“I Hear the Train A’Comin”

Rio Grande Pacific Railroad has announced that it has entered into a commercial agreement with Union Pacific to lease the iconic Tennessee Pass route through Colorado. 

The former Denver & Rio Grande Western route over the Continental Divide in central Colorado has sat dormant for nearly a quarter-century and has long been considered one of the most iconic pieces of mountain railroad in the American West.

Rio Grande Pacific subsidiary, Colorado Midland & Pacific Railway, will lease a majority of the line and file for common-carrier authority with the U.S. Surface Transportation Board to operate it.  Officials said that CMP will “assess the interest of the communities served by the Tennessee Pass line” for both freight and passenger service. 

CMP will lease the line from Parkdale to near Sage. 

The Tennessee Pass route has been dormant since 1997.  A short section of the east end of the railroad, through the Royal Gorge, is operated by Royal Gorge Railroad. 

 Photo by Jeff Simley.