The Locos We Lost - Part 5

 

In part 3 of "The Locos We Lost" series of posts, I noted that in April 1941, the same month that Central City won its fight with the Burlington (who resisted requests from the town for a while) to display C&S consolidation No. 71, gondola 4319, and combine No. 20, an article in the 

Denver Public Library Special Collections,
OP-6098, 1938 Otto Perry photo

Jefferson County Republican stated, "Plans were underway this week in Golden, to try to secure an old narrow gauge engine, coach and caboose from the Colorado & Southern, as a historical exhibit."  The article's author comments that "In the years to come, tourists would regard such an exhibit of considerable interest, and local citizens would likewise value it highly."

I surmised that the most likely candidate for this Golden display would have been either C&S 69 or 70 since engines 74, 75, & 76 were still at work on the Leadville-Climax stretch.  

However, I recently re-read Tom and Denise Klinger's Clear Creek Memories and Then Some and noticed an article on page 152 that I missed the first time around confirming exactly which engine Golden set its eyes on.

The article, titled "Last Rails of C&S" tells of the work train that scrapped the Clear Creek line.  It notes, "Ed Osborne was engineer and Brownie Anderson, fireman of locomotive No. 69 that pulled the work train, the last of the old engines to travel on these rails.  M. R. Wood was brakeman.  An effort is being made to park No. 69 in an appropriate place in Golden as a historical monument to the part played by the Colorado & Southern Railway Company in the development of Golden and the rich mining districts of Gilpin and Clear Creek Counties."

On the previous page of the Klingers' book they quote from the May 15th, 1941 Colorado Transcript, "Messrs. Coors and Duvall have conferred with Robert Rice, vice president of the C&S railroad and are hopeful that the city will be able to secure an early day engine and one or two cars.  It is planned to install this on a short section of track."  

The Klingers conclude with "Alas, the efforts by Golden to obtain a historic engine and car did not come to fruition."

The Locos We Lost - Part 4

 "will be shipped to Alaska, where it is expected, she will see many more years of service."

This was a statement in the July 28th, 1943 Chicago Bureau.

This, of course, is referring to C&S Nos. 69 or 70...right?

Nope.

"Old 76 will be shipped to Alaska, where it is expected, she will see many more years of service."


Because we know this, in fact, never happened, it prompted someone on the Narrow Gauge Discussion Forum to ask, "Did C&S 76 miss the boat?"

There were many responses to that question including that as the war situation changed, the engine wasn't needed or that it was unsuitable to the needs on the White Pass and Yukon (though why the smaller C&S locos were better suited seems odd).

As we know C&S 75 and 76 were instead bought and sent to work on a railroad in Peru where they eventually were scrapped probably in the 1960s.

Had 76 made it to Alaska instead might she have survived to the present day?  Considering that 69 and 70 made it to Alaska, but also went to the scrapper, it is unlikely.

So off to Peru she went where she probably survived longer than she would have in Alaska.  But the grim scrapper came to her there just as well.

Like a bad 'choose-your-own-ending' kids' novel, no matter what you choose, 76 was to be a goner.  In the end, then, this was simply a rabbit trail for the fun of it.

C&S Narrow Gauge Revival-New book!

I’m happy to announce a new book that I authored that think many who have visited this blog will enjoy, Colorado & Southern Narrow Gauge Revival.

As a long-time fan of rail restorations and of the C&S narrow gauge, I set out to research the backstories of each piece of saved equipment or resurrection of the railroad along the railway’s former Clear Creek Line between Denver and Silver Plume. My emphasis is on the stories of the resolute individuals who took surprising risks to save and even bring to life narrow gauge railroad history.

Even if you’re not a C&S fan, you’ll find lots of info of interest as the stories also connect to the Rio Grande Southern, the D&RGW, Westside Lumber, the Colorado & Northwestern, Denver Boulder and Western, the White Pass & Yukon, and Camino Cable and Northern, not to mention narrow gauge railroads in Central America.

For those who have been around Colorado narrow gauge rail preservation, you’ll also learn a good deal about giants in that realm including Bob Richardson, Ed Haley, Mac M.C. Poor, Richard Kindig, Charles Ryland, Lindsey and Rosa Ashby, and many more. Entwined in all of this are the stories of the Rocky Mountain Railroad Club, the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society, and the backstory of the origins of the Colorado Railroad Museum.

The book is now available for purchase via South Platte Press.

If you’re interested in a signed copy and/or if you’d like to learn a bit more about the book visit my book website here. 

Here is a short synopsis of the book:

The last segment of the Colorado & Southern's narrow-gauge Clear Creek line from Denver to Silver Plume was abandoned in 1941. But in the years since, C&Sng artifacts ranging from rolling stock to the Georgetown Loop have been preserved and restored. This book includes little-known and amazing stories regarding every extant C&Sng locomotive, rail car and track segment along the former Clear Creek District. It's also the story of those resolute individuals who made tremendous personal sacrifices to save these historic rail treasures for future generations.

On the way to Alpine tunnel - Milepost 178-177

Back in May of 2024, my family and I stayed in Ohio City for about a week. We had a chance to trace the South Park roadbed between Parlin and Pitkin, something I hadn't had the chance to do before. I haven't found many historical photos of the railroad outside of the towns of Parlin, Ohio City, and Pitkin, but recently I came across the photo below. I had filmed the trip between the towns with a GoPro, so I wondered if I could find the spot and, sure enough, it was easily identifiable. I put the find in a short video.

Here is the video:

The Locos We Lost - Part 3

 

Another lost loco came to my attention while reading Tom and Denise Klinger's C&S Clear Creek District Memories and Then Some. 

In April of 1941, Central City had won its tussle with the CB&Q to get a display train.  No. 71, a gondola, and a baggage coach had been moved and placed on a short stretch of track near the site of the old depot. 

It seems that Golden got jealous.  The same month that Central City mounted its train, an article in the Jefferson County Republican stated, "Plans were underway this week in Golden, to try to secure an old narrow gauge engine, coach and caboose from the Colorado & Southern, as a historical exhibit."  The author comments that "In the years to come, tourists would regard such an exhibit of considerable interest, and local citizens would likewise value it highly."

Unsurprisingly, considering the trouble the C&S went through to get 71 to Central City, Klinger later points out that "The Golden request for a display train was turned down by the Colorado & Southern Railway."  Based on info found here, I suspect that it was not the C&S but the CB&Q who turned down the request.

Had Golden succeeded, what locomotive would it have been?  With 9, 60, and 71 already assigned, this left only 5 others that had not yet been scrapped.  These were Nos. 69, 70, 74, 75, and 76.  

Several of these locomotives were also still in active service at Leadville, particularly 74, 75, and 76.

69 and 70 wouldn't get sold until 1943 and the rest would be off to other railroads by 1945.  My guess is that 69 and 70 would have been the best candidates for a Golden display as they had run on the Clear Creek line.  As far as I know Nos. 74-76 had only worked the South Park. 

Alas, none of this was meant to be.