April 2015 - Colorado Time

THE COLORADO
No.
235
WEB
EDITION
TIME-TABLE
RAILROADING NEWS FROM THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN WEST
Chama, NM
April 1 2015
CUMBRES & TOLTEC PLANS
CONVERSION TO STANDARD GAUGE
EXCLUSIVE report by the Colorado Time-Table.
“Like it or not. you read it here first!”™
According to a highly-placed source at the railroad who did not want to be identified, the plan calls for three-railing the
entire line by the end of 2016.
“It just made sense, in light of the economic pressures facing us today”. As badly as we need money for marketing, we
can’t get any government money for marketing, but we CAN get government money for infrastructure, so we’ll create a
surge in ridership by adding a features that are guaranteed to attract more passengers.“
There are other fringe benefits to the plan. With the Rio Grande Scenic just up the line in Alamosa, there is a high probabilty that a deal could be cut to bring RGS trains all the way to Chama, which would be a tremendous boon to the local
economy.
When questioned about the engineering problems of standard-gauging the high, tightly-curved mountain railroad, the
spokesman replied: “Piece of cake. Our track crew can do anything. The difficult, they do immediately; the impossible may
take a little longer.”
We asked how they intended to widen the tunnels. “Dynamite!. We’ll start by ‘daylighting’ Mud tunnel, which will solve a
multitude of problems. As for Rock Tunnel, it just needs a few days of blasting and it will be wide enough and tall enough
for #844 if we can convince the UP to bring her down here.” Widening those two tunnels will just be the beginning. By
2017 we’ll have a tunnel under Cumbres pass!
Another side-benefit of the 3-railing is the ability to use standard-gauge diesels on the line. For years, the C&TS has been
hampered by a lack of narrow gauge diesel power. With the 3-railing of the line will come the probability that the environmentally polluting, costly and labor-intensive steam power can be dispensed with entirely, and 50-car trains can be hauled
up Cumbres Pass with a string of modern diesels.
We have learned that there is even more exciting action coming: For years, the C&TS has been struggling to reduce the
time required to traverse the seemingly endless switchbacks and mountainsides. In order to solve the problem, a series
of suspension bridges and tunnels will be built across the side-canyons and under the hills between Big Horn and Osier,
which will shorten the travel time between Antonito and Chama to about an hour and a half. Our source told us: “The
problem with the C&TS has alwasy been that the ride is too long. We are going to fix that problem!”
We see a bright and prosperous new future for the Cumbres & Toltec!
INSIDE TRACK
2
C&TS STIFFED BY NM
3
2
THE FUTURE
4
2
#168 TO ANTONITO
6
MINIATUR WUNDERLAND
12
130 & 140 RETURN
15 NOTES FROM A BOTTLE
DRGW 5305
13
PHOTO GALLERY
15 DRHS REEFER PROJECT
NARROW GAUGE TO THE MINES
14
MINNESOTA ZEPHYR
2 The Colorado Time-Table
CUMBRES & TOLTEC STIFFED BY NM
EDITORIAL
Jay Wimer
From Dave Boyer at The Narrow
Gauge Dead Goat Saloon on Saturday, March 21: “Donkeys and
elephants fought to the end and
all severance tax bonds for construction for the entire state died
at noon.”
Later post on Sunday, March 23:
“Governor Martinez is quoted in
this morning’s ABQ Journal as
saying she will not call a special
legislature session to pass a capital outlay bill.”
Hanging by a financial thread,
and being at the mercy of the battling egos in the Round House,
will ever be the fate of the Cumbres & Toltec.
That is, UNLESS the commission finally wakes up, smells the
coffee and makes a couple of
changes:
1- Start acting like the Congressionally-approved bi-state commission that they really are, and
quit the legal fiction that they are
any sort of state agency in either
Colorado or New Mexico.
2- Start thinking in terms of making a PROFIT, instead of constantly wringing their hands over
the self-actuating notion that the
railroad cannot possibly ever sustain itself.
For up-to-the-minute news about
narrow gauge railroading, and
especially the Cumbres & Toltec,
check the Narrow Gauge Dead
Goat Saloon at
wwvvw.goatbbs.com
BLITZ THE GOVERNOR!
While I don’t agree with the policy of begging for state money in
order to keep the C&TSRR alive,
the practice will have to continue
until the profit motive becomes
fashionable.
So, PLEASE send a letter to Governor Martinez requesting her to
do whatever is necessary to restore the funds to the C&TSRR.
Suggested text:
Governor Susana Martinez
Office of the Governor
490 Old Santa Fe Trail
Room 400
Santa Fe, NM 87501
Dear Governor Martinez,
As a proud supporter of the Cumbres & toltec Scenic Railroad,
which provides great economic
benefits to the region, I urge you
to take whatever steps are necessary to restore the urgently
needed funding for this national
treasure.
HERE IS THE LINK TO YOUR
LOCAL REPRESENTATIVES
IN THE ROUND HOUSE.
You can find who represents you
in the House of Representatives,
Senate, Congress, in one of two
ways: either enter your address
below, select the appropriate
body and hit “Find District”, or
select the appropriate body and
click the area of the map where
you live. Then you can contact
him/her by phone, e-mail or
snail mail.
http://www.nmlegis.gov/lcs/legislator_lookup.aspx
THE FUTURE
The May edition of the TimeTable will feature the Cumbres
& Toltec Scenic Railroad.
In June, we’ll feature the Durango & Silverton, and in July
we’ll feature the Front Range
railroads.
Please get your stories, photos
and remembrabces together and
send to
[email protected]
DEADLINE FOR ADS & STORIES IS THE 15TH OF EVERY
MONTH. LATE-BREAKING
NEWS MAY BE ACCEPTED
UP TO PRESS TIME, WHICH
VARIES.
Please
Contribute!
April 1 2015
168 GOING TO C&TS
#168 IS HEADING TO
ANTONITO
Well, maybe.
On March 10, the Colorado
Springs City Council approved
the lease of hitoric Rio Grande
engine # 168 to the Cumbres &
Toltec Scenic Railroad.
There are a few bridges to
crossed and a lot of money to be
raiesed before #168 will be seen
steamig out iof Antonito with
her historicc San Juan passenger
train.
Various cost estimates have
been floated, hovering at around
$600K.
We think it will take closer to
$1.6 million.
We’ll have a full story on #168 in
May
E-mail your stories &
pictures to:
[email protected]
Remember to answer the
questions:
Who took the photos?!
Who? What?
Where? When?
Why? How?
DEADLINE:
15TH OF THE
MONTH
Thanks!
PLEASE! NO
Hand-written items!
Vintage photo of #168 at
Montrose CO in September 1909.
The occasion was the “Presidential Train” csrrying President
Taft to the opening sereminy of
the Gunnision Tunnel Project.
Photo from The Colordo Historical Society.
------------------------------------------
EVENTS?
IF YOU DON’T SEND
THEM, WE CAN’T PRINT
THEM
Send your news to
[email protected]
or snail mail
Colorado Time-Table
PO box 291
Chama NM 87520
April 1 2015
Story and pictures by
Brigitte Schad
Miniatur Wunderland
is only separated by a highway
from Mount Rushmore and
Josemite Park. The United
States of “Wunderland are ,
On a cold and wet day in
compared to the other areas, not
February I decided to visit a
very big, however they are full of
very special model railroad
attractions.
attraction in Hamburg. My
The “Miniatur Wunderland” is
last visit there was in 2006.
hard to describe. There are only
Today this “Miniatur
so many times you can say: ‘big’,
Wunderland” is the largest of its ‘amazing’, ‘detailed’: this model
kind in the world. I couldn`t get railraod differs in many cases
over it.!
from other large layouts, not
The twin brothers Frederick
only as far as detailing and work
and Gerrit Braun have built this effort are concerned. The chief
model railroad on tracks in HO
modeller describes what makes
scale and called it the:”Miniatur the “Wunderland” stand out
Wunderland” ( German for:
from the modeller`s perspective:
miniature wonderland.)
“In the ‘Wunderland not only
This great model railroad
the layout surface is used for
is located in one of the old
building but also the fascia has
warehouses in the warehouse
been discovered as a modeling
district of the port of Hamburg. area. Many ideas, like for
These buildings were built from instance a mine, a metro station,
1883-1927, standing on timberdripstone caves, a vault are on
pile. The architecture shows a
eyelevel of children. Buildings
Neo-Gothic brick outer layer
located directly at the layout`s
with little towers, alcoves and
edge show the life behind the
glazed terra cotta ornaments.
front because there is no wall
The warehouses are multi-storey that blocks the view. Private
buildings with entrances from
homes, workshops and industrial
water and land. Today this
business show exactly what is
district is a tourist attraction.
needed to keep life going on.
Since 2001 the “Miniatur
There are transportation routes
Wunderland” has
on all levels with all kinds of
constantly growing:
vehicles in the ‘Wunderland’In summer 2013 the model
many things are only seen at the
railroad consisted of about
second look. Just like being on
40,000 ft of tracks divided on
a treasure hunt, many surprises
3 floors into 8 sections, such
want to be discovered. Step
as: Harz, the fictitious city of
treads have been mounted to the
Knuffingen, Austria, America,
railings to enable the visitors so
Scandinavia, Switzerland and
keep an overview. Many details
a very large airport. More 3
which hide in backlots, behind
sections are planned: Italy,
trees or amidst a sunflower-field,
France and England.
can be seen from a bird’s eye
The American section was
perspective. Accordingly, the
opened in 2003. Its surface
figures in the ‘Wunderland’ act
is smaller than that of its
like their human archetypes.
neighbour Hamburg. However,
All aspects of life, from birth to
it isn`t any less interesting. The
death, are present. One actually
metropolis Las Vegas, a paradise sees what a ‘Wunderlander’
of gamblers in the desert is
is doing “Just now”, the clear
the most luminous spot in the
expression in gesture and mimic
“Wunderland”. About 30,000
lets the visitors recognize every
lights are located in this world
mood in the figures` faces, It is
famous city. But America has
this realism where daily life is
more breathtaking landscapes
shown. It could be that you meet
to offer. The Keys and Cape
yourself in the ‘Wunderland’ !!t
Canaveral directly pass into Las the end of this report, here s a
Vegas and the Grand Canyon
brief chart with general with
The ColoradoTime-Table 3
general ‘Wunderland’ facts:
About 70,000 sq.ft of
leased floor space,
the model area takes
about 13,000 sq.ft.
track length: 40,000 ft
trains: approx .930
wagons: over 14,450
signal: 1,270
switches: 3,000
computers: 40
lights: 350,000
buildings and
bridges: about 3,500
and countless figures, cars and
trees
Tracks, highways and
bridges are crossing the
Grand Canyon.”R
Tracks, highways and
bridges are crossing the
Grand Canyon."
"Las Vegas in the shining
light of the night."
A view to the presedentIal heads struck in stone of
Mount Rushmore
4 The Colorado Time-Table
April 1 2015
DRGW 5305: Rio Grande’s one of a kind SD9
By Jason Midyette
In 1957, the Denver & Rio Grande Western took delivery of 10 EMD SD9 diesel locomotives. The group, numbered 5305 to
5314, started out in helper service on what was then the Rio Grande’s busy main line from Pueblo, west over Tennessee
Pass. Over the years, the SD9s were moved to other assignments, though for 9 of the 10, not much changed until they were
retired in 1991. The exception was the first of the group, #5305, which followed a different path that caused it to continue to
exist for over 20 years after its sisters were scrapped.
#5305 was built in July 1957 and was the first SD9 delivered to the Rio Grande and the last to be stricken from its roster. The
locomotive was unique as it had been rebuilt with a “chop” or low nose after a wreck in Pueblo on April 26, 1972. Following its post wreck rebuild, #5305 was assigned to the Grand Junction yard as the hump engine. The locomotive held this
assignment until being retired and sold in December of 1992. The Rio Grande’s other 9 SD9s, numbered 5306 to 5314, were
sold to National Railway Equipment in 1991 and scrapped shortly thereafter. Following its retirement, #5305 was purchased
by Omnitrax and moved to the company’s locomotive rebuild facility, then housed in the Great Western Railway’s Loveland
engine house.
After spending some time stored in Loveland, #5305 was rebuilt by Omnitrax in 1995 for California’s Northwestern Pacific
railroad, where it served until 1999. Following the 1999 shutdown of the NWP, #5305 was returned to Loveland, where it again
sat in storage. In early 2003, responding to a change in the used locomotive market, Omnitrax put some 20 older locomotives, including #5305 up for sale as scrap. At the time scrap prices were low and Omnitrax’s shop manager had preservation
leanings so efforts were made to find suitable homes for the locomotives if possible. To that end, several locomotives ended
up preserved at museums in California and Colorado.
Also at that time, the Canon City & Royal Gorge was seeking additional motive power and jumped at the chance to acquire
#5305. At the time a main motivating factor in the railroad’s purchase of the locomotive was the chance to acquire a unique
and historic Rio Grande locomotive and operate on its home rails, it would be fair to say that preservation factored into the
business decision to purchase the locomotive. #5305 was moved to Canon City and entered service on the CC&RG in late
2003. Later the locomotive was painted in a black and orange scheme reminiscent of the D&RGW, complete with “Royal
Gorge” on its side in the D&RGW’s “flying grande” font.
At the time, and for the next 9 years, all seemed well. #5305 was in service on the Royal Gorge Route into mid-2012. Then
came October 2012. After escaping the scrapper’s torch in 1992 and again in 2003, #5305 was scrapped by the Canon City
& Royal Gorge tourist railroad as partial payment on the line’s newly arrived ex Amtrak locomotive.
Unfortunately, and in proof of the old adage that “the third time is the charm”, #5305 could not escape being cut up that time.
Especially given that there was reportedly at least one group interested in the locomotive and willing to match the scrapper’s
price, it is too bad that the locomotive’s owners could not have at least made an effort to offer the locomotive for preservation before scrapping it. Even more so given that a desire to prevent #5305 from disappearing is what brought it to Canon
City to begin with.
August 20, 1975 found D&RGW 5305 shoving a Southern Pacific boxcar up the Grand Junction hump.
Author’s Collection.
Wearing CRRX reporting marks for owner Canon City & Royal
Gorge, former D&RGW SD9 5305 is seen in the tourist railroad’s Canon City yards in April of 2005. L. Jones photo,
Author’s collection.
April 1 2015
The ColoradoTime-Table 5
DRGW 5305
February 5, 2000 found ex D&RGW 5305 in storage in Loveland Colorado. The locomotive is still wearing the Northwesten Pacific paint scheme acquired in 1995 and is sporting OMLX (Omnitrax) reporting marks on its cab.
Jason Midyette photo.
D&RGW 5305 is seen here in Pueblo in December of 1972,
shortly after being rebuilt with a “chop nose” front hood. Author’s collection.
“BAD WEATHER” AT D&S!
Proof that “bad”weather
makes for great photos.
This undated, though pre April 1972, photo shows D&RGW
Photos by Jerry Day, taken
5305 in its as-built configuration. Author’s collection.
this winter.
6 The Colorado Time-Table
NARROW GAUGE TO THE MINES
PART 1 OF 2
By Greg Monroe
PIKES PEAK or BUST?
When the news of the first finds of
gold in 1859 in what is today the city
of Denver reached back east, the great
rush to the Rockies was on. As all anyone at the time knew about the Rocky
Mountains was “Pikes Peak,” the slogan “Pikes Peak or Bust” was painted
on some of the gold seekers’ wagons,
although where they were headed was
some 100 miles north of Pikes Peak.
The Colorado mining boom that followed was the major reason for the
building of narrow gauge (cheaper to
build and better for the tight curves necessitated by the mountainous terrain
than was broad gauge) railroad lines
to haul people and supplies into, and
people, livestock and mine ores out of
the mountains.
By the late 19th Century into the early
20th, the Denver & Rio Grande; Silverton Railroad; Silverton Northern;
Silverton, Gladstone & Northerly; Rio
Grande Southern; Denver, South Park
& Pacific; Colorado Central; Florence
& Cripple Creek; Colorado & Northwestern; Greeley, Salt Lake & Pacific;
Denver, Boulder & Western; and other
narrow gauge lines had in place a large
network of tracks serving mining districts all over the Colorado Rockies.
While for the most part the rails were
torn out long ago and the mines have
long since quit producing, remnants of
these old mining railroads and many of
the mines they served can still be easily found today, and offer a fascinating
exploration if you love narrow gauge
railroad history.
The SILVER SAN JUAN
Silverton (“Silver by the Ton”), isolated
in the heart of the San Juan Mountains
in Baker’s Park deep in the Animas River Canyon was to be the final terminus
in 1882 of the Denver & Rio Grande’s
westward extension, for the late 1800s’
mining boom was tapering off. But
three other railroads would continue on
past Silverton to near-by mining towns.
Between 1887 and 1924, the Silverton
RR ran north from the tail of the Silverton wye for 18 miles to Albany in the
Red Mountain Mining District, bringing
supplies and residents to Chattanooga,
Red Mountain Town (or Hudson Town),
Red Mountain City, Rogerville, Guston,
and Ironton. Some of the major producing mines included the Silver Belle
(just outside Ironton and visible from
HWY 550), the Guston-Robinson, the
Genessee-Vanderbilt, and the Yankee
Girl which in its 16 years of operation
produced over $12 million in ore (at
the 1800s’ value of only $20 an ounce,
equivalent to over a billion today! The
Yankee Girl has another connection to
narrow gauge railfans, being owned
by Otto Mears, the builder of the Rio
Grande Southern.
Ironton, reached by rails in 1889, quickly became the major supply point for
the district, with numerous businesses
including many saloons and a population of over 1,000, mostly miners. Two
trains a day stopped in Ironton. But in
only a short decade, Ironton’s post office had closed, although mining continued in the area late into the 20th century and there were still a few residents
in the 1960s.
Today the site of old Ironton is very
easy to find. Look for an unmarked
road leading down into the trees to the
east off of HWY 550, about 4.3 miles
north of the summit of Red Mountain
Pass; or if driving up from Ouray, about
3.3 miles south of the HWY 550 snow
shed. The old railroad grade can still
be seen running past the handful of remaining houses.
The photogenic Yankee Girl Mine can
be seen at some distance from the scenic pullout near the big Idarado mining operation beside HWY 550 about
1 ¾ miles north of the top of the pass.
While many of the old mine railroad
grades give access to the area around
the Yankee Girl, the easiest route (only
one mile from the highway and driveable in dry weather by car) takes off to
the east in the bend of a sharp reverse
curve about 9.75 miles south of Ouray,
or 2.9 miles from the top of the pass.
April 1 2015
miles northeast from Silverton through
the upper reaches of the Animas River
Canyon to the mines near the head
waters of the Rio de Las Animas de
Perdidas, the “River of Lost Souls.”
Today several old buildings of the town
of Animas Forks still stand in a high
mountain meadow.
Animas Forks had two smelter and
reduction works which served over
15 area mines. As you drive into the
old town from Silverton, the concrete
foundations of the huge Gold Prince
Mill can be seen. Built in 1904, the Gold
Prince briefly revived mining in the
area until it closed in 1910, and was the
last operating mill in Animas Forks.
1/2 mile up California Gulch past Animas Forks stands the large Frisco Mill.
The wood for the Frisco mill was cut,
fitted and coded for assembly and
brought up to Animas Forks on the
Silverton Northern, then by wagon the
last 1/2 mile to be re-assembled around
the milling equipment. Even today, the
letters and numbers which were used
as codes for re-assembly of the mill are
plainly evident on the interior beams
and supports.
Animas Forks quickly swelled to over
1,500 hardy souls for at an altitude over
11,000 feet, winters were harsh with
snows over 20 feet deep, and the town
was also hit by several avalanches. But
the town had that “new fangled” telephone, when a line was strung over the
mountains from Lake City (to the east)
in the 1880s.
Perhaps the most famous structure in
Animas Forks is the “Duncan House”
with the bay window, said to have been
the one time home of Evelyn Walsh
McLean, daughter of millionaire mining
man Thomas Walsh (owner of the famous Camp Bird Mine near Ouray), and
an owner of the famous Hope Diamond.
Most of Animas Forks was deserted by
the 1920s, although some mining activity continued into the 1930s.
Another major mine at Howardsville
outside Silverton served by the SilBetween 1899 and 1918 the Silverton,
verton Northern was the Old Hundred
Gladstone and Northerly ran north from Mine (named for a Gospel hymn) which
Silverton 7 1/2 miles north to Gladtoday offers mine tours. At Eureka,
stone. And between 1896 and 1942, the eight miles out of Silverton, the conSilverton Northern RR continued 13
April 1 2015
NARROW GAUGE TO THE MINES
The ColoradoTime-Table 7
Animas Forks mining town served by the Silverton Northern.
crete remains of the huge Sunnyside
Mine mill can be seen stair stepping
down the hillside. The odd-looking
square building off to the right of the
road was originally a water tank, jail,
and firehouse.
In the mid-1920s the Silverton Northern rail bus “Casey Jones” was built
by employees of the Sunnyside Mine,
for use as an ambulance to carry the
injured down to Silverton and to take
members of the Masonic Lodge to
meetings. Casey Jones today is in the
care of the San Juan County Historical
Society which keeps it on display in
Silverton during the summer months.
Its 1917 Cadillac V-8 engine still runs,
and Casey has been operated at some
of the annual Durango & Silverton Railfest events.
To reach Animas Forks today, drive
through Silverton then continue northeast on HWY 110 (which becomes a
dirt road), through the old mining town
sites of Howardsville, Middleton and
Eureka for 12 miles into Animas Forks.
4-wheel drive is not absolutely necessary but low slung cars may have some
problems as you near Animas Forks!
With a little searching sections of the
old SN grade can still be found near the
Animas not far north of Hwy 110 as you
drive through the valley, and can also
be seen on the hillsides to the south of
the road past Eureka.
Further west of Silverton, the Rio
Grande Southern RR served mines that
the Denver & Rio Grande did not build
to, including mines near Rico, Ophir
and Telluride. The Southern’s famous
trestles still stand at Ophir, and a water
tank is still beside the old grade looping around Trout Lake between Ophir
and Rico.
THE SWITZERLAND TRAIL of AMERICA
From 1883 to 1920, a narrow gauge rail
route running west from Boulder (with
3-rail connection into Denver) served
the mining areas around Nederland, Eldora, Gold Hill, Sunset and Ward. Originally built by the Greeley, Salt Lake and
Pacific RY which went bankrupt after
a flood destroyed the tracks, the Colorado and Northwestern RR took over
in 1896 and gave the line the name of
“Switzerland Trail” to lure the tourist
business. Finally, beginning in 1909
the Denver, Boulder, and Western RR
operated the line until closing mines
8 The Colorado Time-Table
NARROW GAUGE TO THE MINES
April 1 2015
But to reach Silver Plume from Georgetown, although a distance of a mere 2
1/2 miles, there was a rise in elevation
of 638 ft. that would have required a 6%
grade for a direct route. A curving, 4
1/2 mile route was laid out that looped
around to climb both sides of the valley
wall, crossing Clear Creek four times in
less than a mile with a maximum grade
of 3 1/2%. The track crossed over itself on a 295 foot long spindly looking
trestle called the “Devil’s Gate Viaduct”
100 feet above Clear Creek.
The depot still sits beside the RR grade in Ward
and competition from new automobile
roads led to the railroad’s abandonment in 1919. Today, pieces of the old
grades can be found near the rustic
town of Gold Hill, and the depot still
stands beside the old grade in Ward.
(Ward, Gold Hill and the general area
are accessible from HWY 160 northwest of Nederland.)
THE LITTLE KINGDOM OF GILPIN: THE
RICHEST SQUARE MILE ON EARTH
In May, 1859, John H. Gregory, stopping to prospect while on his way to
California, made the first discovery of
gold in the Rocky Mountains a short
distance west of today’s site of Denver.
Within a year, 10,000+ gold seekers
(called “Fifty-Niners” VS the 1849 “Forty-Niners” in California) had arrived
to cash in on this “Pike’s Peak Gold
Rush.”
The many mining camps that sprang
up in Gregory Gulch soon grew into the
towns of Black Hawk and Central City,
the center of a fabulously rich mining
district that would come to be called
“The Richest Square Mile on Earth”
and “The Little Kingdom of Gilpin.”
Through 1959, the district produced
about 6,300,000 troy ounces of gold. The Colorado Central railroad reached
Black Hawk along the north fork of
Clear Creek in late 1872 and then Central City in May, 1878. Due to the steepness of the terrain, the railroad did not
run to all of the area mines, but was
connected to many by a 2-foot gauge
Gilpin Tram. But like all mining districts, production and the population
dwindled, and by 1931 the railroad,
which had become the Colorado &
Southern in 1899, was gone. Today,
Black Hawk and Central City are mining
the gold from the pockets of weekend
warriors up from Denver with a plethora of gambling parlors and casinos.
In 1987 the Black Hawk & Central City
Narrow Gauge RR tourist line rebuilt
a portion of the old C&S grade in Central City, returning to service 1896 C&S
Baldwin 2-8-0 #71. But the rails were
pulled out again after two years. Today #71, along with dark green Adams
Express CO C&S combine #20, is on
display beside the Reserve Casino,
across from the corner of Gregory and
D Streets. A fake #71, although a real
1898 2-8-0 Baldwin, is on display beside HWY 119.
THE SILVER QUEEN OF THE ROCKIES
Georgetown was founded in 1859 during the same Pike’s Peak Gold Rush to
the Black Hawk / Central City area, by
prospectors George and David Griffith.
The hundreds of mines that soon dotted the area produced much silver
as well as gold. After reaching Black
Hawk, Georgetown and Silver Plume
became the second goal of the Colorado Central, reaching Georgetown in
1877 and Silver Plume (named for the
Silver Plume Mine’s feathery streaks of
silver) in 1884.
After the mining boom dwindled, this
section of the railroad became a popular destination for excursionists up
from Denver to travel “over the Loop.”
But with the coming of paved roads,
even this business was no more. The
Loop trestle was dismantled in 1939
and all of the railroad was gone from
Clear Creek two years later.
Reconstructed between Georgetown
and Silver Plume by the Colorado
Historical Society in 1984, today the
Georgetown Loop RR carries only passengers but still serves a mine along
the line, with tourists de-boarding for
the underground Lebanon Mine tour.
Trains also pass the siding at the
closed Hall Tunnel.
Between 1906 and 1920 the narrow
gauge Argentine Central ran from Silver Plume up the flanks of Mt. McClellan to the Waldorf Mining and Milling
Company just below the Continental
Divide, with plans of eventually crossing the Divide via a tunnel to link up
with the Colorado & Southern line into
Leadville on the western side. The AC
took its name from the Argentine Mining District (“Argentum” is Latin for
silver). The AC also carried tourists
who ventured up from Denver on the
Colorado & Southern to ride “over the
Loop” to connect with the AC for the
last thrilling ride up to the Divide.
Built with steep grades of up to 6%
and a 32° minimum curvature with six
switchbacks giving rise to the name
“Stairway to the Stars,” Shay (geared)
locomotives similar to the Georgetown
Loop’s current #9 (ex-West Side Lumber in California) were used. Nothing
remains of old Waldorf today except
rotting boards and mine tailings, but it
is an interesting drive via a 4x4 up the
April 1 2015
NARROW GAUGE TO THE MINES
The ColoradoTime-Table 9
old grade, which is reached on Rd 248
starting at the second hair-pin turn on
the Guanella Pass road a few miles up
from the west end of Georgetown.
Over in Idaho Springs, the huge Argo
Mill was constructed to process the
gold bearing ores out of the 4 1/4 mile
Argo tunnel between Central City and
the Springs built to provide drainage,
ventilation and more efficient transportation of the rich ores from the many
mines it intersected. Over the years
the area produced over $100 million
of gold at a value of the time period of
$18 to $35 an ounce, which would be
worth over $5 billion today. Today the
Argo Mill operates as a gold mining
museum, and the road into the Argo
parking lot beside Clear Creek is on the
old railroad grade. The BOWL of GOLD and the CITY of
MINES
The towns of Cripple Creek and Victor
west of Colorado Springs sprang up after a cowboy called “Crazy Bob” Womack discovered gold in a cow pasture
in the caldera of an ancient volcano
on the western side of Pike’s Peak in
1890. (It is said that Cripple Creek took
its name from when a calf broke its leg
while jumping over a creek after being startled by the commotion of two
ranchers also being injured in an accident!) The area grew so quickly and
produced so much gold that it became
known as “The World’s Greatest Gold
Camp” with over 500 registered mines
(in fact, the Cripple Creek District was
the 5th largest in the world).
The shaft house of the Yankee Girl Mine on Red Mountain Pass has another connection to narrow gauge railfans, being owned by Otto Mears, the builder of the Rio Grande
Southern.
The district produced more than 21 millionaires by 1900, at the old gold price
of $18 an ounce. At today’s price of
gold, these men would be billionaires,
and the total value of the Cripple Creek
District gold would be over $30 billion.
To be continued.
Look for the conclusion in July,
2015.
Locomotive #30, an 1898 Brooks Locomotive Works 2-8-0, served the gold mines
around Nederland, Eldora, Gold Hill, Sunset and Ward. Today, #30 and train are at
the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden.
10 The Colorado Time-Table
NARROW GAUGE TO THE MINES
Today C&S #71, an 1896 Baldwin 2-8-0, along with dark green Adams Express
CO C&S combine #20, is on display beside the Reserve Casino, across from
the corner of Gregory and D Streets, in Central City.
One of the remaining houses still standing in Ironton.
April 1 2015
Mine hoist house just west of Idaho
Springs near the old Colorado Central
/ Colorado & Southern grade.
The Mollie Kathleen Mine ore house
at the southern edge of Cripple Creek.
The mine is open today for guided
tours 1000 feet underground.
April 1 2015
The ColoradoTime-Table 11
NARROW GAUGE TO THE MINES
Mine building at the edge of Silverton close to the D&S line
as it comes out of the Animas Canyon
The original Colorado Central station in Silver Plume
is still in use by the Georgetown Loop RR. (photos
above andbelow)
Today the Argo Mill operates as a gold mining museum. The
road into the Argo parking lot is on the old railroad grade.
Coming in July: More NAROOW GAUGE TO THE MINES!
The Rio Grande Southern’s water tank
is still side the old grade looping around
Trout Lake between Ophir and Rico.
12 The Colorado Time-Table
April 1 2015
130 & 140 RETURN TO GLRR
Georgetown Loop diesel locomotive #130 arrives back in
Silver Plume on December 17, 2014. Phil Johnson photo.
December 18, 2014 finds GLRR 130 outside the Silver
Plume engine house, alongside GLRR 1203, a fellow US
Gypsum veteran. Phil Johnson photo.
A decade after they left,
former US Gypsum General
Electric diesel locomotives
#1303 and 1403 have
returned to the Georgetown
Loop Railroad for a second
tour of duty. The pair, now
numbered 130 and 140
have been leased to the
Loop by their owner, former
Georgetown Loop operator
Lindsey Ashby. The return
of #130 and 140 means that
there will be three ex USG
locomotives in Silver Plume
as former USG 1203 has
been in service on the Loop
for several years.
Since departing the
Georgetown Loop at the
end of 2004, #130 and 140
have been at the Colorado
Railroad Museum in
Golden, where they have
seen occasional use on
the Museum’s trains. In
December of 2014, the
Loop’s 1203 developed
engine problems while in
service on the railroad’s
holiday trains, leaving the
line’s 44 ton GE diesel
#21 to pull the trains. The
GLRR went in search of
backup diesels and a lease
agreement was reached that
will see #130 and 140 back in
service on the Loop at least
through the spring of 2016.
#130 was the first of the
pair to return to Silver
Plume, arriving by truck
on December 17, 2014. The
locomotive was immediately
placed into service on the
holiday trains through the
end of the month. #140 was
moved from Golden to Silver
Plume in mid-February.
Locomotives #130 and 140
were built by General Electric
in 1956 for United States
Gypsum as their #1303
and 1403. USG operates a
narrow gauge line hauling
gypsum out of Plaster City
California. The pair are 57
ton end cabs, equipped with
MU controls so that they can
run as a pair, as they most
often did on both the USG
line and the Georgetown
Loop. By 1992, the pair
were no longer needed by
USG, as they had purchased
former White Pass & Yukon
diesel locomotives, and
they were purchased by
then Georgetown Loop
operator GLRR, Inc. and
brought to Silver Plume.
On the Loop, their numbers
were shortened to 130 and
140 and they spent the next
12 years as back up to the
railroad’s steam locomotives.
2014 finds GLRR 130
outside the Silver Plume
engine house, alongside
GLRR 1203, a fellow US
Gypsum veteran.
`
March 9 may seem early
for weed spraying, but
this contract hi-railer
was working the BNSF
branch line near Golden,
Colorado. Photo by Dave
Schaaf.
Please
Contribute!
E-mail your stories
& pictures to:
[email protected]
Remember to answer
the questions:
Who?
What?
Where?
When?
Why?
How?
Thanks!
If you are unsure
how to do it, email me and I’ll
send our guidelines
April 1 2015
PHOTO GALLERY
UP 7232 rear distributed power unit (DPU) was on westbound empty unit oil train from St. James, Louisiana, moving to Carr, Colorado, passed Stapleton east of Denver, CO,
March 7, 2015. Note new overhead electric wire, double
track East Rail line (Denver Union Station to Denver International Airport - testing of EMU’s commences May 2015
- line opens 2016). Union Pacific Limon Subdivision track
alignment was moved north account Denver RTD East Rail
Line construction. There will be two UP tracks in use. The
UP 7232 is on new wood track alignment. Note new main at
left of UP 7232 with welded rail and concrete ties - expected
to become operational come May 2015. New main track built
between Colorado Blvd and Havana Street (near Denver
County Jail). Photo by Chip
The ColoradoTime-Table 13
UP 1344 switched north end of North Yard, Denver, Colorado, March 11, 2015. Note new diamond (left) amongst new
ballast. Diamond replaced March 6, 2015. Old diamond at
right in foreground. UP accesses their Belt Main crossing
BNSF’s Front Range Subdivision (foreground). Photo by
Chip
Winter Park Ski Train with Amtrak 42, Veterans Salute
P42DC, and Amtrak 187 saw high greens all the way to Prospect Junction, Denver, CO, where BNSF held train for its hot
Z CHIDEN (Chicago, IL, to Denver, CO) intermodal. Likely a
10-minute delay which helped me get into position for Denver area images. March 15, 2015 @ Rollinsville, CO. Photo
by Chip
Loram rail grinder RG 408 (AKA LMIX 3408) was at Union
Pacific’s Storage Yard, North Yard, Denver, CO, March
11, 2015 for servicing. Rail grinder had been working
UP’s Moffat Tunnel line. Photo by Chip.vv
(LEFT) Winter Park Ski Train
with Amtrak 42, pulled into
track 5 next to Amtrak train 6,
the California Zephyr at Denver
Union Station, track 4, Denver,
CO. The Winter Park Express
operated as Amtrak train 946
15 over UP’s Moffat Tunnel line. Photo by Chip
14 The Colorado Time-Table
PHOTO GALLERY
Minnesota Zephyr 788, F7A originally Great Northern, and
787 originally built as Spokane, Portland & Seattle 804 built
in 1953 rode flat cars at Union Pacific’s North Yard, Denver,
Colorado, March 19, 2015. Their trucks are loaded on a
third flatcar. These units are headed for Alamosa, Colorado,
now owned by Iowa Pacific. Photo by Chip
Minnesota Zephyr units were shipped by Union Pacific from
Stillwater, MN to new owner Iowa Pacific at Alamosa, CO.
They are No. 787, built in 1953 as Spokane, Portland & Seattle 804, later Burlington Northern 9756 and BN 716. Minnesota Zephyr 788, eex-Chicago & Northern Western 4082A,
ex-CNW 410, built in 1949. The units were last used in 2008.
ITTX 931300 flatcar with 787 was at UP’s North Yard,
Denver, CO, March 18, 2015. Photo by Chip
Story from Wikipedia…
The Minnesota Zephyr was a heritage railroad operating out
of Stillwater, Minnesota. It operated as a dinner train and
served a five-course, white linen dinner on a six-mile route,
traveling between four and seven miles per hour. Power
was provided by two EMD FP7 locomotives, with one on
each end of the train. The rolling stock consisted of five
restored dining cars. The train traveled along the St. Croix
River bluffs, then turned westward and followed a stream.
The trip lasted about three and a half hours.
On September 18, 2008,
owner David Paradeau stated
that the train would cease
operation at the end of the
year, becoming a stationary
restaurant serving dinner
along with the adjacent Stillwater Grill. Paradeau cited
the desire to retire, as well
as a downturn in business
and a $1.6 million loss within
the last two years. Paradeau
had hoped to sell the railroad
right of way to the Minnesota
Department of Natural Resources to be converted to a
rail trail that would connect
Stillwater to the Gateway
State Trail system. Operating
for some 23 years, the train
had served close to a million
dining patrons by the time of
closure.
Tracks connecting the Zephyr line to the Union Pacific to
the south through downtown
Stillwater were removed in
summer 2005 after the city
of Stillwater forced abandonment of the tracks. No rail
service had been provided
on the line since 1995 when
the last steam engine visited
Stillwater.
The line was the first railroad
built into Stillwater. Work
stopped late in December
1870 when the ground became too hard to finish the
work. The last mile of track
was finally laid into Stillwater in spring, 1871 after the
ground thawed. Two more
rail lines were built into
Stillwater from the south end
before the 1890s. The last
Burlington Northern freight
train to leave Stillwater on
the line was in 1982. Burlington Northern had submitted a
bid to deliver coal via the line
April 1 2015
to the King power plant in
1985 but the bid was won by
Union Pacific.
On September 10, 2010 the
Minnesota DNR expressed
renewed interest in and laid
out plans for the Minnesota
Zephyr.
In February 2012, sale of the
right-of-way was finalized to
the Minnesota DNR for 4.37
million dollars. The sale to
the DNR did not include the
dinner train (engines and
cars) itself or the Zephyr
building. Rails and ties were
removed to prepare the
right of way to be made into
a walking and biking trail.
(Info courtesy Wikipedia)
Geese 1, 2 and 4 at the Durango roundhouse (at a Railfest photo shoot several years
ago). The RGS often shared
the Durango yard with the Rio
Grande. Greg Monroe photo.
Goose 4 out of the Animas Canyon into Silverton. There is still
evidence of mining activity on
the other side of the brush to
the right of this scene.
Greg Monroe photo.
April 1 2015
NOTES FROM A BOTTLE
“There have been incoherent
ramblings on the WEB about
this engine. (The kids have
such a short attention span.)
The attached newsletter from
the Golden Spike Chapter
of R&LHS tells part of a sad
story.
Loco 223 is the immediate
item. Beyond the Ogden
UT events lies the fading of
the once prominent R&LHS.
This was one of the first, if
not the very first, railroad
history organization, formed
in 1921. It made the real railroad press in its time.”
Well, I read the newsletter
and one glaring fact hit me
between the eyes. Nowhere
in the newsletter is a mailng
address for the Golden Spike
Chapter of the RLHS. No web
site address.
The chief problem seems to
be that nobody wants to hold
office, and they have been
essentially kicked out of their
headquarters.
I’ll try to get more info for
the May edition.
Jay
DRHS REEFER PROJECT
About a decade ago the
Durango Railroad Historical Society gave up on trying to find a refrigerator car
(reefer), especially a 30-ft
version, because none could
be found and no organization
that more had more than one
would let one go.
Last year Tom Necchi told
Duane Danielson about his
friend, Grant Houston, who
had searched for reefers
in the San Luis Valley with
The ColoradoTime-Table 15
DRHS REEFER PROJECT
I CAN HELP YOU:
DESIGN, LAYOUT AND
PUBLISH YOUR
his father many years ago.
Duane contacted Grant,
who then gave him a list of
numbers and locations and
offered take a tour with him.
These reefers do not have
trucks or undercarriages.
In October Grant led Duane
and Dennis D’Alessandro on
a tour of reefer sites that he
and his father had discovered many years ago. They
found seven reefer bodies
sitting on the ground, so
their sills had rotted away.
Nearly all had deteriorated
from lack of paint and other
maintenance. However, two
reefer bodies were gems.
Ron Pleasant and Steve
Meyer of Pleasant Western
Lumber Company in Monte
VIsta had them under a roof
and on blocks as part of a
building for 57 years. Only
one side of each car was
weathered; they formed two
walls of the storage building.
In a special effort Duane initiated and completed a special
funding campaign that raised
the funds to purchase the
two reefers and move them
to Durango. It was successful enough even to purchase
some parts for the undercarriage.
The Society made a down
payment for the two reefer
bodies (#39 and #54) in January. The final payment will
be made in April, when both
reefers will be moved to Durango.
The Society plans to fully
restore Reefer 39. This year
the Society must focus on
restoring the four rail cars
for which it recently received
a grant from the State Historical Fund. However, the
Society will endeavor to find
the time to restore the trucks
and undercarriage for the
reefer this year.
The body for Reefer 54 will
be restored and placed beside the Silverton Northern
engine house in Silverton for
use to store parts and supplies.
PHOTOS OF REEFER 39 BY
DUANE DANIELSON.
Contact DRHS:
P.O. Box 654
Durango, Colorado 81302
E-mail: [email protected]
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The Colorado
TIME-TABLE
Edition No 235
April 1 2015
Taking effect at 12:01 Mountain Daylight Time
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
RAILROADING IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN WEST
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