The Moffat Road part 1 Denver to East Portal

watch trains wrap around big ten curve, climb through the rugged tunnel distric, and disappear under the Continental Divide through the famous 6.2 mile long Moffat tunnel. Cresting the Rockies at over 9,000 feet this is the highest active mainline in North America. Coal traffic is king on the Moffat tunnel sub, with loaded trains heading east to Denver and empties returning west. The steep mountain grades require additional locomotives in the middle and rear of east bound coal trains creating a fantastic show of horespower. Besides coal, mixed manifest from bothUnion Pacific and BNSF plus Amtrak's California Zephyr makes a daily appearance.