Friday August 7, I flew to Denver. Phil had arrived earlier and met me at the airport and we stayed with friend Doug in Boulder. Saturday AM, August 8th, the three of us set out for Georgetown Loop RR. We had time before our train to take in extra scenery via the moutain route.
Beautiful reservoir with Nederland in the background.
Lots of signs like this along the way!
First good views of the highest peaks on the way down to Blackhawk.
Blackhawk and Central City were mining towns adjacent to each other tucked into the mountains at about 8500 feet. Now casino towns. C&S 71 is stuffed and mounted with a nice combine at one casino in Central.
Back on I-70 we headed west up Clear Creek Canyon to Silver Plume.
GLRR has a 2-6-2 steamer, but while it's being overhauled, a diesel is doing the work. Unusual to see a narrow gauge unit this big - with six axles.
During the mining boom, the "loop" was completed in 1884 to extend the RR up Clear Creek Canyon from Georgetown (foreground) to Silver Plume (at end of white line in the center). Only 2 miles, but had to gain 600 feet elevation. A direct route would have been too steep for the trains. So after going partway, they crossed Clear Creek and came back along the other side of the valley and crossed back over again on "Devil's Gate Bridge" . Then looped back again and made the final big turn toward Silver Plume on a high fill visble toward the left.
Here we've ridden all the way down and after passing under the bridge to complete the "loop", we'll go back up and around.
Here we go back across the bridge on the return to Silver Plume.
Headed back east on I-70 there is an overlook to see the RR. Next is video of train making the same crossing as previous clip.
After a late lunch in Georgetown we finally made it back to Golden to the CRRM.
346 was in steam.
and a deezul was shuffling some cars around.
Sure wouldn't mind having one of these narrow gauge locos at the Gorge!
There is some standard gauge equipment on site, thus some dual gauge trackage. First time for me to really look at a three rail switch. Needs TWO frogs (upper right) for the std ga and narrow ga rails to cross the common rail and a TOAD (near left) for the std ga rail to cross the narrow ga rail.
"A toad?" You say. Yes, the frog's country cousin. With a frog, rails with opposing flangeways cross each other. A toad is needed when the flange side of each rail is facing the same way. In this case we are looking from the flange side of the rails in the upper part of the picture. Std ga wheel rides on rail and in flangeway behind the point on the left - moves through toad to ride onto the point (and flangeway in front of the point) at right. Narrow ga wheel rides ON point at left, flange crosses through toad onto rail BEHIND the point at right.
The dual gage turntable has to have the load centered left to right, so a "draw" is used to pull narrow ga equipment from 3 rail into 4 rail.
The turntable is "Armstrong" powered.
Facing declining traffic, but still needing to move the mail, a few passengers and a little freight, the RGS built 7 different rail trucks which were much cheaper to crew and operate than an entire train. The first one saved enough to pay for itself in less than a month. The name Galloping Goose was applied due to the way they "waddled" down the uneven track as well as for the "honk" of their horn (in sharp contrast to the train's steam whistle).
#2, #6 and #7 are at CRRM. We will see #5 at Silverton. #1 is the only one not still around, but we will see a replica at Ridgeway, as well as #4 under restoration.
This is the kind of pump car I've wanted to build to run at the gorge. Contrary to the classic pump car that you stand on and pump by hand, I had the idea for a car that two or more can sit on facing each other and pump with hands AND feet. In the giftshop I find that my idea is not new.
One of the original Pikes Peak cog locos. Two interesting features. (1) The cylinders are compounded which means that the still expanding steam from the lower, smaller cylinder is reused in the upper, larger cylinder. (2) The cylinders are tied to the wheel cranks via a lever. The top portion of the lever is longer to gain mechanical advantage on the very steep RR. This loco is a perfect segway to tomorrows pictures...
August 9th. Phil and I get up early and drive down from Boulder to Manitou Springs in time to catch the 9:20 up Pikes Peak.
The diesel-electric cars now in use are a little easier to operate than the steam locos. No that's not a steering wheel (!); it controls power and braking.
The grade is still just as steep - much of it 25%!
On the 25%, the two Cummins diesels cranking their generators to 390 amps at 850 volts! On the way down, the engines are shut off and most of the braking is done by the motors as they generate power which is baked off through resistor grids on the roof.
If you don't believe it is 25%, here is proof. Trees are vertical and horizon level.
Seats facing downhill (at right) are tilted back so nobody slides into the lap of the folks facing uphill!
And you thought a dual gage switch was complicated. Phil is figuring out the cog switch. Notice the pushrods just beyond him that interconnect the regular points with the moveable cog/rail sections. Video clip next of one being thrown.
When you reach the top the track comes to a definite end! If the driver or buffer fails to stop the train, it's a LONG way down!
14115 feet above sea level. Glad I didn't have to hike!
When we got back, we went up to the shop and asked if we could look around. The asst foreman on duty was happy to chat and answer questions. He even let us go down in the pit and get some underneath shots!
Notice the two oil lines near the center - these feed a specially formulated grease to the rack to minimize wear on the rack and cog.
Cummins turbodiesel laid on it's side to fit under the floor. Turbocharger on the left is a must, given the altitudes. Direct coupled to generator top right.
We spent the rest of the day driving from Colorado Springs to Chama. Highways mostly follow the D&RGW routes shown here. South to Walsenburg. West across La Veta Pass and into the wide, flat San Luis Valley to Alamosa. South to Antonito and west and south over Cumbres Pass to Chama. The only narrow gauge portions remaining are in red. We will ride both over the rest of the week.
Monday, August 10th: Speeders have gathered at Chama for three days of riding on the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic RR. Just happened to catch our excursion coordinator, Jim, as I snapped this. The ECs do a lot of work to organize these outings. Thanks again Jim, it was fantastic!
It is 64 miles from Chama to Antonito. Monday we rode to Lava Loop and back. Tuesday, we rode all the way to Antonito and back. Wednesday just to Bighorn Wye and back. I've added a few other landmarks that we'll see along the way. Also notice the elevations. It is 14 miles of mostly 4% grade out of Chama to the top of Cumbres Pass. A true challenge for the speeders and their operators.
17 speeders lined up getting ready to go. A typical mix of the classic two-stroke "popper" cars and the newer 4-stroke cars.
Our host, Alan, has a 4 seat car with the large version of the "popper" engine. Crank start. For reverse you crank the other direction.
As the camera walks along the lineup notice the difference in sound between the 4 strokers at the rear of the line and the poppers near the front.
Just outside of town we cross the Rio Chama and start upgrade.
Further up we cross Wolf Creek at the Labato trestle.
Nearing the top, the RR turns up a side valley to gain altitude. The lower line on the mountainside is the highway and the RR is above it.
Much of the area is open range and each day near the third crossing we had cattle to contend with. They do get in the way of train sometimes - see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rK4uNOIHCC8
Now we are on that high line seen in the previous photo looking back at where we were. Chama is way down the valley somewhere back there.
The section house at the top...
... is where we make our first and last rest stop each day.
Just beyond Cumbres we descend Tanglefoot Curve. Here a brakeman could swing off the caboose and scramble up or down the bank to meet the front of the train, look for hot bearings and other problems and then swing back onto the caboose. One day a trainman caught his foot in the vegetation on the way down and slid the rest of the way, almost into the path of the oncoming train, hence the name Tanglefoot Curve.
Cumbes and Tanglefoot are at the top of a long valley that runs generally eastward. But we follow the countour of the land as we gradually descend so we first run north up a long side valley to Los Pinos where we pick up the Los Pinos River. After passing the tank, we curve around return back to the main valley and continue eastward.
The Cumbres and Toltec enjoys a large "Friends of the C&TS" volunteer organization. On Wednesday, some "friends" were doing restoration work at the Los Pinos tank. They knew we were coming, so made signs and posed for us.
Heading eastward again in the main valley, now with the Los Pinos River alongside us, we cross Cascade Trestle. This and Labato are the only two major trestles on the line. The RR would never (and still doesn't) ever put more than one loco on either. When double headers are run, the first cuts off and runs across by itself and the second loco brings the train across and couples up again.
Wednesday we made a brief stop at the trestle, so I was able to jump off and get a better view.
Then we make a slight turn to the north and Osier comes into sight. Each day a train comes from Chama and another from Antonito. They meet here and everyone piles into the big yellow building for lunch.
As we arrive we pass the section house and tank.
We were there before lunch each day, but they put out some wonderful fresh cinnimon rolls and other treats for us each morning. Tuesday, a fantastic steak dinner was also arranged for us on our return from Antonito.
Part of Tuesday and all of Wed, Phil or I got to ride in the car ahead with Alan's friend Hoppy, as their wives decided to sit out. So was able to get some running shots of Alan and Phil. So now fueled up with cinnimon rolls, the guys are on the roll again from Osier, while the ladies relax in the lunch room with card games and novels until we return for the steak dinner.
Beyond Osier, the valley tightens up into the very deep Toltec Gorge. The Rock Tunnel area is visible just below where the flat topped ridge at left drops over into the gorge.
Tue and Wed we had time to stop at the gorge overlook at Rock Tunnel
The rough tunnel opening was a great way to frame the motorcar lineup against the deep blue sky.
Underway again, Alan and Phil emerge from the other end of the tunnel.
This is one of my favorite shots, returning through Rock Tunnel on Wednesday.
East of the tunnel, we turn north again up a side valley through an area with unusual volcanic formations.
The train crews thought the unusual formations looked creepy at night, so the area is now called Phantom Curve.
Coming out of the Phantom Curve side valley we pass through Mud Tunnel. The material here was very soft, hence the name and the need to completely shore it up with timber. It caught fire once and totally burned.
Now back along the main valley, the view back to the gorge from Toltec siding is tremendous. Rock Tunnel is just to the right of center, slighly below the top of the ridge and the faint line of the RR can be seen running from there to the right.
Wednesday we went "in the hole" at Toltec to let the morning train pass. What a spectacular location for a runby shot.
Beyond Toltec, we travel north up another side valley to Sublette. Monday and Tuesday mornings we met the Antonito train here and watched it take on water (spout visible below the right side of the sign).
After getting a drink, the train pulls out.
Monday afternoon we passed the Antonito train again at Sublette. Here, both we and the train are near the end of the side valley and the train is about to turn east and we're about to turn west.
Beyond Sublette things start to flatten out. Instead of running along the side of tall, steep slope, we're now mostly on top of lower, flatter hills. We begin to see the San Luis valley north and east of us, as seen in this north facing panorama at Bighorn. This was taken Tuesday afternoon on our return from Antonito with the cars backed into the wye waiting for the train to pass on it's return from Osier to Antonito. This was also our turnpoint Wednesday.
Shortly after Bighorn, we come alongside a shallow valley, seen here, turn left away from it across a flat "mesa" just far enough to have room for a long right turn that loops us back alongside and lets down the edge to the curve seen below us where it again turns back toward the east.
This pattern of looping around on top of a mesa and then letting down the edge continues. Here, we make a long left turn at Lava...
... and come very close to the upper end of the loop where the orange CN Beaver car can be seen. So close that this cutoff track was installed here to enable the snowplow trains to turn around. To the right the track continues to descend off the edge of this mesa. Monday Lava was our turn point, so we rode down this cutoff track and went back up the loop to be turned back toward to Chama.
A group shot taken Monday during a brief rest stop on the loop at Lava Tank. Right to left, our hosts Alan and Karen, me and Phil. Beyond us is the center of the loop, so the flatness of the mesa can plainly be seen. Phil is wearing his East Broad Top hat and I have ET&WNC in order to properly represent eastern US narrow gauges.
One mesa sits right on the NM/CO state line. Although Antonito is to the northeast, we've just made a long left turn on top and passed a little white sign that says "Enter Colorado". Now we are headed west (and slightly south) as we work our way down the edge, and the little white sign we're about to pass says "Enter New Mexico". The faint line along the valley at right, running toward the horizon, is a fenceline that sits on the state line. As the track reaches the valley floor it begins to turn east again crossing back in to Colorado (can almost be made out in dark cloud shadow area). So we cross the state line 3 times in just a mile or so.
A few more slight turns to get out from between the final low hills and then a final straight shot across the San Luis valley...
... into Antonito
We have now seen the entire line. What an amazing ride!
Thursday, August 13 was a travel day to Silverton. Not being a long drive, we had time in the morning to peek in the Chama shop area and check out the yard.
484 was being prepped for the day. She spent a while over the ash pit while the hostler cleaned up the fire and checked a lot of other things. Then she went to the water tower for a drink (video clip next). After the tank was filled, the engine was backed a few feet to put the coal under the spout and it was all washed down. Not just a little rinse either; they really doused it. I was so amazed to see the rivers of water flowing out of the cab that I didn't get a picture.
Then to the coaling area. Modern loading methods prevail at the moment, but word is there are plans in the works to restore the landmark coaling tower in the background.
On to Durango!
Some advance calling by a friend who knows the head shop man yielded us a tour of the shop and permission to walk around the yard.
Our rides on the Durango & Silverton over the next two days will originate in Silverton. Friday we ride over the "High Line" and turn at Rockwood. Saturday starts in the afternoon and runs to Cascade Wye. Durango lies at 6200 foot elevation and Silverton at 9300. With the RR already being squeezed into the canyon leaving no room for the highway, you can see that Rt 550 splits away from the RR just below Rockwood. From there it climbs and turns up to 10800 feet to get over Molas Pass.
The speeders are always part of the D&S "Railfest" weekend. Other equipment is also visiting for the event. On our way out of Durango in the afternoon, we saw the first Railfest "extra", RGS Goose #5, returning. We figured the other, the Eureka and Palisade #4 would not be far behind. So we stopped at the overpass where 550 crosses and begins it's climb. Sure enough, within a few minutes some other chasers arrived and the train right after that. So we got a sneak preview of next day.
Descending from Molas Pass (10800 feet), we get our first view of Silverton. It lies at 9300 feet surrounded by mountains.
A closer look shows the track going into town. One end of the wye for turning the trains is visible in the lower left corner. The speeders are already set on and lined up for the next day, just this side of the yellow and brown depot near the right. These days however, the regular trains pass the depot and turn at the far right and run nearly all the way into town, stopping in the middle of the street by the bright orange/yellow building at the left.
Friday, August 14th. This is taken at 5:50am as we have to be rolling at 6:00 sharp to make Rockwood in time to go in the hole for all of the traffic out of Durango. The only rainy day of the trip. Thankfully wasn't heavy and cleared to an overcast for much of the day and just a little bit more in the evening.
First stop at Elk Park about 6:30. Starting to get light and rain is letting up.
Before we left Silverton, Hoppy told me I had a new nickname, but didn't elaborate. When we arrived at Elk Park, he showed me the patched up seat on his speeder. Notice also the damage to the backrest supports.
Turns out that Wed night at their motel Chama, with the speeder loaded on the trailer for the Thursday trip to Silverton, a bear tried to climb on. (One had gotten into the motel trash a nite or two before). Alan got this picture Thursday morning. I had ridden with Hoppy on Wed, so as the last person to sit on the seat, he came up with a nickname for me. Can't repeat it in public, but it had something to do with the flavor of my rear end. There was no food on the speeder or stored under the seat (or in my pockets), so we were all scratching our heads as to why a bear was so attracted to the seat. Maybe he just wanted to go for a ride...
While we're at Elk Park, here is a picture of the spectacular backdrop approaching the same stop in the much nicer weather Saturday afternoon.
South of Elk Park (also taken Saturday, if the blue sky didn't tip you off).
Back to Friday: Continuing down the Animas river, it became light enough to get a few pictures in the morning mist.
Then we pass Cascade. The RR has put in wye (to turn trains on) and picnic pavilion here and now operates trains this far from Durango during the winter months. This is taken Saturday at the tailtrack of the wye in the late afternoon light as we stopped for picnic supper along the Animas.
Next stop is Tall Timbers, a very posh mountain resort. Only access is via rail or helicopter. The resort has it's own stable of speeders to bring in guests, workers and supplies. Notice the airline seats in the yellow car.
They also have a hyrail golf cart. Smitty, who used to organize the narrow gauge speeder trips, built the rig and our host, Alan, made the wheels.
A small hyrdoelectric plant was put in service at Tacoma over 100 years ago (1905) and still operates today.
We've come down 2100 feet from Silverton as we cross the river again.
A view from the same trestle on our way back later in the day.
We've been following the river closely downstream all the way from Silverton. Then we suddenly begin to climb away from the river onto the famous high line. We stopped for pictures on the way back, so will save those for after Rockwood.
After traversing the high line, we pass through a cut into Rockwood.
We have to go into the wye to let traffic pass. The tailtrack still has an original stub switch!
We spent much of the mid-morning at Rockwood waiting for all the traffic. First was the Eureka which also waited for the two regular trains, so we had a lot of time to see the gorgeous loco. Built in 1875, it is probably the oldest operating loco in the US. Owner Dan Markoff at left.
On our way down from Silverton, we'd seen supplies of wood cached along the line and here was another.
After a while the two regular daily trains passed. Notice how much bigger the 480 is!
Then the Goose arrived and was refueled. The Eureka pulled out (next video clip) and then the goose followed.
You can get just a glimpse of what it was like to travel by rail in the 1880s!
After waiting for the Eureka and the Goose to complete photo ops on the high line, it was our turn finally.
It's hard to take it all in with just a few photos!
What a day, in spite of the rainy overcast!
We returned to Silverton in the early afternoon. Here the first train departs on it's return to Durango...
...passing our cars tucked in a siding.
Saturday afternoon we rode to Cascade. After a picnic supper at river's edge, we returned to Silverton in the evening light.
Since Saturday's run didn't leave until mid-afternoon, we had a bonus that morning. Alan rented a jeep and took us up into the Alpine Loop area above Silverton. This is the remains of mines in the Animas Forks area. The Silverton Northern RR came up the valley from Silverton to this point.
Still climbing, well above Animas Forks now, this is the view back down the valley toward's Silverton.
The view ahead shows we're really getting on top!
In spite of the tundra-like climate and freezing temps almost every night, wildflowers somehow manage to still grow in places.
Made it. It sure was windy up there!
Returning via a different route, we crawled carefully over some very rocky areas (only clunked the bottom of the jeep once) and then came down this canyon with the road clinging to the side. A ride I will not soon forget!
Sunday, August 16. Frost, yes frost, on our car. Today we travel back to Boulder and fly home on Monday. Most of the fun was over, but we had a few things to see along the way.
We drove north through Ouray to Ridgeway and took in the small RR museum, including this replica of Goose #1. Built from a Buick, the original paid for itself in less than a month. #4 is also there under restoration.
North to Montrose and east over Cerro Summit, we found this display in Cimerron where the D&RGW passed through the Black Canyon of the Gunnison.
Continuing east through Gunnison we turned north near Salida toward Denver. At Como we took the short detour into town and saw the restored roundhouse of the Denver South Park and Pacific. That evening we arrived back at Doug's in Boulder and flew home from Denver the next day.
What a great trip! Hope you enjoyed the show.
