Merry Christmas! A C&S rotary hits the drifts in my imagination

Merry Christmas!  "Once in our world, a stable had something in it that was bigger than our whole world." -C.S. Lewis

"Who can add to Christmas? The perfect motive is that God so loved the world. The perfect gift is that He gave His only Son. The only requirement is to believe in Him. The reward of faith is that you shall have everlasting life." -Corrie Ten Boom

Happy Hanukkah! (Our family enjoys celebrating both holidays :) "The Chanukah story still lives, still inspires, telling not just us but the world that though tyranny exists, freedom, with God’s help, will always win the final battle." -Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

I recently watched a video of a 1993 rotary snowplow trip on the Cumbres and Toltec and found myself imagining it actually occurring on the eastern ascent to the Alpine Tunnel.  I took a few screenshots from the video and labeled them with sites along the C&S between Hancock and East Portal that they resemble.

There are, of course, amazing photos of actual C&S rotaries, but it was fun to look at this video to see a rotary in color and in motion in the video.

April 1902, C&S rotary snowplow 99200, westbound, rounding the curve just outside of Hancock.

April 1902, westbound, just after rounding Sawmill Curve.

 April 1902, the rotary plows through snow drifts roughly one mile west of Hancock.

April 1902, westbound, one mile from the east portal, the plow train emerges from wooded right-of-way onto the shelf track and begins to fight a large snow drift.

For the full video, watch below:

Central City Railroad meeting - What happened?

Since hearing about a meeting in Central City where a group called the Central City Railroad and Mining Museum presented its vision to restore C&S 71 and her attached baggage car to operation, I have been eager to hear what actually happened there.  I posted the question on Central City's Facebook page post about the meeting, but never received a response.  Then I located the following article by Jaclyn Schrock in The Weekly Register-Call.

In the article, posted October 31st, 2019, Schrock details the proceedings of the meeting.  It comes off overly optimistic in my opinion, though I wish them well.  While I certainly have no first hand knowledge of how to construct a tourist railroad, even I know that the existence of "an abundance of grant opportunities to restore trains" can hardly be accurate.

Despite my skepticism, I would love to be wrong!  If this venture could be accomplished with honesty and respect for the historical equipment (unlike what seemed to have occurred during the late '80s-one individual of which is directly involved with this new incarnation), then it would be a delight to see.

*Below is Jaclyn Schrock's article:

The train whistle could be heard in Central City again. Hopes circle like coal smoke for the chugging of steel wheels on 42” narrow gauge rails, July 4th, 2020. As a nonprofit group, Central City Railroad and Mining Museum (CCRMM) has made progress to restore the old train right of ways and acquiring IRS nonprofit status. Nonprofit grants for trains and History Colorado, diligent volunteer efforts cooperating with local government decisions can make reality the revival of engine #71 powered by steam, as in days gone by.

We can see the Colorado and Southern engine #71 with a baggage car on display at the Grand Z Casino and Hotel in Central City, resting after discontinuing service with the tourist train in 1990. At that time #71 was owned by the Gilpin Historical Society, since transferred to Central City. These are the two original pieces of 1870-1949 Colorado and Southern Railroad to be used in starting up phase one of the Central City Railroad and Mining Museum.

On Wednesday, October 23, from 6-8 p.m. the Little Kingdom Room in the Teller House was the gathering place for Central City historic train enthusiasts. The news that “the train is coming” was presented by flyers emailed or posted on social media. Braving the blizzard, about 25 people filled the room along with JKQ menu service, free snacks and beverages. One wall had three posters set on tables displaying photos and text explaining CCRMM’s plan to restore a tourist train beginning in Central City.

The purpose of the meeting was to make public information of the historical hands-on experience plan. Input from the local community was requested about the inclusion of the railroad and mining museum anticipating potential impact regarding more traffic for a hands-on and limited traditional static museum experiences.

The presentation began with Johnny Knapp, CCRMM Secretary enthusiastically announcing the nonprofit status being obtained along with a lease on 220 Spring Street. The funds appear to be in place to construct a temporary facility to dismantle and assure compliance with the mechanisms of engine #71. Moving the locomotive and baggage car to the workshop would follow construction of the building. The temporary design could facilitate a move if or when other station and rail yard options developed.

18,000 feet of track is part of the first phase of the railroad’s plan to allow up 25,000 railroad riders to enjoy the hands-on experience the first summer season. The rail bed would also need to be inspected and made secure for the one way travel of the train to return in reverse. Volunteers are welcomed to join in the restoration and other projects. Dream along with CCRMM on the other phases they ponder with realistic paths to arrive there.

Mr. Knapp explained that CCRMM’s board included himself as Secretary, Bob Bassett acting as President, and Court Hammond, CCRMM’s Chief Operations Officer. Mr. Bassett was unable to attend Wednesday’s gathering. A local citizens’ question about bylaws for CCRMM was answered with an assurance that those are in place and can be made available to those interested.

Also present and speaking was Candice Rosenberger, who brings financial and marketing experience along with personnel relations management to the project. She is working in the capacity of a grant writer as well with CCRMM and enthusiastic to make this dream reality.

It was recognized that there was an abundance of grant opportunities to restore trains. Most require that the rolling stock be owned by a nonprofit group to make funds available. CCRMM is offering options to Central City to consider providing funding to seek further funding to progress the project, or with responsible negotiations release ownership of #71 and the baggage car from Central City to another nonprofit organization. Many opportunities are on the horizon.

Court Hammond was with the previous tourist railroad between Central City and Black Hawk which ran in the late 1980’s. The original passenger and freight train ran from 1878 to 1931. Mr. Hammond is familiar with the operations, correctives learned from experience, and many of the train’s resources origin, condition, and current resting places.

Questions had a wide range, including sparks, noise, and parking from the previous experience with a steam train running through town. All were answered with plans for improvements, including testing various whistles for the residents to select their preferences of the required sounds to warn locals of the train’s forward, backward, and stopping activities. Many locals offered suggestions for potential growth for the project.

Many in the Little Kingdom Room remember the way people came to Central City to relive the experience of riding the train, mining, and hardships of those who settled Gilpin County. In the 1970’s visitors conquered the challenge of steep slopes to contemplate novelties of the ice cream, rock shop, and antique shops. Many still tell tales of who worked in the various restaurants and saloons, living out the ghostly life in the 1980’s of Gilpin County’s government seat. Yet, the tourist train and the city’s charm kept people coming up this mountain, even before the current draw of casinos.

From 1987 through 1990 nearly 55,000 riders boarded the steam engine’s cars to ride the narrow gauge rails between Central City and Black Hawk. Our locally revived steam train, Black Hawk and Central City Tourist Railroad, was part of a travel package for tourists to experience all the narrow gauge trains in Colorado.

The original bridge near the City Hall in Black Hawk was an icon for memories, with the whistles and smoke and well-traveled historians smiling and waving. Seeing the train on that bridge or riding the curves to climb 540 feet in elevation in 4 miles of track, helped many to understand what it took to having mining communities in these mountains, after the Civil War. That steep elevation rise could be traveled with a donkey in a mile, but took over 4 miles of track to make the trip with the elevation changes by train.

The station for the tourist train of the 1980’s in Central City was the former Weekly Register-Call building at 220 Spring Street. The original 1881 Central City train station was buried under mine tailings, and covered with rocks to avoid health concerns at the end of the Big-T parking lot near Central’s City Hall.

Back in 1872, the original old Black Hawk RR station was a stone building that stopped the train from going farther upstream. The Colorado and Southern Railroad had regular trains transporting goods between Denver through Golden and up Clear Creek to that junction (now HWY 119 and US 6 just below the Z-Stop gas station).

From that junction, trains could take the south fork to Idaho Springs, Georgetown, and Silver Plum, or the north fork to Black Hawk and a spur to Floyd Hill. It took six more years to go beyond the stone Black Hawk depot. Improvements graded the railroad bed to progress two more miles up the north fork of Clear Creek to switch back briefly running parallel to the tracks by Clear Creek, 400’ higher in elevation reaching Central City and hoped for Nevadaville.

1881 travel guide books for the Black Hawk/ Central City train ride assured travelers this section was not to be missed.

Late 1980 guests were thrilled by the experience to ride the coal-powered steam train in passenger cars donated by the Rio Grande RR, now that gas engines are the most frequent modes of transportation.

According to Mr. Hammond, the Colorado and Southern (C&G) narrow-gauge lines were formed in 1898 from multiple reformations of railroads. These lines connected Colorado Central and the Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroads. The narrow gauge tracks benefited travel in mountain terrain. The four distinct lines united as the Colorado and Southern Railroad included:

The Platte Canyon line from Denver to Como, Colorado
The Gunnison line from Como to Gunnison, via Alpine Tunnel
Highline between Como and Leadville
The Clear Creek line from Denver to Silver Plum, and our branch between Forks Creek and Central City
Major branch lines of the C&G narrow-gauge included: The Gunnison and Baldwin, the Keystone from Dickey, the Black Hawk branch, the Morrison Branch from Denver to Morrison, and the Alma branch from Alma to Como.

The Colorado and Southern, Wikipedia said, did not get new engines, but inherited and used 56 engines in 1900 from the parent railroads. Mr. Hammond says by 1940 the number of engines was down to 15, with five remaining today: #191 is at the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden. #9 is in Breckenridge. #60 is in Idaho Springs. #74 is in Boulder, and #71 is in Central City.

Engine #71 ran over the entire C&G system, being one of the heaviest engines. It made many trips from Denver to Como, Breckenridge, and Leadville. When segments of those lines were abandoned between 1935-38, #71 ran from Denver to Golden and up Clear Creek to Black Hawk and Idaho Springs.

#71 made its last trip in September of 1940. It was retired in April of 1941 and moved to Black Hawk. Later it was trucked to Central City and put on display at 220 Spring Street.

Current Colorado narrow gauge trains operating include:

–The Georgetown Loop Railroad, part of the old C&S system which served 142,000 passengers in 2018.

–Durango and Silverton Narrow-Gauge Railroad, with 213,000 passengers in 2018.

–Cubres and Toltec Scenic Railroad, Antonito, Colorado with 52,800 passengers in 2018.

Mr. Hammond recognizes many demographic changes in Central City since the former tourist train stopped running. Thirty years ago, it was an addition to the attractions of the historic city’s buildings, cemeteries, and shops with the Opera House, Gilpin Historical Society Visitor’s Center and Museums, and the Hidee Mine.

In 2020, the Central City Railroad and Mining Museum experience hopes to be the anchor of attractions, offering a hands-on thrill. The inclusion of the Art Museum, summer festivals, weekly historical re-enactments and casino choices also draws others to the area.

Emphasizing the hands-on aspect of the mining railroad is the fresh approach for the Central City Railroad and Mining Museum experience. The CCRMM is a drawing source for visitation, because of its broad appeal for visual and hands-on experiences.

Studies analyzing tourism show that more people are looking for live, active history, versus stationary attractions. The CCRMM would draw more people to the towns of Central City and Black Hawk, and increases the time that visitors who are already in town spend experiencing the rest of the attractions that exist in the area.

What do you think about reviving historic train traffic in Gilpin County? Let Central City and Black Hawk know how you feel as they consider these destination attractions to our historic mountain community.

Link to the article at the Weekly Register-Call.

Drone over the Como yard - 2019

The South Park Rail Society recently posted this video by Michael Randol SOCO Elevated Drone Photography Ltd including outstanding drone footage of the Como roundhouse yard.  A light snow blankets the South Park and many new acquisitions of narrow gauge equipment rest outside for their turn to come back to life including two recently acquired Rio Grande stock cars and a drop down gondola.

Happy Thanksgiving! A short 2019 C&S thankfulness list

In honor of Thanksgiving, I put together a small list of C&S-related items that I'm thankful for from 2019.  There are certainly more, but this is what I came up with in the few minutes before I head up to the kitchen to prep for our Thanksgiving guests today.

1. The discovery and acquisition of the only two C&S type 2 boxcars known to exist (found on a farm in western Colorado)



2. The arrival of two C&S Bettendorf freight car trucks from South Dakota that previously had been used on Type 2 stockcars



3. Every stall in the Como roundhouse (minus the office) now has track in it once again.



4. Arrival of the first diesel, a Plymouth, in Como



5. The first new DSP&P timetable in...a few years :)



6. Jason Midyette's restoration and donation of C&S boxcar 8027 to Como



7. The arrival of the first coach, RGS 256, to Como



8. A grant was received for the restoration of C&S gondola 4319 (in Como, on loan from Central City)


9. The C&S railway society's continued work on caboose 1006 in Silver Plume.



10. Two gondolas (Rio Grande) are now on display on the C&S right-of-way in Pine, Colorado (sorry, I don't have a photo of the second one)



11. Discovery of the exact sink needed for restoration of C&S caboose 1008, down to the cast lettering, at the Colorado Railroad Museum


Thank You, dear Father, for the C&S and the joy it brings to so many of us.  And thank You for all the hard work done by so many this past year!

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!
Kurt

Video of Highlights along The Road to the West Portal

In the video below I put together highlights of the C&S route from Quartz to just before the Alpine Tunnel station complex.

Included are:
-several rock walls other than the famous ones
-three water tank locations
-a remaining telegraph pole
-the Palisades
-avalanche damage to the rock wall
-split rock
-rock work along the right-of-way
-Sherrod curve
-and more

The Last Mason Bogie - another look

We visited the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield village again in October 2019 and caught a bit of footage of the Torch Lake, the last remaining Mason Bogie in the world.  One of the docents explained that she was hidden (intentionally?) in the back of a shed behind other locos when taken out of service.  This is what allowed her to avoid being scrapped (like DSP&P 57 was scrapped) for the wartime scrap drive during WWII.

The Torch Lake was originally narrow gauge, just barely.  She was built as 4 foot 1 inch gauge, but later standard gauged.


Another bit of interesting info from the Henry Ford site:
"The last time the Torch was fired-up by the Calumet & Hecla Mining Co. was in 1933. Being the last of their steam locomotives and after 50 years of service, it was decided to place the Torch Lake in indefinite storage. The locomotive had to be towed on the mainline part of its journey to storage due to it not having air brakes. When the main line portion of the trip was completed, it was left on a siding at Lake Linden. The boiler was fired up and it continued under its own power. As they crossed a bridge and main highway on the way to Ahmeek, Mich., engineer Edward Carter blew a long whistle thinking this would be the last steam train whistle heard in the Keweenaw Peninsula. It was placed in a storage shed at the C & H facility in Ahmeek, drained of water and left there untouched until 1966.

"That same year the Torch Lake was pulled out of the shed and towed to Calumet, Mich., to become part of the Calumet & Hecla Centennial. The train was cleaned, painted and put on display. After the Centennial, C & H offered the locomotive to the Edison Institute (now The Henry Ford) as a gift."

C&S 71 could steam again: exciting or concerning?

When I was in the Clear Creek area back in 2018, I got talking with someone from the rail restoration community who commented that Court Hammond, the driving force behind the 1987-1990 restoration of C&S 71 for his Black Hawk and Central City Narrow Gauge Railroad, was again trying to gain access to 71 and run her again.  As many are aware, many were not happy with various aspects of what happened during that short revival of No. 71. 

Then, last week, another South Park forum shared the following flier:

After doing further research I discovered that the "Central City Railroad & Mining Museum" submitted an "Application for Land Use Permit" to the Central City Planning Commission on July 26th, 2019.  In the document (below) it states that this group has been talking with the City for two years about the project and that the City "has expressed an interest in assisting with the railroad."  The group's goal is to reestablish "the narrow-gauge tourist railway that ran in Central City during the late 1980's."

Many have serious doubts and concerns about this proposal.  Those who have much more insight on the subject than myself expressed their opinions in this thread from the Narrow Gauge Discussion Forum.

C&S cars on the WP&Y

As the C&S narrow gauge wound down and World War II wound up, the US Army shipped a large volume of former C&S rolling stock up to Alaska to work on the White Pass & Yukon Railway. 

Recently I located a site run by Boerries Burkhardt.  He has attempted the amazing job of making an inventory of every WP&Y piece of equipment, including:

A ton of photos of ex-C&S boxcars

Photos of ex-C&S flat cars

Photos of ex-C&S refrigerator cars

One photo of ex-C&S locomotive No.69

Visit the summit of Boreas Pass! Video

Before I had visited Boreas Pass summit myself I could never get a good sense of what it looked like.  It just seemed so nondescript compared to the Alpine Tunnel station area.  I finally visited in 2018.  I put together this video especially for those who haven't been there to get a sense of the layout and facilities that once were there, the remains of those gone, and the restored aspects at present.  I also tried to line up some historical photos with my photos and video.

My apologies for not filming the inside of the section house.  We had to make it to Boulder by the evening and couldn't linger as much as I would have liked.

Enjoy,
Kurt

Two more C&S boxcars found!

The C&S saved a few pieces of narrow gauge rolling stock like engines 71, 60, and 9, as well as coach 70, caboose 1006, gondola 4319, combine 20, and the three passenger cars now in Silver Plume.

Jason Midyette Photo of C&S 8027 in 2005

Sales to other railroads inadvertently led to the saving of others like engines 74 and 32 (DSP&P 191), the refrigerator and stock car at the Colorado Railroad Museum, and the two reconstructed boxcars at Breckenridge and Boreas Pass. 

Curiously, the other source of rolling stock salvation has been a bit surprising-use as sheds.

Old railroad cars have sometimes been purchased by local individuals to be used as sheds.  Two C&S baggage cars, #2 and #3 both retired in January 1939, found a prolonged life this way.  Both ended up on the ground near Longmont, Colorado.  #2, specifically, was dismantled in July 1939 and the body sold to F.W. Kimmel of Lyon, Colorado.

Baggage car #3, however, though sighted for decades as a shed, was destroyed by a developer in 2005, despite assurances that it would be saved.  According to Jason Midyette, "another C&S car on the property, possibly thought to be Baggage/Mail car 11, was destroyed at the same time."

Her identical sister, #2, however, found a new home.  In 1980 the 1874 baggage car was moved to the Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer in Grand Island, Nebraska.  The baggage car is reportedly not in good shape, having rotted quite a bit from her years as a shed, but is preserved nonetheless.

C&S 1008

A few other cars survived for a period of time as sheds or tool cars.  Combination car #30 was converted to a tool car and then used as a shed in Leadville.  Mallory Hope Ferrell's C&Sng lists it still there as late as 1959.  Mail-coach #42 was dismantled in May of 1939, and then the body was sold, and placed on the ground at the end of the Silica branch.  I could find no details of the whereabouts of either car at the present time.

Caboose 1008 is an example of another car that survived as a shed.  It was discovered in California, decades after it was assumed scrapped.  It is now undergoing restoration.

Another recent car saved from toolshed life was C&S boxcar 8027. According to the GoFundMe

Jason Midyette Photo of C&S 8027 in 2005

page that helped bring this car home to Como, 8027 was "'Dismantled' in Denver in January of 1939. Stripped of its metal parts, the carbody was sold to a farmer east of Boulder where it was used as a calving shed and general storage until early 2005. Acquired by a private owner in 2005, the car was slowly restored over the next several years."  That owner, Jason Midyette, did a stunning job restoring it in Kansas, and it now resides in Como.

Well finally, the good news!  Two more piece of C&S rolling stock have been found!!!

The South Park Rail Society recently announced, "We have successfully acquired the only two C&S type 2 boxcars currently known to exist.  These two cars are located on a farm in Western Colorado. The South Park Rail Society needs your assistance to raise the required funds to load and ship these boxcars to Como Colorado for restoration  and display. Additionally some of the funds will be used to  purchase and ship two original sets of historically correct "Bettendorf" Cast steel narrow gauge trucks to go under these boxcars. The final phase of the project will see all of these boxcars restored to operational condition."

This is quite honestly an amazing discovery!  Please follow this link to learn more and to contribute a gift to help this excellent work come to fruition.

Photos below are from the Fund Raising site.

West Portal of Alpine Tunnel 1991 video

In the late '80s, I discovered the Alpine Tunnel in a magazine I bought at a rummage sale.  Fascinated, I then devoured Historic Alpine Tunnel and Poor's DSP&P book from the local Ohio library.  My parents, recognizing my growing passion for the subject, took our family out to visit this amazing place for the first time in 1991.  This is the home movie filmed on a Panasonic VHS-C video camera, complemented by cheesy Windows Movie Maker title slides that I added years later.  I'm not sure where the original file with the audio is, so I added new music over some old soundtrack.
Enjoy!  (Some points of curiosity in the video are listed below)

Some points of curiosity:

• The snow sheds at the portal were still scattered over the approach to the portal (today all of the wood has been removed)
• The rails were still under the snow shed debris (all of these rails were later removed and reused on the rebuilt track near the station complex).
• A small replica of the arch had been erected in the beginning of the cut to the portal.  If I recall correctly, a school teacher and class had created this (this has since been removed).
• Water all around it was the water still trickling out from the tunnel.
• The stone facing of the portal was so covered in sliding dirt and rock that someone had created a makeshift rectangle of wood to keep some tiny access to it.
• The turntable was in nearly complete ruin (Today much has been restored and track has been relaid on the approach)
• The other turntable in the remains of the engine house had not yet been excavated.
• No track had been rebuilt yet on the roadbed.
• A random length of rail was laying on the former roadbed leading to the engine house.
• The coal bin had not been restored.  One can see a side of it had collapsed.
• From the back of the station/telegraph office you can see the collapsed privy that today has been fully restored.
• The cellar in the ground near the front of the collapsed boarding house has not yet been restored.
• The railroad has come and gone and restorations have occurred, but the one constant is: those little marmots are still all over the place! :)

The Jefferson Depot-under new ownership 2019

The Jefferson Depot: "Serving travelers since 1880" reads the headline on the website .
www.thejeffersondepot.com

The depot was abandoned in 1937/8 along with the South Park Line, but has had a few lives in the intervening years including the most recent as the Hungry Moose Caboose restaurant.  It's newest owner bought the former C&S depot in the heart of the South Park in 2019.

Their website reads: "In 2019, Frank and Jackie Marinaro purchased the Depot with the dream of creating a place where hikers and anglers, photographers and commuters, passers-thru and lifelong residents can gather, eat, drink and relax in the midst of towering mountain vistas, sparkling rivers, and star-filled Colorado night skies."

They honor the heritage of the depot throughout their website including a map of the entire C&S narrow gauge system, several historical photos of the depot during operations, and images of C&S trains hanging on the walls of the building.

In their "About" section it states, "Formerly the railroad depot for the Denver South Park and Pacific

Railway, The Jefferson Depot has stood at the gateway to the South Park Valley for nearly 150 years welcoming travelers to the breadth and beauty of western Colorado. Located at the base of Kenosha Pass on US 285, the distinct blue train depot building offers respite for travelers passing to and from Denver and towns located in Colorado's central mountains."

While giving the entire operation the name The Jefferson Depot, they still retain the name Hungry Moose Caboose for the take-out grill structure that is made to resemble a simplistic caboose.  Inside the station is the Moose Saloon and also a new area for dining in.  Tables are found in the passenger room, freight room, and agent's office.   

If you would like to see the inside of the depot you can see a virtual tour here from a site that previously posted the property for sale and has yet to be taken down.

While all of us would love to see a train again pull up to the Jefferson depot again (maybe Klondike Kate will get there someday from Como!), it's great to see this historical station still having life and retaining more than a few nods to its past.  Many blessings to Frank and Jackie Marinaro on their new venture!

C&Sng 1954 in the Narrow Gauge News

This is part 5 of the C&S details found in Bob Richardson's Narrow Gauge News via Colorado Rail Annual 21.  Part 1: 1949-1950 is here.  Part 2: 1951 is here. Part 3: 1952 is here.  Part 4: 1953 is here.  Below are C&S references in his newsletter from the year 1954.  I have underlined some points of particular interest.

*Photos here are just my additions, not from the newsletter.

April

Otto Perry Photo - 1940

In a section about the end of passenger service on the D&RG
Passenger service meanwhile had been discontinued on all the other branches.  The Lake City and Pitkin Branches had been abandoned, along with Orient and Crestone.  Most of these services had been by mixed trains, sometimes not daily.  The Pitkin Branch was acquired in 1913 from the Colorado & Southern along with the Baldwin Branch.  The C&S had ceased to operate into the Gunnison area in 1910 when it closed Alpine Tunnel and the D&RG took over the isolated lines.  The Baldwin Branch was operated regularly until 1951 when the coal traffic to the San Luis Valley was lost thru abandonment.

July

C&S 1113 at CRRM-Wil Hata Photo

From MORE ROLLING STOCK TO THE MB&W (made-up RR name for the original
Colorado Railroad Museum)
Additional rolling stock arrived last month for our Mount Blanca & Western….The other three cars are Colorado & Southern cars sold in 1938 to the RGS: RGS box 8714 (C&S 8261), stock 7302 (C&S 7064), refrigerator 2102 (C&S 1116), all built in 1907-1909 period.

As time permits, the cars will be overhauled and lettered for various n.g. lines in Colorado including C&S, F&CC, and perhaps one of the Silverton roads.

August

Palisades 2003 - Kurt Maechner photo

RIGHT-OF-WAY of the old South Park has been cleared enough to Alpine (Portal on west side) for jeep trips to the tunnel.

November

Mac Poor insists that the “Denver, Muleshoe & Pacific” (recently featured in the Buz Sawyer comic strip by Roy Crane) is NOT one of the lesser known subsidiaries of the Denver, South Park & Pacific

…a summons to quite a title to some property in Gunnison was recently published in the “Gunnison Courier” as a legal notice to the Denver, South Park & Pacific and its “unknown surviving directors”…we suspect the 20 days allowed for answer went by with nary a word from any of them!

C&S ex-Idaho Springs depot is now a gift shop.

Idaho Springs Depot 2002

December

One of the box cars on display in the NG Museum attracted a lot of attention this summer…catalog is illustrated and we wish our ex-C&S reefer looked as good as the one shown.