As one who's lived on both sides of the Divide and driven over it too many times to remember, I'd think the glories of laying the track would be sung more about COlorado. The Great Divide in Wyoming ain't that great; it just sort of a gradual incline. After crossing the high peaks of CO, when one passes a sign in Wyoming that says you're at the top of the Continental Divide, it seems a bit of a joke, and I live there! Of course, the altitude is higher, but not nearly as it is in CO.

BTW, my great-uncle was the engineer for the Moffat Tunnel in CO and my great-grandfather was the one who engineered the trackbed up through Glenwood Canyon from Glenwood Springs to Eagle on the Western Slope of CO.

When I was 13, my parents ran the old "Pitkin Hilton" in the old gold rush town of Pitkin, CO, up above Gunnison for the summer. Up above it is the Alpine Tunnel. If I remember correctly, it was the highest narow gauge rr tunnel in the world. All I really remember is I made some good money that summer selling old rr spikes to the tourists for 50 cents a piece!

katlaughing