off and on talk of extending the trail eastward. But as much as I'd like that, I also wish they'd keep their overtaxing hands off my income. Let those who want it, pay...... We were going to ride the trail last summer. but my wife became seriously ill. Boxcab E50
Wow. Such a shame, though, that trains will likely never run on that alignment again... I watched my MILW dvd set last night again... How is your wife doing?
Hemi- There have been many discussions about trains never running the Milw again. It is sad. If railroads keep the growth of recent years, capacity will be a serious issue. One false, and often bandied about statistic, is the cost of building RR per mile. Which in this case would not apply. Althought there could be some useful realignment, tunnel work, etc., the grade is already there. That decreases expenditures signficantly. It's either this, or build more freeways....... There is no other alternative for keeping our trade goods flowing. They tell us my wife is better. We won't really know, until about another 4 months or so have passed. How's your spouse? The forthcoming youngster will of course be a Milwaukee Road fan? Boxcab E50
Kristal's ready to meet this little guy that keeps kicking her in the ribs... I think he will be a BN/GN/NP/SP&S/D&RGW/CB&Q fan, but CMStP&P is close to his daddy's heart as well...
