Friday, September 25, 2026

Alpine Tunnel on Two Wheels

 I happened on the video below and thought it was worth sharing. Yes, it is a couple guys on electric dirt bikes, but they do a nice job showing the amazing scenery and engineering of the west side of Alpine/Altman Pass. It is peppered with occasional narration about the railroad and the facilities at the west portal. Some of it is a little off (i.e. the main freight hauled was coal not silver), but most is correct. Either way, it's always a joy to see this amazing line. The one part that saddens me is to see all the hard-won restoration work on the west portal facilities accomplished by Ray Rossman and the Passport In Time program slowly disintegrating. Their work, done from the 1990s through the early 2000s and building on past preservation efforts, revitalized so many of the ruins there. Now, however, paint is pealing, weather (and vandalism or, at least, carelessness) is taking its toll, and nature is again fighting to reclaim its place. 



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