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The Moffat Road
This is a thorough, complete, and human book about America's most colorful railroad. One of the most vivid accounts - in story and pictures - is of the years of the Hill line, before the Tunnel, when the Moffat fought over the Continental Divide at Corona. It is a true epic in world railroading, told in full.
430 illustrations
430 illustrations
- GenresHistory
359 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1962
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 26, 2019
A must-read for anyone interested in the Moffat Railroad or Western railroads. Bollinger lived in Fraser, Colorado which is at the West Portal of the Moffat Tunnel.
July 18, 2012
This is by far the best and most informative book on the Moffat Road out there today. Bauer and Bollinger include a number of helpful maps, tons of interesting pictures, and several other tables — such as the one that lists all the tunnels on the original Moffat line and their status as of the book's publication.
The book is dated, but most readers will notice the difference primarily if they are following his detailed instructions for driving up the forest service road that original was part of the Moffat Line Hill Route before the Moffat Tunnel was built. A few other tunnels have caved in, and the road is no longer passable by car from end to end.
If you only read one book about the Moffat Road, this is it.
The book is dated, but most readers will notice the difference primarily if they are following his detailed instructions for driving up the forest service road that original was part of the Moffat Line Hill Route before the Moffat Tunnel was built. A few other tunnels have caved in, and the road is no longer passable by car from end to end.
If you only read one book about the Moffat Road, this is it.
April 12, 2024
This is a book for railroad enthusiasts, by railroad enthusiasts. I'm not a railroad enthusiast, but I am quite interested in Rollins Pass in particular (and Rocky Mountain Passes generally) and the James Peak Wilderness and Indian Peaks Wilderness, where Rollins Pass is situated.
Not being a railroad enthusiast, I was met throughout the text by terms with which I was unfamiliar: mallet, gandy dancer, consolidator, wye, and so on. I little bit of searching aids the uninitiated.
The Moffat Road is the railroad run by David H. Moffat, at the time the wealthiest man in Colorado, that was intended to run from Denver to Salt Lake City. He ran the road over Rollins Pass thinking that he'd drive a tunnel under the Continental Divide a few years later. In the meantime, the train would top out at 11,660' above sea level and require a Herculean effort to keep open during the winter.
The book covers the entire history of this route from its conception to 1962/1967 when the book was published. This includes tales of stranded trains on "the Hill", a tunnel fire, rockslides, tunnel collapses, and the demolition of the road over the pass after the Moffat Tunnel was in operation. It is packed with hundreds of b&w photos and some interesting appendices, including one with a mile-by-mile guide to driving over the old route. This, no doubt, is horribly out of date, stating "No difficulty will be encountered in driving it in your car, but trailers are not advised." I'm pretty sure your car won't make it, unless it's a 4x4 with high ground clearance.
Not being a railroad enthusiast, I was met throughout the text by terms with which I was unfamiliar: mallet, gandy dancer, consolidator, wye, and so on. I little bit of searching aids the uninitiated.
The Moffat Road is the railroad run by David H. Moffat, at the time the wealthiest man in Colorado, that was intended to run from Denver to Salt Lake City. He ran the road over Rollins Pass thinking that he'd drive a tunnel under the Continental Divide a few years later. In the meantime, the train would top out at 11,660' above sea level and require a Herculean effort to keep open during the winter.
The book covers the entire history of this route from its conception to 1962/1967 when the book was published. This includes tales of stranded trains on "the Hill", a tunnel fire, rockslides, tunnel collapses, and the demolition of the road over the pass after the Moffat Tunnel was in operation. It is packed with hundreds of b&w photos and some interesting appendices, including one with a mile-by-mile guide to driving over the old route. This, no doubt, is horribly out of date, stating "No difficulty will be encountered in driving it in your car, but trailers are not advised." I'm pretty sure your car won't make it, unless it's a 4x4 with high ground clearance.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews