By the latter part of the nineteenth century, the railroad was king. Railroad lines crisscrossed the North American continent, allowing for the long-distance transportation of oil, coal, lumbar, gold, and other valuables. Despite high operating costs and fierce competition, the search for better and more profitable routes was constant. David Moffat, a banker and railroad executive, dreamed of a direct route across the Rocky Mountains, a route that would allow him to tap into Colorado's vast mineral wealth. There was, however, one major obstacle standing in his way-the 13,660-foot Continental Divide. The Moffat Line tells the story of David Moffat and the impossible dream that led to the 1927 completion of the Moffat Tunnel. The story is also about the men who drove the trains and built and operated the railroad under incredible weather and equipment challenges-day and night. Together, Moffat's vision and the exploits of the railroad workers combine to produce a fascinating chapter in the history of the American West. THE MOFFAT LINE David Moffat's Railroad over and under the Continental Divide By John A. Sells iUniverse, Inc. Copyright © 2011 John A. Sells All right reserved. ISBN: 978-1-4620-2654-8 Contents Preface.............................................................................IXChapter 1: Moffat Background........................................................1Chapter 2: The Rio Grande Railroad..................................................11Chapter 3: Crossroads...............................................................20Chapter 4: Friend And Foe...........................................................22Chapter 5: Getting Started..........................................................35Chapter 6: The Rollins Pass Trail And John Quincy Adams Rollins.....................45Chapter 7: Dangerous Trial And Error................................................67Chapter 8: It Is Never Routine......................................................80Chapter 9: Gore Canyon..............................................................85Chapter 10: Day By Day..............................................................88Chapter 11: Near Disaster...........................................................91Chapter 12: Railroading.............................................................95Chapter 13: Moffat Legacy...........................................................103Chapter 14: Honorable Mention: Gandy Dancers........................................104Chapter 15: The Moffat Tunnel.......................................................112End Notes...........................................................................119Bibliography........................................................................123Index...............................................................................127 Chapter One Moffat Background This is a story about a man with a vision of a railroad going through a tunnel under the Continental Divide, but first David Moffat and his few loyal investors had to cross over the spine of the American continent. The Moffat family (spelled in a variety of ways) has two theories of origin. The simplest is directly to and from Scotland. The more detailed history finds the name progressing north from Italy, through France into Normandy, and then following William the Conqueror across the channel into England. From there, the thread leads to Scotland and, for some, over to Ireland. Today the representation is international. The first Moffat to settle in the New World—Samuel and his wife Anne Gregg—sometime in the 1720s, located a spot on the upper Hudson River near present-day Newburgh, New York. Samuel and Anne had twelve children and all lived to at least adulthood, which was unusual for the time. Moreover, the Moffat progeny reportedly supported the Revolution during a divisive period and thereafter played a progressive part in business and local politics. The early genealogy is set down in limited form in the McLaughlin book and in manuscript detail. It is more than need be repeated here. Basically, the Moffat family—as it rapidly grew—was from all accounts a close-knit and productive group for over two hundred years, and there still remains a scattered linkage about the world. The centers of the American roots are Blooming Grove and Washingtonville, New York. The Washingtonville name was in deference to George Washington. The two towns and a museum and library exist today as one within the other. To the east is Newburgh, with State Road 208 serving as the artery, as it did in the early days as a rural road. Patriarchs David Halliday Moffat Sr., one of the twelve children born to Samuel and Anne Gregg, lived from March 1780 until October 1863. Some of the historical background suggests that he could barely support his large family of eight children. Besides farming, he owned a feed mill, which was twice destroyed by fire. La