1977 C&S news (1) - Visits to Chalk Creek and Platte Canon grades, 1937 Perry photo of C&S freight

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 1977 editions.   

1977

March
(Traveling past St. Elmo in the winter!)

About the middle of last month, several club members, while wandering around the mountains, drove up

C&S boxcars above St. Elmo 1990s

Chalk Creek Canon to St. Elmo, and then on up the old DSP&P grade about a mile past the town with no problem at all. Probably could have gone all the way to Hancock, were it not for an ice flow across the grade. Imagine, in February.!! The old South Park men and Colorado Midland Hagerman Pass crews would be doing handsprings during a winter like this, although they undoubtedly would be about the only ones in such spirits. 

July

(Hiking the Platte Canon grade)

DIG OUT THOSE WALKING SHOES!!! - One of the closest, yet probably one of the most ignored or forgotten abandoned railroad grades near Denver, will be the setting for the club's 1977 field trip as we set aside Saturday, August 6, for the PLATTE CANYON BUNION POUNDER. This is an interesting and scenic old grade to explore, even though man and mother nature have erased many of the Denver South Park & Pacific's (C&S's) markings in the canyon. However, parts of the grade are still sprinkled with cinders from the hard working little engines, there are old bridges still in place and in use, there are the sparce remains of the Strontia Springs Resort, the fascinating rock walls constructed by the Denver & Rio Grande for their planned line through the canyon but which never supported tie or rail, the Water Department's facilities and dam, and other points of interest are there to inspect. 

1880s Strontia Springs-William Jackson photo

We intend to provide two different methods for visiting the canyon which we hope will allow an opportunity for everyone who desires to participate in the outing. The starting point will be the parking area at the eastern mouth of the canyon near the Denver Water Department's treatment facilities at Waterton (Kassler). We will board a chartered bus at 8:00 A.M. for a ride around to the town of South Platte at the west end of the canyon. Our buses will first join the right-of-way at Pine, and proceed to South Platte, passing by Buffalo Creek, Foxton, Westall Monument, Dome Rock and other stations and attractions along the old South Park line. We will stop for a look at a few of them. At South Platte, we will disembark and proceed to walk through Platte Canyon on the old grade. Points of interest will be noted and explained as we progress. We will hike about seven miles to where the grade has been widened and graveled, and a flatbed truck fitted with sideboards and benches will take us the remaining three miles through Waterton, where our cars will be parked. 

We realize that there are a number of members and friends who, for one reason or another, are not able to walk this distance through the canyon so we have made arrangements to provide a means for those folks to visit the area as well. Also, at 8:00 A.M. , we will be able to take a limited number of individuals through the canyon to South Platte, and return via the same way to Waterton on the sideboard and bench-equipped truck. This is intended for folks who definitely cannot manage to hoof it seven miles. If we catch anybody climbing aboard the truck with a fake cast on their leg, flashing a forged birth certificate stamped with "1870," etc., it will be into the river for them!! 

The hikers should be appropriately dressed and equipped and should bring a lunch and other snacks if desired. At some point, we will stop and eat. Hikers and riders should also bring their own drinking water (it probably will be rather warm in the canyon, depending on the weather of course) and both groups may wish to bring some sort of rain gear if the weather predictions indicate the possibility of afternoon showers. The truck ride may last into the early afternoon; the hike, late afternoon. The canyon is not a difficult hike, as hikes go, as it is entirely on the old grade, is level, and will be taken in a rather leisurely pace. The usual amount of caution should be exercised for a walk of this nature, as there are a few snakes and some poison ivy and oak along the river. 

The cost of those riding the bus will be $4.00, those just riding the truck up and back, $1.00. This will cover the cost of the buses and a little handout that will be provided and allow us to insure that everyone will have a place when they arrive. We think this will turn out to be a fine and rewarding day for all. So just send your money to the club's post office box, and indicate the number in your party, and which group you would like to go with. Capacity is limited, so the earlier the request is sent, the better, as we will have to handle them on a first come, first served basis. Reservations will be accepted through July 27th. If there should be any questions, feel free to call Carl Carlson at 985-0975, Darrell Arndt at 321-2723, or Ed Haley at 477-5978. 

(Otto Perry photo of C&S freight at Waterton)

AFTER TAKING ON WATER at the tank at Waterton, Colorado, Otto Perry photographed this narrow gauge freight as C&S locomotives No. 68 and 69 move forward and prepare to climb through the Platte Canyon. Two more helper engines are cut into the train near the rear end. This photo, taken by Otto on April 1, 1937, is an example of the many photographs he took of Colorado railroads. After thousands of man-hours of research and cataloging by a number of Rocky Mountain Railroad Club members, a catalog of the Otto C. Perry Memorial Collection of Railroad Photographs is now available from the Western History Department of the Denver Public Library. Volume One lists his photographs from the Alabama & Western RR through the Duluth, Winnipeg & Pacific Ry. Quality copies of any of the 11,511 photos may be ordered from the catalog listing. Photo sizes range from postcard to poster size, for individual collections or publications. The frontispiece, incidentally, is an original pen and ink drawing of a D&RGW narrow gauge locomotive by Howard Fogg. The catalog is 8k x 11, includes 18 photos, consists of 424 pages and sells for $6.50 plus $1.00 for postage. A price list is furnished with each catalog. Orders should be sent to the Western History Department, Denver Public Library, 1357 Broadway, Denver, Colorado 80203, with checks payable to same. When work on the remaining photos is completed, Volume II will be printed. 

Video following the C&S Ry. from Tunnel Gulch Tank to Woodstock (Part 6)

I have a new video in a series of videos following the less-famous stretch of the right-of-way to the Alpine Tunnel from Pitkin to Woodstock.

Part 6 of this series follows the DSP&P/C&S route from the restored Tunnel Gulch Water Tank to the townsite of Woodstock.  A few rock cribbing walls (approximate locations) are pointed out.  The upper grade that leads to the west portal of Alpine Tunnel, while blocked from view by trees, is above to the left of the grade here.  The crossing of the Alpine & South Park toll (wagon) road is also pointed out.  Curiously, Part 5 was posted a year ago around Thanksgiving.  One year later, I finally came through with another part!

Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving!

Kurt Maechner

A First Visit to Platte Canon, part 2

This is part 2 of my recent October 2022 visit to a portion of the abandoned Platte Canon route of the Colorado & Southern narrow gauge.  Part 1 can be found here. 

 Webster

The remains of the Webster water tank

Our next stop was the site of Webster, a place where C&S trains, both east and westbound, would stop for water.  We parked in a rutted road on the right which led to a very old cemetery on the hillside.  In the distance, on the left side of 285 are the remains of the Webster water tank.  Only the base is present and a field is in the place where the mainline and the siding large enough for 43 cars once were.  Unfortunately, the supports seem to be on a gated property so we could only snap shots from afar.  I would have loved to get up close to it!  Someone later commented on a forum that he had found the owner friendly to visitors, but we didn't know it at the time.  The beams look quite sturdy for a structure that hasn’t seen a train for over eighty years.  

The westbound tracks used to curve to the right shortly after the water tank.  The railroad then crossed 285 from left to right here.  On the right, the roadbed is now Colorado 60 for part of the way until the railroad made a horseshoe curve back to the highway and began its climb towards Kenosha Pass.  We took a short jaunt up this gravel road for a few minutes and turned back around, surrounded by vibrant aspen leaves.  

Colorado 60, the old C&S grade

Back on 285 the railroad was on the right, higher up on the hillside.  Along this stretch there are some palisade rock walls supporting the grade, but unfortunately, as the driver, I couldn’t see them.  The right-of-way crossed to the left at another spot, near railroad milepost 73, which we could not identify in passing.  

Hoosier

Colorado 58, the old C&S grade

Our next point of interest was where the route crossed 285 from left to right near a siding for nine cars known as Hoosier.  To the right, then, Colorado 58 comes off of 285 and is on the roadbed (though it parallels the road to the right slightly at some point) up Hall Valley until it curves off left at the Dake townsite (where large charcoal kilns once stood to the right of the roadbed) into a balloon loop, crossing the North Fork of the South Platte River, and then travels through a cut and returns parallel but higher again than 285.  

ROW curves left up ahead. Cut is barely visible at left

We drove onto the dirt C 58 road, noticing a moose mud hole on our left that Tom Klinger told us to watch for.  He said you can sometimes see moose there, but it was vacant at our visit.  We kept looking for the turnoff of the roadbed to the left, and I thought I found it.  I precariously took my rental car on a bumpy one-lane dirt track for a little bit.  From my Google Earth maps, I knew the railroad line would keep turning left, which our road did for a little while, but when the road started curving sharply right, I had the inkling we were not on the roadbed.  Later map research revealed that I had missed the ROW and instead was driving on C 811.  Needless to say, we turned around and headed back to 285 to continue the climb up Kenosha Pass. 

Kenosha Pass

Rebuilt main line, curving into stub end of wye to the left. Long ties at right would have been mainline

Finally, we reached the top of Kenosha Pass which was littered on left and right with a multitude of cars.  Visitors flooded the area to take in the fall mountain beauty.  We pulled off to the left and drove between parallel fences to another parking spot at the hiking trailheads.  From there we backtracked on foot to the partially rebuilt Kenosha wye where helper engines once turned after assisting trains up grade.  We started walking on the tracks from what was the stub end of the wye.  The right hand side, eastbound from our walking direction, of the narrow gauge wye is completely rebuilt.  A switch leading west leads to a short several feet of track.  The switch at this point is a stub switch and I got a chance to explain to my daughter how it worked since you can actually turn the switch stand.  Unfortunately, there is no connection to the rail.  

Stub end of wye out of sight to right

Following the longer rebuilt portion to the right (east) there are some longer ties that make it appear that there were (are?) plans for a switch to build more track that would potentially connect both ends of the wye, but the ties remain rail-less for now.  The wye would need to cross the road to the trailheads too, which seems unlikely.  

    A good deal of coal dust trails the tracks.  At several spots there are good historical signs detailing the railroad and the wye.  One sign also pointed out the still-present wetland to the east that shows up in photos from the railroad era.  

The South Park

The great South Park

We hopped back into our Nissan and crested the vista where the South Park explodes into your senses as this sweeping flatland extends gloriously into the distance surrounded by stalwart mountain peaks.  This view makes it very clear why the railroad enshrined the name “South Park” in both its name and advertising.  What a sight!

The grade coming down the pass. Cut in distance

The C&S right-of-way is down below the highway on the mountainside at left.  Tom Klinger told me to look for a right hand pull off for viewing it farther down the mountainside.  I tried the first one, ran across 285, but couldn’t see anything.  We drove down to the next one, about half way down the mountain.  Then my daughter and I rushed across to the left and, sure enough, one could see, looking upgrade and left, the roadbed snaking its way down from the pass.  A cut, while distant, is easily visible upgrade to the left.  As the grade passed in front of us and down the slope to the floor of the South Park, one can make it out, though it is quite faint.  

Jefferson

Jefferson depot, soon to be an Airbnb

We scurried back to our car, drove downgrade, passing where the roadbed crosses to the right of 285, and entered into that great expanse, finally reaching the old, but still living town of Jefferson where the 1880 DSP&P depot still stands right off the highway.  The adjacent Hungry Moose Caboose restaurant, reopened for the first time in three years and under new ownership, was our place to stop for lunch.  The restaurant sits right on top of what would have been the west leg of the Jefferson wye.  

While we weren’t adventurous enough to order “The Trainwreck” sandwich which we were told by the owner was “huge” (In fact, you can buy a T-shirt that says “I survived the Trainwreck”), we indulged on a truly delectable bacon cheeseburger made from beef from a ranch just five miles away.  

BN caboose in primer west of Jefferson depot

While eating, we got to chat with the owner.  He and his wife own both the restaurant and also the depot.  They live in the former depot presently and are in the process of converting it to be an Airbnb rental.  They hope to have it available next spring 2023.  Recently, the couple replaced all the original station windows to make it better insulated.  The old windows are sitting in the yard.  He explained that all the exterior and interior walls are original and the ticket window still exists as well.  As if this hard work wasn’t enough, he acquired a standard gauge Burlington Northern caboose and put it on a short stretch of track on the old roadbed just west of the station and plans to convert it to a two-person Airbnb rental too.  

We asked him what it’s like to live in such a small town.  He remarked that he loved it, loved the quiet, and loved the closeness to nature.  There are 15 residents in Jefferson right now and the Community Center, across the highway next to the historic Jefferson school building with its old-time bell tower, offers a way to connect with neighbors.  Winters, he remarked, are challenging as it is very cold and very windy.  This reminded me of photos and stories I’ve seen of South Park cars being blown off tracks in the area.  It also explained the reason for those odd, wooden vestibules built outside the doors of the Como depot.  The South Park gets serious wind!

Como

Line to Denver at left.  Eating House, depot, & roundhouse in distance

    After our delicious lunch my daughter and I got back on 285 to head west toward Como.  The roadbed is on the right, but it was hard for me to identify it at times, at least while driving.  It looked as if the power line poles that parallel the highway beginning shortly west of Jefferson might be on the ROW.  At one location I caught sight of what once must have been a short trestle over a gully where the bridge posts still stick up from the ground. 

Repainted C&S 8311, formerly on display at Boreas Pass

    Our official last railroad-related stop was Como.  I was last there in 2018 and while it is dramatically changed since that time and I would have loved to explore more of the railroad developments, we just didn’t have much more leeway in time so it had to be a quick visit.  On this Friday, October late morning no one was around, but we got to see the rolling stock outside the roundhouse and depot including C&S boxcars 8311 and 8323, DSP&P boxcar 608, and various other non-C&S equipment.  Mia and I took a walk down the mainline to the end of the right hand line to Denver and then walked to the end of the line to Boreas Pass.  It was fun to note the coal dust resting in the grass in large piles.  

Standing on the mainline to Boreas Pass (which is behind me)

With our last stop behind us, we jumped back in for the remaining trip.  I had hoped to stop at the crossing of the Gunnison main from the right of 285 to the left just a little west of Como.  This left hand ROW is now route 7 that comes off of the highway, but sadly I didn’t have time to photograph it.  One can see the roadbed glide off and away to the left.  

End of the Line

The rebuilt scale house and Boreas Pass in the distance

One more stop I had originally planned was the crossing of the right-of-way at Garos where a wye was located, but I assumed I would see a sign for Garos.  Needless to say, no sign greeted me and I assume the townsite is long gone.

    After a glorious morning of ghost-train chasing, we made the stunning drive down to Canon City, experiencing more fog as we got close.  There we had a great weekend exploring Worldview at the Abbey for the Preview Weekend and opened our hands, in a sense, to ask Jesus to give us insight if this is good place for our daughter after she graduates this coming May.  Admittedly, I'd be happy for an excuse to visit Colorado (and more C&S sites) more often!

The Abbey in Canon City

One of my favorite parts of visiting the areas where the C&S ran is how alive it makes photographs and maps when one can visualize the spot today.  I am so happy, as I sit writing this on our airplane home, that just a few moments ago I did just that.  I opened up Tom and Denise Klinger’s Platte Canon Memories & Then Some and paged through the photos with that wonderful feeling that says, “I was there!”

Platte Canon train near Maddox Now and Then

 Just before Maddox ice pond, we passed Platte Canyon high school.  A few years back I came upon a before and after video near the waste water treatment plant for the school.  It shows a 1929 C&S double header at the same spot.  The mountain in the background is spot-on for the before and after.

A First Visit to Platte Canon, part 1

  When I interact with C&S fans online, it’s encouraging to know that I’m not the only one who lives far, far away from the railroad I enjoy so much.  Living in Ohio doesn’t afford me many opportunities to just hop over to the lovely state of Colorado, but in October of 2022, a surprise opportunity presented itself.  

My oldest daughter, Mia, a senior in high school, got very interested in a Bible-based gap-year program based in Canon City, Colorado named Worldview at the Abbey.  My wife and I loved the vision of the program and our daughter’s excitement about the possibility.  Still, sending our oldest across the country by herself without having made a personal visit as parents first seemed a bit intimidating so we signed up for a preview weekend in October.  

The main point of this trip was, of course, for me to check out the program with our daughter, but the chance to visit Colorado, even for a mere two and a half days set my mind ablaze with what C&S visits I could make!  I got to work checking out the routes we could travel via the DSP&P Historical Society’s Google Earth overlay and corresponding with the ever-helpful Tom Klinger, co-author with his wife Denise of five stellar C&S books.  

Map of ROW and new walking trail

Because our flight was to arrive in Denver around 1pm on Thursday, we basically had Thursday afternoon and evening and Friday morning for C&S adventures before the Abbey preview weekend program began Friday afternoon in Canon City.  Tom Klinger helped me work out an itinerary for my available time.  This itinerary began with a visit the Colorado Railroad Museum Thursday afternoon and even a possible short hike on one of the new walking trails built partially on the old C&S line up Clear Creek Canyon.  After this, the Klingers had graciously offered us dinner at their place in Wheat Ridge, just next to Golden.  For Friday, our plans included getting to Canon City by the back route via Route 285 in Platte Canyon, as I had never been east of Kenosha in past Colorado visits.

Disappointingly, our first plans were blown off the track like a boxcar in the South Park when our plane to Denver was delayed a frustrating three hours.  By the time we at last landed and got our rental car (which required another hour of waiting in line), we were at least glad we could visit with the Klingers whose hospitality and company were simply a delight.  As I am in the process of writing a C&S book, it was a joy to hear Tom and Denise relate their completely unplanned foray into becoming authors after A.A. (Brownie) Anderson’s son shared his family photo albums with Tom and kept saying, “Tom, I want you to write a book.”

My daughter and I woke up Friday morning to a dreary day.  On our way south to catch 285, there were times we could barely see the car in front of us through the fog.  This was not an encouraging prospect for sight-seeing!  When we later crested the mountains, the misty, foggy morning finally gave way little by little and the sun came out.  Our sights were stunned to see the Rockies awash with a mix of deep green pine trees juxtaposed by stunning yellow aspen leaves.  For us flat landers, it was an act of spontaneous praise to the Creator as we barked one “Woah!” and “look at that!” after another.

Due to our need to arrive in Canon City by 2:30pm, we had to make a few cuts or short visits along the way.  I wanted to visit Pine to see the two gondolas on display, but since I could not figure out a way to get from Pine, which required a drive down Pine Valley Road off of the highway, to Bailey without backtracking to 285, we skipped it.

Bailey

With anticipation we entered South Park railroad country at last as 285 makes a sweeping right hand curve in the old town of Bailey.  We pulled off to the left in the center of the curve.  Helen McGraw-Tatum Memorial Park was easily visible straight ahead of us behind a shop bearing a William Jackson photo of a Mason Bogie and a coach near the Alpine Tunnel.  The first sight to see was an old South Park railroad bridge across the North Fork of the South Platte River leading to a footpath.  

We rolled over the gravel, parked on what was likely the South Park right-of-way, and walked over to a delightful small park dedicated to an adventurous woman who loved the history of this area.  Helen McGraw-Tatum is known to many C&S fans for her film recording of C&S No. 9 hauling the last passenger train in April 1937.  

Spanning the creek is the old Mill Gulch bridge from Platte Canon.  We walked across the ornate bridge several times with it’s ornamental “Keystone Bridge” sign high up on top.  A note in the November 1977 Rocky Mountain Rail Report gives a little background on the structure.  

Mill Gulch Bridge

THE HISTORIC MILL GULCH BRIDGE, or as it is now referred to, the Keystone Bridge, (it was built by the company of the same name) will have a new resting place near downtown Denver if all goes as planned. The Denver Water Board has offered to dismantle and move the old DSP&P bridge from the canyon, and reassemble it across the South Platte River near Denver's Mile High Stadium.

A permanent bridge is needed at the location to provide fans attending events at the stadium, a way in which to cross the river from certain parking areas. The Water Board has to replace the bridge in the canyon with a stronger one (which will use the same abutments) to allow movement of heavy construction equipment. It was the intention of the Board to disassemble the bridge anyway, and store it until a worthy recipient could be found. So it will now be preserved and used, although not in quite as picturesque a setting.

The bridge was taken apart in the summer of 1978.  In the November Rocky Mountain Rail Report the following was explained, along with a new plan for the bridge’s use.

The Denver Water Department is in the process of widening the narrow gauge roadbed farther into the canyon, to permit access by heavy construction equipment, so the bridge had to be replaced. The large girders at the top were used to support the structure as it was carefully taken apart. They were then lowered onto the abutments to become the main supports for the new bridge. The old bridge is now in storage, and is to be given to the Forest Service, who has indicated it will be used near the Keystone Ski Area.

The bridge was never used in Denver or the Keystone Ski Area, but was instead put back together and placed in Bailey in 1985.

Glen Isle and Grousemont

Next, we visited the old Glen Isle way station to the left of the Keystone bridge.  Originally located at the Glen Isle resort just a bit west of this spot, the open air station had been restored in 1994 by combining it with another way station from Grousemont.  Inside, one can look up and see signatures of passengers who put their names here while waiting for trains.  Unfortunately, it is a bit hard to decipher which are original as many recent visitors seem to have kept up the tradition of adding their names.  Still, some are dated from the 1920’s and ‘30s.  

To the left of the Glen Isle station, a C&S standard gauge caboose, donated by the railroad in 1973, rests on what was the South Park’s right-of-way.

 
From there we hopped back onto 285, now a two-lane highway and right on top of the former C&S roadbed.  We passed Glen Isle where the old hotel with its rounded front, dating from railroad days, still stands on your left.  Of many resort hotels along the South Platte River, it is the only one still standing and serving vacationers in the canyon.

Maddox

Our next marker was to look for Fitzsimmons Middle School and Platte Canyon High School on our right as a marker to remind us to look for the old Maddox Ice Pond on our left, where scores of C&S cars were loaded with ice on a siding that could accommodate 48 cars.  Once we passed the school, we easily
identified the large square, man-made lake still glistening in the fall sunshine.  We pulled off onto a left hand driveway and took some photos of the lake, and then ran across the street to a gated driveway.  This path was a rutted dirt road which connected with the old right-of-way where it veered to the right away from 285, leading to a ranch called Mile High Anglers, a provider of guided fly fishing tours.

Cassells

We headed back on the road, this time with the roadbed on our right.  It was hard to see traces of it, especially as the driver!  We made two quick stops near what was called Cassells in early railroad days.  The site once hosted a resort built and operated by the Cassells family and it also sported a siding large enough for five cars.  In 1930 the property was sold and given to Catholic Charities and rechristened “Santa Maria,” a camp for underprivileged children.  Today it is a YMCA camp, where one can still see the enormous, 55-foot tall 1930s-era statue of Jesus with outstretched hands named “Christ the King”  on the side of a mountain rising above the North Fork of the South Platte.  We made a quick stop to snap a photo of this at a turn off in the road.

We made another short stop in the Cassells area to find where the railroad’s roadbed crossed 285 from right to left.  The ROW runs through a property on the right, passing a shed and then a house.  The roadbed seems to be used today as the driveway.  We photographed and filmed that, but when we crossed the highway, we were unable to find any roadbed traces easily visible from the road.  

Grant

While I wanted to stop in Grant where a bridge that was part of the end of the wye is still in use for a road, I decided to skip it, knowing it was on private property, and I was not sure how close I could get.

*******

In part 2, I'll continue our trek onto Webster and over Kenosha Pass to the great South Park.

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!