moffat tunnel

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cee

Train Attendant
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Feb 27, 2006
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will be on the cz for the 1st time the next 2 weekends--i know about not going from car to car while in tunnel--being a nyc subway-experienced chick, i'm fine with that--is the tunnel tiled or just blasted thru the rock? what is it, like a 15 minute length? i see we take the tunnel in the daylight--is this a good time to take a shower?
 
The tunnel is black, its pitch black, its well.......just plain *** dark as crud! :lol: So I don't have a clue about "tile" and stuff. I wouldn't take one minute during that part of the trip to be in the shower. Shower the night before or shower that night, but that IMHO is thee best part of the CZ for the WHOLE day!!!!! :) I wouldn't be showerin' for nuttin' during that part of the trip! Enjoy!!! And be ready for people to be mooning you on the Colorado River. If my memory serves me correctly, its about 10 minutes long.
 
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Since the vestibules leak air, opening the door to a car would pull in exhaust from the tunnel.
 
cee said:
will be on the cz for the 1st time the next 2 weekends--i know about not going from car to car while in tunnel--being a nyc subway-experienced chick, i'm fine with that--is the tunnel tiled or just blasted thru the rock? what is it, like a 15 minute length? i see we take the tunnel in the daylight--is this a good time to take a shower?
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The tunnel was bored through rock. I am not sure if it is concrete-lined (to control water intrusion), but it certainly is not tiled since that is only done with highway tunnels. It takes a little over ten minutes to clear. The problem with opening the doors between the cars while in the tunnel relates to preventing the exhaust fumes from the locomotives from entering the train.
 
RailFanLNK said:
And be ready for people to be mooning you on the Colorado River.
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We experienced the mooning back in 2002 while traveling from CHI to Reno. I thought the guy in the boat - his back to the train - was getting up and pulling down his shorts to take a leak off the side of the boat. Then suddenly "SURPRISE... :unsure: WIGGLE-WIGGLE!" :blink: My wife noticed a few more mooners that I didn't. Figures! <_<

While waiting in the Reno train station for the trip back I was talking to someone who lived in the area of the mooning. He told me that it was a tradition to moon the train along the Colorado!
 
I agree, I wouldn't take a shower during this part of the trip. You'd miss too much, when you could be looking out the windows. If you are going west out of Denver, I'd grab a seat the lounge car as soon as you can. I waited once until the train was leaving the station, and ALL the seats were taken. There are 20-some smaller tunnels west of the Moffatt Tunnel. It's amazing that these tunnels were made mostly in the 1920's. Moffatt tunnel isn't lined except the entrances, and around some of the refuges. The tunnel is very dark, except there are 21 refuges spaces throught out the tunnel that are lighted. Although you'll be going through so fast, the lights will be a blur. The tunnel is vented with huge exhaust fans to blow the engine exhaust away from the train crews. It's vented east or west depending the direction of travel. When the train is going west, fumes are exhausted to the east, right past all the passenger cars. That's why they don't want you moving from car to car in the tunnel, to try and keep the fumes out. Train crews carry oxygen tanks with them, much like fire fighters tanks, in case they have to stop for some emergency in the tunnel. Have a great, exciting trip.
 
Getting closer to our singles trip to CHI from LNK and I really want to have some of the folks I know fairly well over the night before or couple nights before for a screening of Silver Streak! That show was a hoot!

Al
 
sechs said:
Since the vestibules leak air, opening the door to a car would pull in exhaust from the tunnel.
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Aloha

I was in the lounge car when someone opened the door at the far end of the car, having ignored the announcement. It must have taken at least 20 minutes for the foul stench cleared after we exited the tunnel.

Good luck
 
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There are a number of web sites with information on the tunnel. Here is one:

http://ghostdepot.com/rg/mainline/moffat%2...at%20tunnel.htm

The tunnel is concrete lined. No tiles like most highway tunnels have. No worries about the encrustation of exhaust particles as no real public visibility. Probably the longest tunnel every operated with steam. They do have a vetnilation system, still being used, to blow out the exhaust fumes. Also, one of the highest mainline railroad tunnels in the world. Of course places like the new line into Tibet are higher. No tunnel in Europe comes even close in elevation.
 
We would vacation near the West Portal for a week every Summer. Part of our vacation was to drive up the old railroad grade to the top of Rollins Pass. It was neat to see the 'scars' of the railroad, the foundations of the buildings that made up some of the township up there, and the weather worn lumber that continues to weather, yet somehow has managed to keep from completely rotting over the past 100 years.

One of our two favorite 4x4 (though 4x4 isn't required) climbs to 11,000 feet.
 
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