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Moffat! By Gregory Monroe RG SP UP West of Denver CO SIGNED
Moffat! By Gregory Monroe SIGNED Rio Grande, Southern Pacific, Union PAcific
West of Denver Colorado
Hard Cover with dust jacket
128 pages
Copyright 1997
CONTENTS
1: Uncle Dave's Grande Line Through the Rockies .... 6
2: Hanging 10 Into the Front Range16
3: Thirty VS One 28
4: No More Hill Hell 46
5: Across the Western Slope . 62
6: Canyon Lands and Horseshoes 78
7: Through the Rockies in Grande Style 90
8: Coal - Savior of the Moffat 106
WHAT THE MOFFAT MEANS TO ME
The "Moffat Line", to me, has always been a little special - a little more than simply another interesting railroad. I originally became interested in photographing railroads not because I especially liked trains (although I did), but because I saw railroads as offering great ph
tographic compositions. Paralleling twin rails stretching off to the far horizon, especially if brightly backlit; and the mass and power of multiple locomotives and their long line of cars stretched out behind or wrapped around an "S" curve, are for me very compelling elements to capture on film.
it was out of this interest in railroads as photography subjects that I also became a "railfan", in the sense that I started really enjoying being around trains. Yet I have never felt like a railfan while photographing the Moffat. This very special piece of railroad has always meant so much more to me.
Another big interest of mine since moving to Colorado from my native Louisiana in 1976, has been the history and scenic wonders of the state and the Rocky Mountains. Ghost towns, old mines, stories of early settlers and life in the Rockies... all were fascinating to me. The Moffat and the story of its struggles to do what no other railroad had ever done and survive to become the interesting railroad it is today seemed to typify all this history and grandeur (as well as being the most easily accessible main line from my home in Arvada). It quickly became in my mind something more than merely a railroad. It was - and is - a link with the history of Colorado and the Rockies that I find so intriguing.
The smell of creosote; the crunch of ballast under my feet; the feel of the crisp high altitude air on my face; the fascination of exploring the old grade over Corona Pass and seeing the remains of snowsheds, finding twisted and rusted spikes and nails, of feeling a chill up my back when looking at the Devil's Slide trestles hanging at the top of a sheer drop-off of 1,000 feet, of inching my way upward in a 4-wheel drive vehicle to old Needle's Eye tunnel, of viewing old photos of trains crossing the trestle over the Loop tunnel and then seeing the caved in tunnel and still standing trestle; all can bring forth memories of the stories I have read about the early years of the 20th century when Moffat men blasted a route out of solid rock, and Moffat steam engines struggled across the Continental Divide.
There are also the memories of those too brief years (for me, about five) spent chasing the Rio Grande Zephyr. Even now, almost 15 years after the Zephyr's demise, I can still conjure up in my mind the rising and falling, rushing, chugging sound of those vintage F units as the Zephyr was first heard approaching, still unseen far down a canyon.
Photographing the Moffat lost some of its appeal when the RGZ was discontinued in 1983, but the ensuing years on the Moffat have continued to bring many pleasures as I explore remote areas, seeking out new photo locations. Even today, I always seem to come home with a new perspective on the Moffat, or a new memory to treasure.
"Moffat! - Rio Grande-Southern Pacific-Union Pacific West of Denver; Colorado" is the culmination of these two decades of photography on this grand line. In the following pages, I have selected my favorite photos and stories from these many years and countless trips, in an attempt to share some of the interesting aspects of the history and lure of the Moffat.
Photography: Because my first attraction to railroading was as a photo subject, I have always approached my Moffat photography as an art form, by trying for an eye-catching scene as opposed to simply recording my subject. This can be as simple as using a red filter to turn a sky dark against white cotton ball clouds; as "creative" as using a telephoto with strong back or side lighting; or as complicated as a combination of multiple exposures, time exposures, flash, and open shutters to capture night scenes.
I started my serious shooting on the Moffat in the early 1980s with a 6x7 Pentax, using mainly a 75mm or 200mm lens (equivalent to about 40mm and 110mm on a 35mm camera), on Tri-X film. All the photos taken after 1987, with the exception of a handful in 1997, were shot with 35mm equipment, utilizing lenses ranging from 28mm to 400mm. 35mm films used have ranged from Technical Pan (ISO 25) to T-Max 3200.
That 1997 "handful" were shot on a Mamiya C22 TLR after I decided to re-enter the world of medium format. Unlike my old 6x7, the TLR is quite slow to use and so not really suited for action train photography. But like the 6x7, it yields negatives of absolutely superb quality that are a joy to print.
One thing I find especially frustrating about photographing the Moffat in black & white are the red noses of the SP locomotives, which record as almost black on film, and so blend in with the black flanks of the locomotive. Technical Pan film is excellent for this problem, as it renders the red nose medium gray. However, Tech Pan' s low speed forbids its use in any but near optimum lighting. With other b&w films, to get a similar separation a red filter is needed, although in bright sun with a clean red nose, a yellow filter also does a good job. (The photo of SP 372 on the Title Page is a good example of a Tech Pan shot - note the excellent separation of the red nose. The bottom photo on page 120 was shot on T-Max 100 with the red filter. Compare these to the dark nose in the top photo on page 125, which was taken on T-Max film without a filter.) The problem with the red filter is it costs about three stops of light, meaning one must use a 400 speed film, which, in 35mm, can at times be a hit too grainy and contrasty for quality photography. A red filter with T-Max 100 yields better quality negatives, but with an effective iSO of about 12, one might as well go back to Tech Pan.
You color shooters should count your blessings!
Also frustrating was the amount of time it can take to gather the needed photos for a book of this nature. Only occasionally would a day on the Moffat go as planned, with trains all arriving after just a short wait and at precisely the right time for the very best lighting. (I liken these rare experiences to the Candice Bergen "dime" ads on TV, wherein everything is suddenly hunky-dory for the lucky recipient!)
More likely, I would come hack from a long day beside the tracks, or a long hike into remote areas, without the shots i needed or wanted, because a train simply did not show up, the lighting did not cooperate, or I somehow messed up the shot (poor exposure, composition, etc.).
With the publication of this book, will I have "finished" my photography on the Moffat? Probably not. I hope not. Literally dozens of places, or different photo angles and compositions at locations I have shot, are still crying out for me to take. Many more good photos I did take did not make the final "cut". This book could easily have been twice this size!
With no more "need" for b&w, I may start shooting slides on the Moffat. Who knows, maybe in another 20 years, I can duplicate this book with color! For now, I hope that from this brief glimpse you will find the Moffat as fascinating as I do!
Gregory Monroe, Littleton, Colorado, June, 1997
"Moffat!" is dedicated to the memory of my very dear friend Bob Karsten, who taught me how to love trains.
DUST JACKET INTRODUCTION
Moffat!
Rio Grande-Southern Pacific-Union Pacific
West of Denver, Colorado
Gregory Monroe
Just after the turn of the 20th Century, a wealthy Denver businessman decided it was time to put Denver on the railroad map. Frustrated by the failure of others to put a transcontinental rail line through this business and economic center of the Rocky Mountains, David Moffat announced he would build his own steam line due west from Denver to the Pacific Ocean. What he faced was the seemingly impenetrable high ridge of the Continental Divide, which rose to over 14,000 feet above sea level just 40 miles west of Denver. It was because of this barrier that other railroads had steered clear of Colorado, including the Union Pacific when building the first transcontinental line linking the east and west coasts.
Moffat's proposal also drew the ire of the powerful railroad barons of the day, the men who controlled the Southern Pacific, Union Pacific, and other railroads. They knew that if Moffat was successful, their rail empires would suffer.
The resulting trials and tribulations of Dave Moffat as he fought these men and these mountains to build his dream, and his railroad that is today a major transcontinental carrier of freight and passenger traffic through the very heart of the Colorado Rockies, have combined to give us a fascinating story of railroading.
Popularly called the "Moffat Line" after its beloved founder, this spectacular line has it all. Stunning scenery, great train action, and intriguing history. A history that is changing, even today. For all of recent memory (at least since the 1940s) the storied Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad has operated the "Moffat". But the Rio Grande name began disappearing in the late 1980s when it bought the Southern Pacific and elected to operate under the name of the larger railroad. Then, just eight short years later, the mighty Union Pacific became even mightier when it bought the Southern Pacific, including the Moffat line.
Moffat! Rio Grande-Southern Pacific-Union Pacific West of Denver, Colorado takes a look at the last two decades of operation of the Moffat line under these three railroads. This look is through the eyes and lenses of Gregory Monroe, who has been photographing on the Moffat since 1977. It includes not only selected photos from these two decades, but anecdotes and intriguing stories of Gregory's experiences in photographing the Moffat.
As Gregory mentions in the hook, he does not photograph the Moffat because he is a railfan. Rather, he photographs the Moffat simply because he finds the line so fascinating, in its history, scenery and operations, regardless of what railroad is operating over its rails.
This is Gregory's second book for Fox Publications. His first, "Colorado's' Modern Narrow Gauge Circle", published in 1994, likewise grew out of a photography effort of many years based on a love for the history and nostalgia of his subject matter.
It is Gregory's sincere hope that as you read through these pages, you too will feel that same enthusiasm for the "Moffat", a truly grand railroad!
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