Alpine Tunnel

Photos

Rock cut from above

Photo taken by James Baughn in June 2007

BH Photo #127111

Once the highest railroad tunnel in the world, at an altitude of 11,523 feet, it was the first tunnel to be built through the Continental Divide.

The book "Historic Alpine Tunnel" is on line at https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/002017308

Overview: Abandoned tunnel under the Continental Divide on the Denver, South Park & Pacific Railroad, southwest of St. Elmo
Location: Gunnison County, Colorado, and Chaffee County, Colorado
Status: Abandoned and partially caved-in
History: Built 1880-82 by the Denver, South Park & Pacific Railroad; collapsed and abandoned in 1910
Railroads: - Colorado & Southern Railroad (CS)
- Denver, South Park & Pacific Railroad (DSP&P)
Design: Tunnel
Dimensions: Total length: 1,800.0 ft.
Approximate latitude, longitude: +38.64796, -106.40684 (decimal degrees)
38°38'53" N, 106°24'25" W (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates: 13/377574/4278649 (zone/easting/northing)
Quadrangle map:: Cumberland Pass
Elevation: 11523 ft. above sea level
Inventory numbers: NRHP 80004632 (National Register of Historic Places reference number)
BH 11776 (Bridgehunter.com ID)

James Baughn - webmaster [at] bridgehunter [dot] com
Wikipedia
Glenn Celerier - celerier [dot] bridgehunter [at] gmail [dot] com
Alpine Tunnel east portal 1895 | Colorado travel, Colorado railroad, Railroad history

Alpine Tunnel

Posted January 5, 2009, by Wes Kinsler (wkinsler [at] wkinsler [dot] com)

There was a book published on this, called Apline Tunnel. I used to have a copy. I will try to find more info and post.