1976 C&S news (2) - Tales of riding the South Park, passing of Dow Helmers, paint for Silver Plume depot

A wealth of railfan history exists in the archives of the Rocky Mountain Rail Report, the newsletter of the Rocky Mountain Railroad Club started in 1939.  Here is some more miscellaneous South Park Line/C&S-related news from the 1976 editions.   

1976

July

(Riding the South Park to Leadville) 

Richard Kindig-Denver Post

Club members E. J. Haley and Richard Kindig will present a program of 35mm sides entitled "Riding the South Park to Leadville." Slides included were made from photos taken by or in the collections of Haley, Kindig and the late Mac Poor. By means of this series of South Park railroad views, together with Ed's comments, they will take you on a nostalgic winter trip from Denver through the Platte Canyon, up over Kenosha Pass, through Jefferson and Como, twice over the Continental Divide at Boreas and Fremont Passes, culminating with arrival at two-mile high Leadville. As both Ed and Dick personally explored and rode this line, their program on riding this colorful narrow gauge trip in the 1930's should really be something to look forward to. 

(Ed. if only the above presentation would have been recorded on audio or film!)

August

(Haley & Kindig share about their ride from Denver to Leadville on the C&S)

Many of us who are interested in Colorado's rail history, have undoubtedly pondered at one time or

Climb over Boreas

another about how it must have been to experience a train ride or perhaps witness a railroad event(s) back in the days when steam power and narrow gauge operations were seldom given a second thought. Some of us have been fortunate enough to drive and/or walk over old railroad grades in the state, and by looking at pictures and reading books, get some idea of what took place or existed in a particular spot many years ago. At the July meeting, Ed Haley and Dick Kindig gave us their first hand account of a portion of a now extinct narrow gauge railroad the Denver South Park and Pacific, relating their experiences on the colorful old line and illustrating with photos, a ride from Denver to Leadville and return in the 1930's. It was absolutely fascinating to see what the route and operation looked like back then, with many areas shown that can easily be viewed today; the Platte Canyon, the route along Highway 285 from Bailey west, Como, Boreas Pass, along the Blue and Tenmile Rivers, Fremont Pass and Leadville. A highlight of the trip was stopping and waiting for the rotary snowplow to dig its way through the snow on Boreas. Ed and Dick's program was certainly tops....in every respect! 

(Rocky Mtn. RR Club Day at the Georgetown Loop)

THE GEORGETOWN, BRECKENRIDGE & LEADVILLE RAILWAY will host a Rocky Mountain Railroad Club Day on Saturday, August 28, 1976, at Silver Plume, Colorado. Steam locomotive No. 44, a narrow gauge 2-8-0, will pull trains throughout the day with frequent photo runs held at various locations. The purchase of a $5.00 pass will allow the holder unlimited rides on the railroad for that day. Trains will be operated from late morning until 5:00p.m. If you have not seen the line or ridden it recently, this will be a good opportunity to do so and note the amount of progress that is consistently being made on reconstruction. All are welcome to attend on this special day. 

(Ed. It seems that at this time, what we refer to as the Georgetown Loop RR, was titled the GB&L)

(DSP&P Reprint) Won't Be Long Now

Progress on the Club's reprinting of Mac Poor's DENVER SOUTH PARK & PACIFIC is moving along quite well with binding and preparation for mailing about to begin. Consequently, the Club's Board of Directors has decided that the pre-publication price of the book will expire at midnight, August 10, 1976.

After that time, the $24.00 price will be in effect. Orders by mail for the book at $19.00 must be postmarked by midnight of the 10th, or placed in person at the August 10th meeting. Please remember that, should you not take advantage of this bargain price on such an outstanding publication, we cannot be responsible for any dislocated hips, bruises, and what-have-you when you end up kicking yourself later. 

(The passing of Dow Helmers, author of Historic Alpine Tunnel)

WE REGRET TO HAVE TO REPORT THE DEATH of an old friend and avid Colorado historian, Dow Helmers, who passed away in a Colorado Springs hospital on July 22, at the age of 70. 

Dow was born and educated in Colorado Springs. He eventually became a staff member of the Pueblo Star-Chieftain newspaper and later started his own business consisting of several paint stores. After his retirement a few years ago, he moved back to the Springs. Dow authored two well knows books, "TRAGEDY AT EDEN" and "HISTORIC ALPINE TUNNEL," and wrote many articles on historic and railroad subjects and was a frequent contributor to the Empire magazine of the Denver Post. He was a long time member of the Rocky Mountain Railroad Club, a member of the State Historical Society of Colorado and was active in the Colorado Midland Chapter of the NRHS. He is survived by his widow, Theresa, three daughters and two grandchildren. Entombment was in Evergreen Mausoleum in Colorado Springs. 

(Ed. This book holds a special place in my heart as it was the first book to introduce me to the Alpine Tunnel and to the DSP&P/C&S thanks to a copy in a local library)

September

(DSP&P Reprint off to the bindery)

OVER 4,000 COPIES OF DENVER SOUTH PARK & PACIFIC were sent to the bindery recently. Upon completion of binding, the books will be mailed direct to each purchaser. 

(RMRRC Day and final coat of paint for the Silver Plume depot)

Silver Plume depot 2018

NUMEROUS RIDES on the Georgetown, Breckenridge & Leadville Railway from Silver Plume were enjoyed by members who took advantage of the unlimited ride tickets made available for Saturday, August 28. Both the steamer and diesel were used to pull various consists, with occasional photo stops included and stops added to drop off and pick up picnickers. At Silver Plume, the Seebees were observed putting a final coat of paint on the depot and received helpful hints and advice on how to do it from the more knowledgeable train passengers. Other work could be seen under way in the valley on buildings being constructed for the Georgetown Loop historic mining area project. 

Once Upon a Depot: The Many Lives of Georgetown Station-update

I recently came upon an old 1998 brochure for the Georgetown Loop.  The brochure shed a little more light on the use of the old C&S Georgetown Depot during the late 1990s/early 2000s so I am reposting this article with that new information and with images from the brochure. 

This article first appeared in the January 2015 edition of The Bogies and the Loop. 

Once Upon a Depot:

The many lives of Georgetown Station

by Kurt Maechner

On a warm, June day in 1939 a dusty, old trophy was finally taken off the shelf.  The high bridge, crown of the Georgetown Loop, a trophy of engineering and tourism, was pulled apart limb by limb.  As the gravediggers did their work on high, they could look down and see the once proud Georgetown depot, shuttered since 1937, decaying next to the now naked railroad ties.

And there the story may have ended.  It is unclear just what became of the depot from the last page of its railroad life to the 1950s, other than Mac Poor’s comment that it was sold for a degrading $50.  By the middle of the century, though, the likely denouement was for the building to be erased from the page by the ominous highway slated to lay asphalt right over it.  

Unlike some other C&S depots that vanished after their book was shut (such as Gunnison’s that incidentally got overrun by a highway), the station at Georgetown got itself a sequel.  Two plot twists made this possible.  The first was the dogged campaign of then mayor of Georgetown, James Grafton Rogers, to kick I-70 up the side of the valley and save “The Park.”  This saved not only the chance for steam to rise again from the resurrected Loop, but also pulled the depot out from underneath the oncoming interstate steamrollers.

The second twist in the tale is the arrival of two failed entrepreneurs.  Bill Brough and Hugh Johnson, who tried and failed at running a bus company, saw an opportunity to cash in on the growing inflow of tourists due to nearby Loveland Ski area by having a go at opening a restaurant in Georgetown.  They purchased the old station and each weekend drove in from Boulder to serve hungry skiers.

In 1953 a Nebraska native by the name of Dwight Jones bought the station and took the fledgling restaurant one step farther by completely changing the building’s image.  He gave it a Swiss chalet makeover, and christened it The Alpine Inn Restaurant. 

Just a few years later, in 1960, a principle character entered the story of the depot’s second life.  Bob Gibbs, an ambitious young man, came on board as a bartender and manager.  Just seven years later, however, he went on to buy the Inn outright from Jones, and then managed it faithfully for more than two decades.

As Bob’s life grew, so did the old station’s.  The Alpine Inn could seat 250 people and often served 400 dinners a night.  In addition, a successful hotel complex was added near the restaurant in the early 60s.    

The depot was not the only place that was changing; the town around it was changing too.  From a ski town to a national historical district, Bob saw the little valley hamlet transform.  One of the most significant changes began in the 1970s with the reconstruction of the fabled C&S line from Silver Plume to the old abutments of the high bridge above Georgetown.  The vision of reconstructing the Loop as a tourist line had finally moved from dream to reality.  In 1984, 45 years after the original was scrapped to oblivion, the resurrected bridge once again echoed the squeal of a locomotive wheel down into the valley below. 

As the trains began to chug and the decades wore on, Gibbs’ Alpine Inn continued to flourish, serving locals, skiers, tourists, and train buffs.  By the time that the 1980’s were wrapping up, however, Bob was ready to move on from the restaurant business.  It was time for someone else to write another chapter in the depot’s life.

When Bob put the old Georgetown station up for lease, Lindsey and Rosa Ashby, operators of the Georgetown Loop Railroad (GLRR), took him up on the offer and eventually purchased the building in 1995. 

The Ashbys wrote the life of a railroad back onto the page.  They built an annex on the depot as a home office for the two tourist railroads that they operated, the GLRR and the Royal Gorge Railroad.  A concession was also added to the station with a snack bar serving breakfast and light lunch, though they quickly found out that it didn’t work well.  What did work, though, was a very nice train-themed gift shop.

Most importantly, the depot returned to one of its original functions: it was once again a ticket office for train fare.  

The text from a 1998 GLRR brochure captures how central the depot became to the railroad:

1998 Georgetown Loop brochure

Here! At The Old Georgetown Station

Make the Old Georgetown Station, (the original Georgetown Depot) your first stop when you come to Georgetown.  The Old Georgetown Station is headquarters of the Georgetown Loop Railroad.  Purchase train and mine tour tickets from our friendly staff and let them help you plan your day in the Georgetown-Silver Plume Historic District.  The Station is home to Baggage Cart Gifts, the Depot Express Cafe, and Trails and Rails.

During this time, tourists wanting to ride the famed Loop would purchase their tickets at Old Georgetown Station and then drive to either the Devil’s Gate Boarding Area or Silver Plume to catch the train.  One could also pick up tickets at Silver Plume to ride from that end of the line.  

1998 Georgetown Loop brochure

The plot, however, didn’t stay placid for long before there was one final twist.  In the middle of the 2000s, ownership of the GLRR operations changed. 

Once the Ashbys moved out, the Georgetown depot was vacant once more.  Here is where our protagonist comes back into the story.  Bob Gibbs, who had moved from the restaurant world to realty, returned to the story of the station when he was called upon to try to sell it, which he did to the present owners. 

 

Today the old Georgetown station thrives again as a reincarnation of its food-serving life.  It was rechristened “The Alpine Restaurant and Bar,” its logo heralding its two sources of life: a train on the high bridge at the top, and a skier on the side.  The Alpine, according to its website, offers both lunch and dinner “homemade from scratch!”  In addition to cuisine, the owners host live music every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. 

According to Bob Gibbs, all the original interior station walls, though covered in modern accouterments, still proudly retain the shape of rooms that long ago served a tiny, but determined railroad in the valley.  And while tourists must drive a bit further down the road to catch the train these days, they can still stop by the old depot and listen to the whistle of a sturdy locomotive echo from the high bridge, all while enjoying food prepared by hand in historic Georgetown, Colorado.

Special thanks goes to Bob Gibbs who graciously gave of his time for several phone interviews where the majority of this information came from.  He continues to serve on the board of directors for the Georgetown Trust.

References

The Georgetown Loop: Colorado’s Scenic Wonder  By Gary Morgan.  Published by Centennial Publications. Copyright 1984.

Georgetown and the Loop By P.R. “Bob” Griswold, Richard H. Kindig, and Cynthia Trombly.  Published by the Rocky Mountain Railroad Club.  Copyright 1988.

The Denver, South Park & Pacific By M.C. Poor, Published the Rocky Mountain Railroad Club.  Copyright 1949.

Alpinerestaurantgeorgetown.com. Copyright 2014 Alpine Restaurant and Bar, Georgetown, CO.

"All Aboard! Georgetown Loop Railroad."  1998 brochure.

1976 C&S news (1) - Otto Perry on Boreas Pass, caboose in Buena Vista

A wealth of railfan history exists in the archives of the Rocky Mountain Rail Report, the newsletter of the Rocky Mountain Railroad Club started in 1939.  Here is some miscellaneous South Park Line/C&S-related news from the 1976 editions.   

1976

January

Progress Report on the Denver South Park & Pacific Memorial Edition 

Ed Haley reports that printing is now finished on the first 324 pages of the book that is being reprinted by the Club. All photographic plates have been made, and a third color plate is currently in process. Pages up to 250 have been folded and collated. The binding operation, of course, cannot begin until printing, collating and folding of the pages is complete. To date, over 2,500 copies have been sold. If progress continues at its current pace, the book should be out in late 1976. 

February
(Otto Perry and Ed Haley bounce over ties on Boreas Pass)

The Otto Perry movies shown at the January meeting were, as usual, absolutely fascinating. In addition to the various scenes in the Rocky Mountain region, were beautiful action views of mainline steam farther east with Pennsylvania, New York Central and other eastern and midwestern lines being included.

Complementing the railroad shots taken in Colorado, were a few of Otto's scenery shots, Denver rail

Boreas Pass is quite different from Otto Perry's days!

transit sequences, some beautiful action closeups of an obscure hog wallow on some ranch that seemed to have caught Otto's eye, and some scenes of driving over Boreas Pass back in the days when the ties were still in place. Several amusing shots, although probably thought of as serious business at the time by those involved, showed Otto's car bouncing slowly along over the ties and Ed Haley out front with a hatchet, chopping down small trees and otherwise modifying the local vegetation to allow passage. Nowadays, some people probably drive up that same road, now graded, in their four-wheel-drive vehicles and pat themselves on the back when they reach the top. If they only knew what they are missing .... 

(Ed. - Does anyone know the whereabouts of this film??)

April
(Standard Gauge caboose placed on display in Buena Vista)

STILL ALIVE AND KICKING - an old wooden caboose has been obtained from the BN in Denver and moved by truck to Buena Vista, Colorado and parked in the downtown area. The car was placed on a length of track and is being cleaned up (the interior was sandblasted throughout) and used as a small store. 

(Ed.-This is not the caboose that is now on display outside the restored South Park Buena Vista depot.  The present one was donated in 2005)

The video below shares the story of how the depot was saved and moved in 2002.  It also includes a walk-through of the present caboose)

May
(Georgetown Loop double-header)

On September 11, special double-headed steam trips for the Club will be run on the Georgetown Loop Railroad. 

(Ed-Here's a good mystery I'm hoping someone might solve: The Loop only had No. 44 on site at this time.  IRCA No. 40 wouldn't come to the Loop until 1977.  Does anyone know if this double-header actually occurred and with what engines?  My guess is that there was a tentative plan to bring No. 40 earlier, but it didn't happen-that's just my guess.  If anyone knows more, please fill me in!)

Kurt

Progress Report on the republication of Denver South Park & Pacific

Printing of the last few pages of the 1976 edition of Mac Poor's "Denver South Park & Pacific" (the reprint of the original 1949 edition) is taking place as this newsletter is being printed. The printed sheets have been folded and collated as they come off the press and the gathered pages should be ready to be sent to the bindery in June. With a couple of months for binding and another for inspection, packaging, and shipping, the first of the books should begin reaching their destinations in late September or early October, providing unexpected problems do not arise to delay production. Do not delay mailing in your order for the book if you wish to take advantage of the pre-publication bargain price of $19.00. When the first books are received from the bindery, the price will be raised to $24.00. For quality and content, this book will be far superior to many of the $30.00 to $35.00 railroad books on the market today. 

Boreas Pass RR Day 2022!

 So wish I could be there!

Curious depot news: Bailey Depot Feed

While looking for some info on the long-gone South Park Line Bailey depot, I stumbled upon a business named "Bailey Depot Feed."  Curious, I perused the site and found that it indeed has a connection with the old C&S station.  

The site states, "Bailey Depot Feed first opened its doors 35 years ago.  Originally located at the bottom of Crow Hill near the original site of the Bailey Depot train station, we have since moved to our current home in Delwood Square, right off of U.S. Highway 285 and Park County Road 43. 

Bailey Depot Feed today

Bailey Depot Feed remains an integral part of the community. In fact, residents located directly east or west  in the Burland, Friendship Ranch, Mill-Iron D, Deer Creek Valley Ranchos, KZ Ranch, Elk Creek Highland/ Meadows and Harris Park subdivisions can visit us without the need to enter a busy and/ or ice-packed highway 285! 

As of October, 2021 Bailey Depot Feed is now an authorized Neighborhood U-haul dealer. We have a nearly new Chevrolet Silverado pickup and an open trailer with ramps assigned to us permanently and available for local rentals. We also regularly receive moving vans and trailers available for nationwide one-way rentals."

The site also has a photo of the original Bailey depot.  The station is in bad shape.  The windows have been broken, likely by vandalism.  The front door is gone and only partially boarded up.  Part of the roof is also missing.  Most of the roof overhang on one side seems to have been cut off.   My guess is that this is the late 1930's, possibly 1938, since the rails are still in place.

The October 1975 Rocky Mountain Rail Report stated, "The old Denver, South Park & Pacific depot at Bailey is no more. Around the first of June, the building was burned and bulldozed into dust. Attempt was made by several groups to save the building even though it was badly deteriorated, but the local fire department had other ideas." 

So...the connection to the old narrow gauge is slight, but it's fun that the memory of the railroad that was torn out all the way back in 1938 continues to have an impact in the present. 

C&S Combine No. 20 debuts on TV

As I have been combing through the Rocky Mountain Rail Report I found a curious episode in the July 1974 edition that I had never heard about: C&S combine No. 20, on display in Central City, Colorado since 1941, and not used for service on the 1968-1981 tourist operation there, was able to stretch its legs in one of only two times in a 1974 TV special starring the band Chicago (The other was a Mini-Wheats commercial which I haven't found quite yet!).  

You can see the full TV special here.  I put the video below together to give a little background and to isolate the parts of the show that included No. 20 and ex-West Side Lumber Shay No. 14.  The vignette was filmed on a rebuilt portion of the old C&S right-of-way in Central City.

Thank you to those who found the TV special on Youtube!

1975 C&S News (2) - Alpine Tunnel water tank collapse, Bailey depot destroyed, GL turntable bridge complete

A wealth of railfan history exists in the archives of the Rocky Mountain Rail Report, the newsletter of the Rocky Mountain Railroad Club started in 1939.  Here is some more miscellaneous South Park Line/C&S-related news from the 1975 editions.  

1975 

Part 2

July 

(First Bridge Complete on Georgetown Loop)

THE FIRST ANNUM, RAILFAN WEEKEND AT THE GEORGETOWN LOOP took place on Saturday and Sunday, June 21 and 22. Engine No. 44 operated with a five car freight and the diesel ran with two passenger cars throughout both days to offer a ride that has not been possible for many years. The track is completed down to the first crossing of the creek and preparations are well under way to lay rails across the second bridge. The depot at Silver Plume is on its foundation and SeeBees are working on the platforms. To hear the barking exhaust of the engine working up the grade and the steam whistle echoing through the valley was enough to even give camera lenses the goose bumps. Needless to say, the operation provided a very pleasant way to spend the weekend. 

August 

(Working Towards the Turntable Bridge on Georgetown Loop)

turntable bridge (2009) after being replaced

WORK IS CONTINUING ON THE GEORGETOWN LOOP PROJECT - Track is being layed in and cut between the two upper bridges and it is planned to have the turntable bridge approaches completed and track across it by the end of August. The railroad is offering limited service on the weekends for the present. The Silver Plume depot platform was also recently completed. 

September 

(Work at the Climax Molybdenum Mine)

A MAJOR STEP in the completion of the Henderson Project by Climax Molybdenum Co. took place on July 15, with the holing through of the 9.6 mile long Henderson Railroad Tunnel under the Continental Divide west of Berthoud Pass. The tunnel is said to be the third longest railroad tunnel in the world and will be used to transport molybdenum from a mine below Jones Pass to an ore processing mill in the Williams Fork Valley south of Parshall, Colorado.  Total length of the double track, computer controlled, narrow gauge electric railroad is about 15 miles long. The tunnel begins at the mine which itself is located over 2,000 feet below the surface just west of the foot of Berthoud Pass. From there, the 30 car ore trains, each pulled by four 50-ton electric locomotives, will haul 42,000 tons of material to the mill each day. Molybdenum is used as a strengthening agent in the production of steel and makes possible the manufacturing of stainless steel. 

(Ed. This is the mine that kept the final leg of the South Park narrow gauge running until August of 1943.  The line was then standard gauged and the C&S was still operating this isolated branch between Climax and Leadville at the time of this newsletter)

October

Photo source

(Bailey Depot is Destroyed)

The old Denver, South Park & Pacific depot at Bailey is no more. Around the first of June, the building was burned and bulldozed into dust. Attempt was made by several groups to save the building even though it was badly deteriorated, but the local fire department had other ideas. 

(Alpine Tunnel Enginehouse Water Tank Collapses)

watertank remains (right) 2003

SLOWLY DISAPPEARING - The old water tank located in the corner of the engine house at the Alpine Tunnel collapsed into a pile of rubble last winter. The walls are still there, but the tank underframe is gone. 

(Turntable Bridge Tested on Georgetown Loop)

IT'S GETTING THERE - The Georgetown Loop Historic Site is being prepared for the winter hibernation period. Most track work for this season is finished. Rails are now spiked down over the second (turntable) bridge. The bridge was "tested" by putting a locomotive on it, the diesel of course.