Following the C&S Ry. from Alpine to Glencliff-video

Bottom: west. Top: east

Following the path of C&S eastbound train No. 93, the video below travels from Alpine (later known as Fisher) to Glencliff (formerly known as Cascades). After the train would have left Alpine Tunnel it would travel through Hancock, Romley, St. Elmo, and then Fisher. You can see a video of the St. Elmo to Fisher leg here.

The video ends at the point that today's present road (built on the old South Park roadbed) diverges from the right-of-way at Glencliff. You can see the "Y" separation at the top of the screenshot above. The railroad is the yellow line.

Below is the 1918 C&S Valuation map of Glencliff showing the 630-foot siding the side opposite of Chalk Creek. While the line from Hancock through Alpine Tunnel to Quartz was abandoned in 1910, the segment from St. Elmo east (including the portion in this video) to Buena Vista remained intact until 1924.

I haven't found any railroad-era photos along this stretch. Instead, I've included quotes about the area from M.C. Poor and an 1896 visitor. In addition, Google Earth overlays help to see the geography of the the area the railroad traversed. A few 1800s photos of trains on the shelf right-of-way just beyond the divergence of the road round out the end of the video.

Following the C&S Ry. from St. Elmo to Alpine/Fisher-video

A few years back my family and my in-laws went to a Christian family camp called Trail West just outside of Buena Vista.  One day we were all taken on a jeep ride (we got to drive ourselves which was a blast) on a jeep road which ended in St. Elmo.  After a stop there to walk around and feed chipmunks we headed back via the old South Park right-of-way.  This is a video of the stretch east from just outside of St. Elmo to the townsite of Alpine, later renamed Fisher.  I mostly point out the spot on the line as noted in the railroad overlay on Google Earth (you can find this overlay on the dspphs.org site-It's an awesome tool!).  Unfortunately, I didn't know of many specific photos from railroad operation days except at Fisher.  At Fisher I put in some Then and Now images that line up fairly well with my view from our jeep.  

Enjoy!

Here's a video from farther east showing some of the grade from the Cascades area.

Finally, some hope for the Palisades

 So delighted to hear there is some movement on repairing the damage to the rock wall at the Palisades on the way to the west portal of Alpine Tunnel.  If you haven't seen this before, I know the call for letters is past due, but I'm sure they would still welcome a collection of letters as the process to get funding goes forward.

Below is a letter by Chuck Severance detailing what is being done and a way you can help.

There is a concerted effort underway across numerous interested parties to procure funding to repair the Palisades damage from 2016. This effort is being led by Chuck Severance here in Colorado in conjunction with Gunnison National Forest personnel. He is asking for all groups or individuals with any interest in seeing the Palisades repaired to please help out by considering writing a letter in support of the project. These instructions are geared towards groups but individuals are very welcome to write also. The more the merrier! Please see Chuck's call to action below:

Today I am hoping to enlist your help to write a letter of support that we discussed a few months back for the repair of the historic Palisade Wall of the Alpine Tunnel near Pitkin. Here is a short drone video of the wall. 

Progress on this project has been slow but steady for over a year now. We are currently awaiting approved final NFS engineering plans and bids from the contractors, but our concept budget is around $350-$450,000. On a positive note, The National Forest Foundation (NFF) has agreed to be the applicant for all grants. The NFF has the experience and advantage in grant writing, contracting, administration, and insurance. On the downside, History Colorado recently announced they will not be accepting grant applications exceeding $50,000 as a result of their revenue shortfall due to the closing of casinos for COVID.

Despite this setback, our working group of NFF and Gunnison National Forest (GNF) are pushing ahead. It is hoped that even a $50,00 grant will be valued as seed money to fuel other groups to contribute as well. The best news yet, The Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) proposed by Senator Gardner and signed by President Trump 8/4/20 provides $2 Billion per year to National Parks and Forests for deferred maintenance – half of which is targeted for roads. As the details of the GAO Act gets clarified, GNF has committed to submitting the Palisade Wall as a shovel ready project. The GNF leaders are now hopeful to join this project not only with engineering and project management, but significant funding as well.

To be proactive in anticipation of GAO Act funding and project approval, we are proceeding with several grant applications. Our first grant application to History Colorado is due September 1st as a draft version and October 1st as a final version. Support letters are critical to each application, as we have discussed. We hope to show a diverse group of users and stakeholders including historic preservation, motorized recreation, and economic impacts.

I am asking that you please include the following in your support letter:

Your name and address on your letterhead, if available.

A description or mission statement of your group.

Number of members.

How you contribute to history, economics, or recreation in Colorado.

Why you think it is important to have the Palisade Wall repaired.

Please sign your support letter.

Letters should be dated and addressed to (but not sent to):

Mr. Tim Stroh, AIA

Director, State Historical Fund

1200 Broadway

Denver, CO 80203

Please scan or save your letters as a .pdf file and e-mail to me at chuck@crsarchitect.com. I hope to receive your support letter by mid September. Please save your letters, as I may ask for the letters to be refreshed with new dates for future applications. Please feel free to call or e-mail me with any questions or comments. I am trying to be brief here, but I have much more to share if you are interested.

Thank you so much for your interest and support in this historic and trail preservation project.

Sincerely yours,

Chuck Severance

C&S grade in Chalk Canyon 2018-video

Last summer when leaving our campsite near St. Elmo, we drove back toward Buena Vista.  My wife offered to drive so I could try to spot the grade to the right of the road in Chalk Canyon.  I got a glimpse near Chalk Lake and there was a parking area and some trails nearby.  We pulled in and I was able to get some video and photos of the grade.  I would have loved to have climbed up there, but due to time constraints we just couldn't do it.

The video below includes the footage and photos I got from the area.  Later I realized that this, if I am correct, is the spot on the grade referred to as Cascades, where a number of famous photos were taken.  Towards the end of the video I was able to locate the approximate sites in Google Earth of the two famous shots from 1883.  I wish I could have taken them from the grade myself instead of using Google Earth!

There is a walkable trail called The Narrow Gauge Trail that allows one to hike some or all of this section.  I have seen some photos that a rock slide has blocked part of it.

A Tale of Two Chalk Creek bridges

I don’t know much about this, but I found a 2011 online article about work on what is referred to as “The Chalk Creek Railroad Bridge” by the HistoriCorps.

from HistorCorps site

The site states that the bridge “was built in the 1880s and was used to access the mines in the area.  It was built by the Denver, South Park and Pacific railroad to accommodate narrow gauge trains from the Mount Princeton area to the mining towns of St. Elmo and Hancock.  Until the bridge’s closure in May 2011, the trail was used extensively by summer and winter recreation enthusiasts.”

The reference to being used on a trail makes me think this is on the Narrow Gauge Trail mentioned in this post.  Does anyone know?

The HistoriCorps state that the bridge “was closed due to safety concerns.”  They proceeded to “remove the rotted bridge deck and girders and replace it with new girders and plank deck; construct safety railings to United States Forest Service specifications; and repoint the historic stone abutments.”

I was unable to find any follow up to this work online.

Photo by Historic American Engineering Record, Library of
Congress collection, via Bridgehunter.com

There is another bridge listed online as Hortense bridge.  I found this on Bridge Hunter.  There it is described as “Lost Queenpost pony truss bridge over Chalk Creek on CR 162 near Mt. Princeton Hot Springs.  Replaced by new bridge.  Built 1880 by the Denver, South Park & Pacific Railroad; converted to vehicular use ca. 1926; replaced 1990."

Narrow Gauge Trail in Chalk Creek Canyon

My family and I are excitedly planning our trip to Colorado this summer.  For my wife and me, this is

from Coloradoguy.com

our first return to the land of the narrow gauge since 2004 and our children’s first visit.

In looking around I came upon a trail that I wasn’t aware of, aptly named Narrow Gauge Trail in Nathrop, Chaffee County.  I discovered it via a random YouTube video and then found more info on Colorado Guy’s website.  He describes it as “a great choice for those seeking a easy and flat hike with mountain scenery in Chaffee County.  It is approximately two miles long and runs on the south side of Chalk Creek Canyon.  The trail was once the grade for the Denver South Park & Pacific Railroad that traveled through Nathrop, St. Elmo, the Alpine

Tunnel and Gunnison from 1880 to 1926.”

He also gives directions: “From Nathrop, travel west on Chaffee County Road 162 toward the mountains.  Pass the Mount Princeton Hot Springs and keep going.  A short distance past the Deer Valley Rance entrance, turn left on Chaffee County Road 290 and take it all the way to the end, the site of the trailhead.”

From Coloradoguy.com

The photos show a very walkable trail on the ROW and even an historical sign.  Is this what is referred to as the area called the Cascades?  When I searched “Narrow Gauge Trail Chalk Creek” on Google, I was given a Google map with the trail (see bottom of this post).  It appears County Road 290 is on the RR grade and ends where this trail begins.  At the other end of the trail, it looks like the grade continues as Chalk Creek Drive, or Route 162.  Shortly beyond that point is a campground named Cascade.

This Cascade campground is not to be confused with Cascade, Colorado near Colorado Springs.  Instead it is a campground run by the US Forest Service near Cascade Falls.

A more recent post from another site points out that a rock slide has occurred (as of 2016) that blocks part of the trail.

from Mybuzzabout.com

Our family hopes to check out this trail in the summer.









Sources:
"Narrow Gauge Trail in Chaffee County, Colorado." Colorado Guy.  www.coloradoguy.com

"A Hike, A Drive, and a BBQ." My Buzz About RVing, Travel, Food, Drink, and Life. 24 June 2016. www.mybuzzabout.com

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