The Only Known Photo of an Intact Midway Water Tank

Certain C&S water tanks have gotten lots of photographic attention during operation days and even during abandonment.  Some, however, never graced a single negative, or if they did, they haven’t surfaced or aren’t widely circulated.  Such has been the case with Midway Tank at MP 168.66 on the western slope of the route through the Alpine Tunnel, that is, until recently.

The very photogenic Tunnel Gulch Tank, 1960s- Dow Helmers photo

Tunnel Gulch water tank, a little over 4 miles upgrade from Midway, has appeared in many photographs.  While none of them are from operational days, the water tank, erected to replace the Woodstock tank destroyed by avalanche in 1884, has graced many photos after abandonment.  It seems to have intrigued visitors to the rail-less grade.  Numerous photos show how it, ever so slowly, tipped forward and letting its funnel drop and hang lifeless.  The water tank appeared destined to be a pile of wood and metal bands.  Thankfully, in 1959, the Mile-Hi Jeep Club saved her from ruin with a restoration that set her to rights again.

1905 photo of train leaving Midway Tank

Midway Tank, in contrast, has been camera-shy.  It is famously mentioned in the caption of an iconic 1905 photo of an eastbound C&S mixed train with its helper engine No. 57, piloted by Walt Parlin, just ahead of a combination car.  The train is pulling away after filling up for the strenuous climb to Alpine.  Yet, the photo does not actually show Midway tank. 

Midway Tank's Remains 2018, upgrade of the base

Following the end of service in 1910 between Quartz and Hancock, Midway Tank, while considered “practically new” by the railroad company, was left to the elements.  She collapsed over the years without any known photographic evidence.  Her discarded remains litter the ground to this day by her still-intact base.

Photo of Midway Tank intact

It was to my surprise, then, when a  photo of Midway Tank jumped out at me from my computer.  A few years back I purchased a bunch of old photos without captions or dates from eBay.  They are all color images of abandoned remains near Alpine Tunnel.  My guess was that they were from the 1950s or 1960s.  I barely knew one of the photos included a water tank since the structure was so overgrown with trees.  Yet, with a closer look, one can make out the metal tank bands that have slipped down at angles pointed at the grade.  The board where the spout once hung sticks out through the Aspen leaves.

The trees were actually what tipped me off that this was not another photo of Tunnel Gulch Tank.  Tunnel Gulch is always easily visible in a clearing of sorts, surrounded by lots of pine trees.  In contrast, the tank in my photo, as well as the site of Midway’s base today, is crowded with Aspens.  

Midway Tank base 2018-notice dense Aspen trees

Tunnel Gulch Tank 2018-notice pine trees

Tunnel Gulch Tank - notice pine trees and visibility

The tree difference helped solve another problem: the C&TS photo site has four photos labeled as Midway Tank, but the proliferation of pines and the visibility of the tank make it quite clear that the two showing an intact tank are mislabeled (Also Midway's pipe housing is in the back unlike Tunnel Gulch's which is in the front).  

One last hurdle remained for identification.  The trees were certainly a clue, but what about the rock slide just upgrade in the photo?  I watched back through GoPro footage I filmed in 2018.  While the Aspens were present at Midway, there was no telltale sign of that slide.  

I reached out to Bob Schoppe to see if he had any insight.  Sure enough he had the same photo, but it was reversed (It was also labeled with the day June 24, 1956).  If his was the right direction, that would put the rock fall downgrade from the tank.  I jumped back on my GoPro footage and sure enough, there it was.  My photo was backwards.

Here is the photo in its correct form.  Photo is facing downgrade.

Here is the rock fall in the photo above looking upgrade.  Midway Tank's base is just around the trees in the center.

So, there we have it: the only known photo of an intact Midway water tank.  Sadly, it is so engulfed in trees we can hardly make many determinations about the structure.  Hopefully, this article will inspire a reader to say, “What a sec!  I have a photo of that tank!” and bring another photo to light.