July 2015 - Colorado Time

No.
238
Chama, NM
THE COLORADO
TIME-TABLE
Railroading in the Rocky Mountain West
THE
MINES
July 2015
NARROW GAUGE TO THE MINES: PART 2
STORY AND PHOTOS BY GREG MONROE
The impressive Theresa Mine shaft house stands in a commanding location on Battle Mountain with a
backdrop of the Sangre de Cristo (Blood of Christ) Mountains to the west. Also in the distance, the Independence Mine head frame can be seen. “May You Stand in Ore and Your Labors Be in Vein” reads a Cornish miner saying on a sign near the Theresa mine.
2 The Colorado Time-Table
CTSRR COMMISSION MEETING JULY 16, 2015 HIGHLIGHTS FROM NOTES BY SAM SEIBER
July 2015
John Bush Presidents report. CO approved the promised $1.1 million for the 3rd & final year of a 3 year funding plan. The RR has submitted a 10 year plan, and with 6% growth per year, has been determined to make the RR self sufficient. The 10 year plan will be submitted
to create a 5 year plan, like the 3 year plan. The funding includes track improvement, 2 new premium class passenger cars, reconstruction of the first generation passenger coaches, restoration of the historic cars, along with FRA required maintenance of the engines,
and structures. NM has provided $645,000 in capital funding that will be used for Locomotive, track, bridge, water system and servicing
facility upgrades. It also includes funds for a visitor center. CO&NM have provided $38,000 to operate the commission. Before season
opening bridge work was completed at Cascade Creek, and Cumbres trestle as well as several trestles on the east end. Ditching and
drainage work is ongoing at this time. Tie replacement & ballasting is going on as well. The passenger cars have been painted, letter
and clear coated. Interior improvements have been made as well. The season opened with 4 steam engines in service. 487s 1472 work
is done, painted. Should be ready for service this weekend. Had one mechanical issue, an air compressor issue on 488, which didn’t
run that day. Improved dump station in Chama has increased efficiency in servicing the train. Similar improvement is being made in Antonito. Current ridership is slightly ahead of last year. Reservations are up 2% over last year. Not at the 6% target. Three 15 year leases
have been done for locomotive 168 in Colorado Springs. Once paperwork in Washington DC is complete, the locomotive will be moved
to Antonito. The master plan and construction documents have been filed for the historic car fleet. Work can now begin on RPO 65. The
C&T and Durango & Silverton are discussing a trade for engine 483 (C&T, out service since mid 1970’s) & 478 (D&S). The Tracks Across
Borders reached final approval May 21. This is another part of the goal to have the RR become a World Heritage Site. It is believed that
Heritage tourism will strengthen the RR as a tourism destination.
Lee Bates (marketing manager C&TS) presented the marketing report. Reservations are up 2% 16,784 . Looking at ways to acheave the
goal of 35,000 by the end of the year. Looking at doing some specials during the low rider months & Sundays. Looking at adding to
coach ridership, as the premium class already sell well. September & October bookings look good (for the fall colors). During the slower
part of the season, people don’t book as far out. The local appreciation discount of 50% off the last 2 weeks of August. Area will expand
to Durango, Farmington, Espanola. The Consigerish program is working surprisingly well. That allows others to sell C&T tickets at a
discount. So far has sold 499 tickets. Running 30 second commercials on Comcast & DirecTv. FoxNews, CNN, History Channel, Weather
Channel, AMC. The Media day events have gone well. Journalists are invited to ride the train. Most have come down from the Denver
Area. USA.com has a nice write up. Lodgers in Chama & Antonito have provided rooms for the writers, which may become a part of the
stories they write. Last month saw the second printing of the brochure (40,000). Started with 200,000. Some new commercials will be
shown on the broadcast networks. Shown in Albuquerque, Sante Fe, Colorado Springs & Pueblo. Looking to expand e-mail list to reach
a larger audience. Randy Randall sees a problem that we are currently at +2% for the season, and the goal is +6%. Doesn’t want to wait
until September to market. Suggests getting additional marketing funds to go to work now. Reaching the 35,000 passenger number is
very important to Randy.
George Canham, Financial Report. Completed this FY audit. Now, the RR has had 2 years of profit. The operating company had a profit
of $140,000 for the current FY. Once adjusted for year end, it is expected to be around $100,000. Capital funding looks good. The accounting method for the new FY will change, to make things easier. The commissioners approved the accounting method change. There
are to be 4 sets of books. One for operations. One for capital, one for the commission, and one for the historical preservation. The commission has a $35,000 loss, in part due to lack of funding from NM.
John Bush said the commission asked for a capital projects budget. Ed Beaudette presented said budget. The funds just received from
NM two weeks ago made things easier. This will keep vital capital programs moving, and not loose ground. The locomotive program will
be maintained for the current FY. Locomotive 488 should get its 1472 done over the winter along with all of the other required annuals
($500,000). Track program to continue. In around 5 years, should be more in a maintenance mode ($850,000). Passenger car work (annuals, repairs & conversion of older fleet into newer standard, $360,000). The historic car program will continue ($130,000). Along with
other work, total of just over $2,000,000. Randy Randall was pleased with the plan. He feels good it will help gain funding from NM. Dan
Love mentioned that capital is currently in an upgrade mode. 5 years from now, it should drop to maintenance mode, thus requiring less
funding in the future. We are nearing the end of the deferred maintenance from the D&RG days.
John Bush mentioned that the advantage of the LLC (known as CTO, the operating company of the RR) is it looks to the long term interest of the RR, whereas the prior operators looked at the short term for their own profits. The creation of the LLC also help created the
long term budgets for the RR.
Dan Love chairman report. Dan oversees marketing, BillyElbrock, local affairs, Randy Randall, finance, Pete Foster was capital projects.
Dan will take on capital projects, and see if Lucy Kay will take over marketing. Vice Chairman oversees operatioin of the CTO. Dan has
been working with History Colorado, which has the C&T appropriation. Working on getting a 5 year resolution for the C&T appropriation.
The commission is working on making the C&T the premier steam RR on the nation. Dan feels the RR has made many improvements
over the last 5 years.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
July 2015
The Colorado Time-Table
NARROW GAUGE TO THE MINES: PART 2
A once elegant passenger coach in a
field near the Theresa and Vindicator
mines on Battle Mountain above old
Victor.
The mines of the Cripple Creek District
were served by four railroads (although
the names changed several times), two
narrow gauge and two standard, and two
electric trolleys (the “Low Line” and the
“High Line”). Between 1894 and 1919,
the narrow gauge Florence and Cripple
Creek (nicknamed “The Gold Belt Line”
and also the “String Line” as its winding
trackage resembled a dropped piece of
string), which built north from a connection with the Denver & Rio Grande RR in
Florence and Cañon City via the narrow
Phantom Canyon 40 miles into Victor,
served many of the mines in the district.
After the Phantom Canyon tracks were
washed out by a flash flood, the F&CC
was abandoned.
3
STORY & PHOTOS BY GREG MONROE
gauge Midland Terminal Railway, building south 30 miles from the Colorado
Midland RR in Divide, also served the
district. And between 1901 and 1920 the
Colorado Springs and Cripple Creek
District Railway, AKA the “Short Line,”
ran for 46 miles up today’s Gold Camp
Road. The CS&CCD also operated one
of the electric trolley commuter lines
between Cripple Creek and Victor.
NG to mines 5
This trestle on the abandoned grade of
the Colorado Springs & Cripple Creek
District RR beside Rd 81 outside Victor
shows a typical railroad building practice of 100+ years ago. Often, it was
quicker and cheaper to build a trestle
then later create a dirt or rock fill covering the trestle, as well as a way to fire
proof a wooden trestle.
At the district’s peak, as many as 50+
trains a day ran from Colorado Springs
and Canon City hauling the rich mine
ores and passengers, and the area population was about 60,000. But By 1962,
with the mining activity playing out the
population was down to about 1,800.
Today the Cripple Creek & Victor Gold
Mining Company formed in 1976 operates the Cresson Mine above Victor, the
The second narrow gauge line, the Gold- largest surface gold mine in Colorado,
en Circle RR (later renamed the Cripple with its huge tailings piles formed by
Creek and Colorado Springs RR), in a never ending stream of huge (house
1896 took over part of the F&CC’s lines sized) dump trucks already covering
in the district and operated until 1919, much of the former railroad grades and
with its last two years of operation con- mines. The town of Cripple Creek has
verted to standard gauge.
also revived with legal gambling.
CC&VRR as its Victor depot.
Cripple Creek & Victor #1 is a 1902
Orenstein and Koppel 0-4-4-0 articulated Mallet. #2 is a German 1936 Henschel 0-4-0. Both engines, seen here by
the Cripple Creek depot, have an indirect link to Colorado mining, having
previously served in a Climax Molybdenum Company mine in Mexico. Climax
also operates a Molybdenum mine atop
Climax Pass above Leadville on the old
Denver, South Park & Pacific line.
CC&VRR #1 is a 1902 Orenstein and Koppel 0-4-4-0 articulated Mallet. CC&VRR
#2 is a German 1936 Henschel 0-4-0;
#3 is a 1927 Porter 0-4-0 tank engine;
and #4 is a 1947 Bagnall 0-4-4-0T. #1s
and 2 have an indirect link to Colorado
mining, having previously served in a
Climax Molybdenum Company mine in
Mexico. Climax also operates a Molybdenum mine atop Climax Pass above
Leadville on the old Denver, South Park
& Pacific line. The CC&V also owns a
1951 General Electric diesel-electric,
previously used as a battery powered
mine locomotive at the Idarado Mine
near Telluride.
Today, the 2-foot 2-inch gauge Cripple
Creek & Victor RR runs over a short section of the old Florence & Cripple Creek
and Midland Terminal grades. Daily during the summer tourist season, two of
the line’s four little coal burning steam
locomotives carry passengers past
many old mine sites to near the site of
One of the electric trolleys that served the old mining town of Anaconda, which
Cripple Creek and Victor is on display in burned in 1904 and was never rebuilt. The Battle Mountain area was literally
downtown Victor.
Since 1968, the Midland Terminal’s Ana- covered with mines, mills and a large
Between 1894 and 1949, the standard conda 1894 depot has been used by the network of railroad tracks. Today, a few
4 The Colorado Time-Table
NARROW GAUGE TO THE MINES: PART 2
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3
of the old mine structures still stand, in- ter in Colorado Springs to finance his
cluding the huge Vindicator ore house. summer prospecting activities) one of
the early mining millionaires in Colorado. The mine gets its name from being
discovered on July 4, 1891. And the Midland Terminal depot still stands in Victor
at the corner of Granite Ave. & 4th St.
NG to mines 41
The Midland Terminal depot still stands
in Victor at the corner of Granite Ave. &
4th St.
The impressive Theresa Mine shaft
house stands in a commanding location
on Battle Mountain with a backdrop of
the Sangre de Cristo (Blood of Christ)
Mountains to the west. Also in the distance, the Independence Mine head
frame can be seen. “May You Stand in
Ore and Your Labors Be in Vein” reads a
Cornish miner saying on a sign near the
Theresa mine.
A FAIR PLAY for ALL
Up the road from Anaconda, old Victor sits at the foot of Battle Mountain,
a huge area filled with mines, including
the well preserved large structures of
the Vindicator and Theresa mines. One
of the richest was the Independence at
the edge of Victor which made Winfield
Scott Stratton (who worked as a carpen-
road workers and their families. Como
became a division point, with a large
roundhouse, turntable, and machine
shop to service the many locomotives
in use in South Park. Running north
over 11,493 foot Boreas Pass to the silver mining boom town of Leadville, and
southwest through the Alpine Tunnel
under the Continental Divide to reach
Gunnison, a major center of mining as
well as freight and cattle shipping business. Snow plows and wrecker trains
were kept at Como when not in use, as
was a rotary.
West of Como, the mining districts
around Fairplay were a primary goal of
the DSP&P. (The town name has a literal meaning. In the 1860s, residents of
the mining camp of Hamilton, disgusted
at the way they were being cheated by
residents of the rival camp of Tarryall,
picked up their camp and moved 9 miles
across South Park to establish a new
camp where there would be a “fair play
for all.”)
This 6-stall section of the 1881 Como
roundhouse still stands in old Como. A
7 stall wooden section burned in 1935
after a spark from #75’s stack ignited
a bird nest in the wooden rafters. The
roundhouse is usually open for visits
during the annual Boreas Pass Railroad
Day the 3rd Saturday of August.
The Long Mine ore house still stands
on Battle Mountain, with the railroad
grade still visible at the right (although
the little “cupola” atop the structure fell
the winter after this photo was taken in
1998).
July 2015
These ruins of the Leavick Mill still
stand along a branch of the DSP&P
grade (now a county road) southwest of
Fairplay.
From Fairplay, the DSP&P extended its
line on north and west another 12 miles
to serve the mines around Alma, including the North London Mine whose
mill and tram house still stand along
the 4-wheel drive road over Mosquito
Pass. (The “Mosquito” name supposedly comes from a mosquito that was
found smashed between the pages of
a book where the minutes of meetings
By the early 1900s, Como’s popula- were recorded.) And the ruins of the
tion was about 500-600, mostly rail- Leavick Mill still stand along a branch
In operation from 1873 until 1938, the
Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad
(later to become the Denver, Leadville
and Gunnison, then finally the Colorado
and Southern) but affectionately known
as, simply, “the South Park,” established
the railroad town of Como in June, 1879.
The railroad chose this location as a division point as it was near several coal
mines to supply the locomotives and
keep the shops operating during the severe South Park winters.
July 2015
NARROW GAUGE TO THE MINES: PART 2
The Colorado Time-Table
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4
of the DSP&P grade (now a county road) old grade along HY 285 can be seen.
southwest of Fairplay. (From HY 285
about ½ mile south of Fairplay, turn right
on Platte Drive, then after ¼ mile go left
on Thompson Park Rd for 5 ¾ miles then
right on Rd 18 for 3 miles.
A Colorado & Southern box car on display (along with C&S #9, flat car and rotary snow plow) on the old DSP&P / C&S
Boreas Pass grade at the edge of Breckenridge.
Today, there is much to see along the old
DSP&P grades. Como’s stone roundhouse (which can be seen from HY 285),
station and railroaders’ hotel (now operated as a restaurant in the summer); the
restored log section house at the top
of the grade (now a rough automobile
road) over Boreas Pass, and the 1906
Baker’s Tank; C&S #9 and other rail cars
on the original grade on display at the
edge of Breckenridge; sections of the
old grade along HY 285 through South
Park can be seen; the old DSP&P station at Jefferson beside HY 285; and
South Park City in Fairplay has a DSP&P
display (although the locomotive came
from Guatemala, but is of the same type
as engines used on the DSP&P, a Porter
Mogul built in 1914).
These two abandoned box cars beside
the grade at the edge of St. Elmo served
as crew quarters and storage for the
railroad before its abandonment.
St. Elmo to the west of South Park also
served as a railroad supply town and
base of operations for men working on
the DSP&P’s line through the Alpine
Tunnel on its overly optimistic way to
the west coast. St. Elmo grew out of an
1870s mining camp into an incorporated
town of as many as 3,000 residents in
the 1880s. After the closure of Alpine
Tunnel in 1910, the railroad still continued to serve the mines above the town.
But in 1926, the rails were torn out after
the last mines had played out, and by
the 1950s St. Elmo claimed only a handful of residents and was nothing more St. Elmo where South Park railroaders
than a dying - if very scenic - ghost town. often stayed when off duty is today a
rustic and scenic semi-ghost town with
its photogenic Stark Brothers store
(center).
To reach St. Elmo, take HY 24/285 south
from Buena Vista about seven miles
through Nathrop to CR 162 (just past the
bridge), then west following at times the
old railroad grade for 16 miles into St.
Elmo. The road (now completely on the
railroad grade) continues on west past
mine ruins to its closure three miles
Throughout South Park, sections of the short of Alpine Tunnel’s east portal.
5
2-MILE HIGH LEADVILLE
Placer gold was discovered in California
Gulch in 1860 near present-day Leadville. But the gold boom was brief, with
the mining hampered by heavy brown
sand in the sluice boxes. It would be another decade and a half before the miners discovered that this sand was in fact
lead carbonate from which comes silver. By 1880, Leadville was a huge silver
camp with a population swelled to over
40,000.
Horace Tabor’s discovery of the Little
Pittsburgh started the Leadville silver boom and made him a millionaire,
and he also owned the very profitable
Matchless Mine which is still open for
tours. Horace created a major scandal
for the time when he left his wife of 26
years to marry the much younger Elizabeth “Baby Doe” McCourt. Tabor later
lost his fortune, and his widow Baby
Doe died a pauper in 1935 in a cabin at
the Matchless Mine.
The 1893 repeal of the Sherman Silver
Purchase Act (which had required the
Federal Government to buy all silver
produced) pretty well killed the Leadville
boom, although some mining continued. All together, the district produced
over three million troy ounces of gold,
240 million troy ounces of silver, one
million tons of lead, 785 thousand tons
of zinc, and 53 thousand tons of copper.
The Denver & Rio Grande reached
town in 1880 via their line from Pueblo
through the Royal Gorge of the Arkansas River, which was extended on past
Leadville over Tennessee Pass to Utah.
And the Denver, South Park & Pacific
reached Leadville in 1884 via a round
about route from Como crossing Boreas
Pass into the Blue River Valley, then
over Fremont Pass into town. In 1946,
the remaining portion of the then abandoned DSP&P line from Leadville up to
Fremont Pass was standard gauged to
connect with the Denver & Rio Grande
6 The Colorado Time-Table
NARROW GAUGE TO THE MINES:
PART 2
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5
Bob Ford, the back shooter
of Jesse James, owned a saloon in Creede until he too
was murdered. To this day
there is a grave above Creede
with a cleverly worded sign
implying that this is where
AND THERE IS NO NIGHT in Bob Ford is buried. However,
Ford’s body was disinterred
CREEDE
soon after his death by relatives and reburied back in
his home state of Missouri.
To save re-digging another
grave in the hard rock filled
ground, an outlaw who had
just been hanged was placed
in Ford’s grave.
Western in Leadville to ship
the ores from the Climax Molybdenum mine. Today this
line serves as the route of the
Leadville, Colorado & Southern summer tourist line.
Creede’s streets were lit with
bright flares all night long,
giving rise to this popular
line from a poem by Creede’s
newspaper editor Cy Warman:
“It’s day all day in the day
time and there is no night in
Creede.”
A former depot building
is now a house beside the
Creede Branch rails (standard gauged in 1902) in Wagon Wheel Gap, and an 1881
D&RGW water tank is still
standing in South Fork (and
Commodore mine buildings
above old Creede.
The Denver & Rio Grande’s
narrow gauge rails, with an
extension westward from
Alamosa through Monte Vista and South Fork, reached
Creede in 1891. The Commodore Mine complex of four
mine buildings above Creede
was served by the railroad.
was built about 16 miles west
to the Colorado Fuel & Iron
Company’s Monarch Limestone Quarry on the eastern
slope of Monarch Pass to
supply limestone to its steel
mill at Pueblo. The final climb
to the quarry used a double
switchback on a 4 1/2% grade
to reach the quarry at 10,090
feet. The Monarch mine was
originally the Madonna mine
started when silver ore was
discovered here in 1878.
Up to 30 carloads of ore were
hauled daily to the smelter in
Pueblo. The line was standard
gauged in 1956 and finally
abandoned in 1982 when the
Colorado Fuel & Iron mill
closed. But the large and impressive tipple that sorted the
limestone still remains at the
quarry, south of and below HY
50 over Monarch Pass, where
some mining has resumed.
DIRECTIONS?
While some basic directions
to some of these old mining
towns and mines have been
given, detailed directions for
most are available at the web
site http://www.ghosttowns.
com/. Googling with word
searches like “Battle Mountain Mines Colorado” or other
mining area terms can yield
sites with old photos showing the railroads and trains
with the mines, many in locations that can be recognized
is the last standard gauge today.
tank left on the D&RGW).
Taking off from its main line at
Poncha Junction west of Salida, between 1881 and 1883 the
Denver & Rio Grande’s narrow gauge Monarch Branch
July 2015
TELL ME A STORY
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I’m slowly getting ahead
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THANKS!
July 2015
NARROW GAUGE TO THE MINES: PART 2
The Colorado Time-Table
CONTINUED FRPM PAGE 6
7
St. Elmo where South Park railroaders often stayed when off duty is today a rustic and scenic semi-ghost town with its photogenic Stark Brothers store (center).
These ruins of the Leavick Mill still stand along a branch of the DSP&P grade (now a county road) southwest of Fairplay.
8 The Colorado Time-Table
LOCOMOTIVE SWAP IN THE WORKS
LOCOMOTIVE SWAP MAY BE
IN THE WORKS
Durango & Silverton and
Cumbres & Toltec in Discussions to Swap Locomotives
JULY 1, 2015 Two of the largest narrow gauge railroads in
America confirmed
today that they are in discussions to swap locomotives.
The Durango &
Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (DSNGRR) and the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad
(C&TSRR) stated that they
are continuing to discuss
possibilities of trading locomotives, a move that would
strengthen both of their
fleets.
However, no formal agreement has been reached. The
two locomotives in
discussion are C&TSRR #483
and D&SNGRR #478.
Under the discussions, the
C&TSRR would ship locomotive #483 to Durango.
This is a K-36 locomotive of
the larger class, perfect for
heavy mountain
pulling, but has been out of
service since the 1970's and
is currently in
storage in the C&TSRR yard.
The C&TS has no plans to restore it to service.
It is a sister locomotive to
the 480 series of engines the
C&TSRR currently
uses - the #484, #487, #488
and #489. The #483 was built
by Baldwin in 1925.
In return, the D&SNGRR
would ship locomotive #478
to the C&TSRR. This is a
K-28 locomotive, which is a
smaller class engine. It would
primarily be used by C&TSRR
on double headers. It is currently in long term storage
with some of its parts removed for safe keeping. The
#478 was built by American
Locomotive in 1923.
ing the service life of its fleet
of 90 plus year old locomotives. These additional funds
will allow the mechanical department to institute a more
year around maintenance
schedule and continue its ongoing program of heavy repair work, with emphasis on
its larger K-36 class of locomotives.
Since the tracks between
Durango and Chama were
removed long ago, the engines, if traded, would be
transported by lowboy hauler
trucks. Details on any poten- The D&SNGRR continually
tial transfer of engines would reviews the engine fleet with
be announced at a later date. the goal of providing more
motive power depth. "Any
"The mission of the Cumbres potential addition to, and ul& Toltec Scenic Railroad has timate return to service of
always been to preserve the another locomotive to the
history and heritage of rail- D&SNGRR will be a multi-year
roading in the West, and this project," said Randy Babengine swap will accomplish cock, Mechanical Foreman of
that by giving us a K-28 loco- the Durango & Silverton Narmotive, which we currently do row Gauge Railroad.
not have," said John Bush,
president of the railroad. In a
similar vein, the C&TSRR re- Editor’s note: The C&TSRR
cently acquired a long term Commission approved the
lease of engine #168 from swap on July 16, 2015, on
Colorado Springs. The 1883 condition that all the parts
locomotive,
which
once from 478 come with the enpulled President Howard Taft gine.
on the line, will be restored
and used in special historic
COMMISSION- CONTINUED
events. The C&TSRR has the FROM PAGE 2
largest collection of historic Billy Elbrock talked about Kim
narrow gauge rail cars in the Casford, community relations.
world, and is the longest and She has gotten together with
highest railroad in America over 100 entities. All positive
with five locomotives that comments on her work.
steam more than 18,000 train
Tim Tennant-4 work sessions
miles a year.
done. 2 sessions coming up. VolD&SNGRR currently operates unteer count is up. Mentioned it
approximately 45,000 steam is getting more difficult to feed
miles annually. In order to en- everyone. A Gramps frameless
sure that will continue to be oil car was fully restored and
the case well into the future, looking great (personal note, it
the Harper family has decid- is fantastic). Spent time worked to commit an additional ing on caboose 0579, back in
$500,000 annually over the good shape. Worked on the oil
next decade towards extend- docks. The Osier section house
has been sided & painted. Work-
July 2015
COMMISSIONFROM COUMN 3
ing on the foundation of the
Cumbers section house. RPO
in Chama. Having some trouble
with woodpeckers. Moonlight
train to run 7/31. Working on a
MOW train 10/3 pulled by 463.
Bob Ross is the new Chairman
of the Friends, following Craig
McMullan. Friends are still working on sleeper 470.
Lobby work on the CO side
(Gayle Berry)-A single year increase to $18,000 from $12,000.
Coming into an intense year as
far as CO budgeting. More work
will be required of the lobbyists.
After next year, return to the
$12,000 figure. There are several new members of the Joint
Budget Committee. They are not
up to speed on the C&T yet. Approved.
Purchase of baggage car
#163-Approved.
Commission funding for locomotive 168-(to get it transported
to Antonito). Money has already
been approved in its historic
places status. Will go to the next
commission ,meeting as unfinished business.
Trade of C&T locomotive 483 with
Durango & Silverton 478-looking for conditional approval on
the trade. Exact details have yet
to be worked out. Approving the
trade now allows John Bush to
continue working with the D&S,
and not have to wait for the October meeting to move forward.
Randy Randall asked Tim Tennant of the Friends opinion.
Randy felt it was a good deal as
the C&T was gaining a different
class of locomotive. Also, the
C&T is trading something that
doesn’t work for something that
does, even though the 478 won’t
work much longer.
Randy felt that the normal maintenance to get 478 was a better
CONTINUED ON PAGE 12
July 2015
LOCOMOTIVE SWAP IN THE WORKS
478 AT SILVERTON. YVONNE LASHMETT PHOTO
483 IN CHAMA, JULY 2015 JAY WIMER PHOTO
The Colorado Time-Table
9
July 2015
TOURIST RAILROADS
BY THE NUMBERS
10 The Colorado Time-Table
MOW PHOTO CHARTER
The Friends of the Cumbres
& Toltec Scenic Railroad,
Inc. announces a Maintenance of Way Photo Charter
on Saturday October 3, 2015.
This train will feature gray
MOW equipment including
Pile Driver OB, Derrick OP,
Cook Car 053, Wheel & Tie
Car 06092 and other rolling
stock pulled by Locomotive
463.
The train will operate on Saturday October 3, 2015 from
Antonito to Osier and return. Departure from the Antonito Depot will be 10:15am
and return at approximately
7:30pm. Photo runbys will
take place at strategic locations on the westbound trip
to Osier. A box lunch at Osier
is included in the price. This
train is limited to 50 passengers to ensure quality opportunities to take photos.
Demonstrations of OB and
OP will take place on Sunday
morning October 4, 2015 in
the Antonito Yard. All proceeds from this charter will
be put back into restoration
efforts conducted by the
Friends.
Fares for this special train
are; $275/person-Caboose,
$190/person-General Seating, $20 Donation for a Chase
Pass. Enjoy the experience
of photographing this train
during one of the peak autumn color weekends! More
details will become available
in the upcoming weeks.
Tickets may be purchased
by calling the Friends Office
in Albuquerque Monday-Friday 8:00am-5:00pm MDT at
505-880-1311
PILE DRIVER OB ON THE CHAMA STEAM MOW
CHARTER. MAY 2014
COMO DEPOT
homes and share with you
“GRAND OPENING:
the history inside. Roberts
August 22, 2015-Como Colo- Cabin, Swartz Cabin and the
rado
section house on Boreas
Pass; and High Line Railroad
Spend a day learning about Park in Breckenridge.
the railroading history (1879
to 1937) of Como, Boreas An authentic reproduction of
Pass, and South Park.
a narrow gauge handcar is
ready all day for visitors to
Join us at noon for the ribbon ride and help power at Rocky
cutting of our newly restored Point on the east side of
Como Depot!
Boreas Pass.
This is a free event, yet donaVisit buildings frequented tions are happily received.
by the railroaders and their
families when trains were the
modern way to travel. Narrow
gauge trains brought supplies to the mining towns and
hauled the rich ores out; they
brought townspeople into the
city to handle obligations or
to visit family and friends;
they brought tourists and
new residents into the mountains.
Open for tours on Railroad
Day are the Como Roundhouse, Como Depot, Como
Civic Center and School
House. Some of our local
residents will open up their
By Jason Midyette
Every year, the Colorado
Public Utilities Commission
requires any railroad in Colorado that holds a “Certificate
of Public Convenience and
Necessity to Operate by Rail”
to file an annual report. The
reports cover the preceding
calendar year and are now
required to be filed by April
30 each year. Despite the addition of the statement that
“Entities MAY NOT request an
extension” to file the report,
as of press time (June 12) the
Cumbres & Toltec and San
Luis & Rio Grande railroads
had yet to file their 2014 reports.
The report, known as a DR
525, is essentially a statistical
overview of the railroad’s finances and includes information such as the overall tonnage of freight hauled, miles
of track operated, gross income, operating expenses
and number of passengers
hauled. In recent years, the filing requirements have grown
to include all of Colorado’s
July 2015
The Colorado Time-Table
11
TOURIST RAILROADS BY THE NUMBERS - CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10
Cumbres & Toltec Scenic enue and had a net income of 17,264 passengers (a 432%
tourist railroads.
increase from 2013), received
A look at the 2014 Annual Re- Railroad – 2014 Report not $2,014,545.
ports provides some interest- yet filed as of press time. In Georgetown Loop Railroad – $60,040 in passenger reving tidbits about Colorado’s past years, the C&TS’s report Carried 109,060 passengers enue and had a net profit of
tourist railroad operations. has been filed by the C&TSRR (a 4% increase from 2013), $13,642.
To that end, here is a look at Commission, the bi-state en- received $2,991,067 in pas- San Luis & Rio Grande – 2014
Colorado’s tourist railroads tity that oversees the railroad senger revenue and had a Report not yet filed as of
by the numbers (all informa- for the states of Colorado & net income of $281,898. The press time.
GLRR’s report was filed by
tion is from the 2014 DR 525 New Mexico.
Denver
&
Rio
Grande
Railway
History
Colorado,
which On June 23, the C&TSRR
filed by each company);
Commission, filed the 2014
Canon City & Royal Gorge – Historical Foundation – Car- owns the railroad.
ried
1,400
passengers
(a
25%
Leadville,
Colorado
&
SouthAnnual Report required by
Carried 97,699 passengers
(a 32% increase from 2013), decrease from 2012), received ern – Carried 23,676 pas- the Colorado Public Utilities
received $4,543,446 in pas- $35,774 in passenger revenue sengers (a 9% increase from Commission. For 2014, the
senger revenue and had a net and had a net loss of $35,296. 2013), received $732,885 in railroad carried 35,042 pasThe D&RGRyHF operates passenger revenue and had a sengers (a 1.5% increase from
income of $919,816.
2013) received $3,399,912 in
Cripple Creek & Victor Nar- the former D&RGW Creede net income of $395,513.
row Gauge Railroad – Car- branch between South Fork Manitou & Pikes Peak Cog passenger revenue and had a
Railway – Carried 275,864 pas- net loss of $917,598.
ried 35,500 passengers (an and the outskirts of Creede.
Durango
&
Silverton
Narrow
sengers (a 8% increase from
11% decrease from 2013), received $319,475 in passenger Gauge Railroad – Carried 2013), received $8,313,903 in
revenue and had a net loss of 232,754 passengers (a 2% in- passenger revenue and had a
crease from 2013), received net income of $2,075,185.
$57,501.
$13,855,870 in passenger rev- Platte Valley Trolley – Carried
July 2015
12 The Colorado Time-Table
Newly Renov a t e d
VISTA DEL RIO
L odge
2 miles South of the
Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad
OUT WITH THE OLD
VISTA DEL RIO LODGE
Approved
• Complimentary High Speed Wifi
• In room Coffee
• HD Dish
• Refrigerators
2595 US Hwy 84-64
Chama, NM 87520
(575) 756-2138
Fax: (575) 756-1872
www.vistadelriolodge.com
No. 3705 lying in the ballast
Story and photo by Jason across from the new signal
No. 3705 on the BNSF, just
Midyette
Like many railroads right east of Laird Colorado.
now, in the wake of the Federally Mandated Positive Train
Control initiative, the BNSF
is in the process of upgrading the signals on many of
its lines including the former
CB&Q line from Denver northeast into Nebraska. Late April
found the project nearing
completion around the Nebraska state line, with the old
signals knocked down and
lying on the ground across
the tracks from their replacements. Though the old signals had been knocked down,
their control boxes remained
in place, at least until the
cleanup crew came through.
PHOTO – IMG_2463 – The
early morning of April 22
found the old mast for signal
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UP-TO-THE-MINUTE
NEWS, VISIT
THE NARROW GAUGE
DEAD GOAT SALOON
www,goatbbs,com
COMMISSION-CONTINUED
FROM PAGE 8
deal than getting 483 running.
Tim responded that there are
members that have a strong attachment to 483. The 483, unless a bunch of money came in
would not likely run on the C&T.
Tim feels that getting another
class of D&RG locomotive, trading for the 483 makes sense.
One Friends member commented to Tim, that he would rather
see 483 run on the D&S, rather
than never run again on the C&T.
A K-28 is expected to pull a 6 car
train to Cumbres from Chama.
478 & 463 could double, pulling
a 12 car train. Randy was concerned that adding a locomotive would add cost to running
the RR. The up side is it would
delay the 1472 rebuilds, thus
enjoying a savings there. John
Bush mentioned that the cost of
the annual inspects is relatively
minimal compared to the 1472
work. No money moves with the
locomotive. Approved.
July 2015
The Colorado Time-Table
{ N at i o N a l H i s t o r i c l a N d m a r k }
EXPERIENCE THE AUTHENTIC WEST
Wow! The most amazing train ride I’ve
ever experienced. Scenery was just breathtaking.
You’ve got to do this!
southerncoloradotrain.com = 1.888.286.2737
Train departs daily May 23-Oct 18, 2015
Antonito, CO & Chama, NM
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13
14 The Colorado Time-Table
July 2015
July 2015
AMERICAN HERITAGE BUYS GRAND IMPERIAL
American Heritage Railways
Unveils Multi-Million Dollar
Acquistion and Renovation of
The Grand Imperial Silverton,
CO Hotel
Guestrooms to be Remodeled
Enhancing Historic Property
WE GET TLETTERS…
“Like a Rhinestone Cowboy,
Getting’ cards & Letters from
People I Don’t even Know…”
In reaction the April 1 story
about the C&TSRR:
One commissioner actually bit.
Bruce Kinkner wrote:
“Dear Mr. Wimer,
Received your edition 235 on
March 31, dated April 1, 2015.
I own Southwest Narrow Gauge
which deals almost 100% in
Colorado Narrow Gauge locos
and rolling stock.
As soon as i read your article
outlining the upcoming standard gauging of the C& TS I
ordered several hundred standard gauge model G.E. Diesels.
They will be lettered C& Ts.
Do you think they will sell well?
Regards,
Bruce Kinkner
Southwest Narrow Gauge
President
Hey, Bruce! Run an ad in The
Time-Table! I bet they will sell
like crazy!
PRESS RELEASE
Media Release
Contact: James Harper, General Manager
American Heritage Railways
479 Main St. Durango, CO
81301
Executive Offices: 970 259
0274
For Immediate Release
April 24, 2015
American Heritage Railways
Announces Acquisition, Remodeling Plans and Construction Timeline of the
Grand Imperial Silverton, CO
Hotel
Durango, CO, April 24, 2015
American Heritage Railways
(http://americanheritagerailways.com/corporate-family)
in Durango, CO , parent company of the world famous
Durango & Silverton Narrow
Gauge Railroad, has opened
a new chapter in the company’s focus to preserve history
in exciting ways by acquiring
The Grand Imperial Silverton
CO Hotel. The Grand Imperial
Hotel was built in 1882 when
Silverton, CO was the hottest
mining town in the west. The
Durango & Silverton Narrow
Gauge Railroad whose steam
engines also harken back to
1882 stops just a block from
the front door of this great
hotel. “The combination of
an authentic 1882 train and an
authentic 1882 hotel will give
our train riders a complete
1880’s feel of the west,”
stated Mr. Al Harper, CEO.
The acquisition phase is
complete and now begins
the extensive renovation
work. That renovation work
will not interfere with the
operations of the restaurant
and saloon. The goal of the
renovation is to refresh The
Grand Imperial Hotel giving guests an elegant yet
authentic 1880’s experience. To meet this goal and
meet the completion of the
renovation by the spring of
2016, the company will be
closing all the rooms of the
hotel until the renovations
are complete. “We worked
really hard to find ways to
keep some of the rooms
open, we just couldn’t find
a way that would provide
our guests a safe and quality experience while at the
same time working on our
vision for The Grand Imperial,” said Mr. Harper.
American Heritage Railways will be updating the
progress of the renovations
on the company’s website.
Besides the renovation
updates, the company will
also be releasing 2016 descriptions of the hotel and
train packages that are sure
to entice travelers looking
for a whole new historic adventure.
GOT AN EVENT
COMING UP?
TELL ME ABOUT
IT!
[email protected]
The Colorado Time-Table
15
The Colorado
TIME-TABLE
Edition No 238
July 1 2015
Taking effect at 12:01 Mountain Daylight Time
Wednesday, July 1 2015
Information for the reading enjoyment of rail enthusiasts
The Colorado Time-Table is published monthly by
Chama Steam Press
PO Box 291• Chama, NM 87520
Phone: 575-756-1674
www.coloradotimetable.com
Jay Wimer: Editor, Designer, Publisher, Janitor
Printed by The Santa Fe New Mexican
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Founded by Stephen Shoe (1935 - 1999)
Published by by Anna & Jason Midyette 1999-2007
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