Changes to Forks Creek 1870s to the present

The spot known as Forks Creek has changed many times over the years.

It went through numerous changes during railroad days, but also after the C&S abandoned the route in 1941.

Here are a few of the various looks of the spot when it served as the location of the railroad's diversion to Black Hawk and Central City and the other direction to Idaho Springs and Silver Plume.

The photo below show Forks Creek before the two segments were connected by the later wye track.

Forks Creek also saw changes after the railroad was torn up. Below is a Chris Walker photo of Forks Creek in 1982. You can see that the road from Idaho Springs at left crosses Clear Creek a bit farther downstream similar to the location of the railroad's ornate bridge.

Today's road alignment is different. The road from Idaho Springs now crosses both forks of Clear Creek at the location of the railroad's wye connection. A walking path now runs on the former rail and roadbed. This path does not cross the creek at this location like the railroad and road once did.

Finally, a while back I found a few "Then and Now" images of Forks Creek by someone who nailed the locations to a "T." Unfortunately, I don't recall who took the photos. I must give them credit because they took the risk of taking the shots from the road. So many railroad-era photos are taken from this side, but it is unfortunately difficult to access it on foot.

Central City boarding site photos 2024

 Here are a few photos from my family's visit to Central City's former tourist boarding site.

Here I am with two of our daughters after walking the track east of the boarding site.

The above photo shows a rail dolly (not the red car). This track car was used on the 1987-1989 tourist railroad here.

Another photo of the dolly from the past.

This shot shows a gondola with a drop-bottom gondola (red) in front of it.

What is going on in Central City??

I knew some track had been laid up at the old tourist railroad boarding site, but I was unprepared for all that I found there on a recent visit. I made the video below to show all that is on the once-deserted property.

Online searching and a little asking-around haven't produced any substantial information. Does this project have any more "steam" in it, or is what I found just the remains of an aborted attempt at a tourist railroad resurrection. If you know something, please share...

The little background that seems available:

Here is an informational poster for a meeting five years ago regarding the project. It is also includes documents detailing the projects goals and plans.

Here is some info from 2019. This news article gives more detail about the vision.

Here is a post from 2021 when track laying started/happened.

The group's website still exists, but has not been updated for several years.

Forks Creek today (video)

My family and I had a chance to visit the site of Forks Creek for the first time. The trails in Clear Creek have made access to some of these areas very helpful. We parked our car near highway tunnel 5 and hiked the path which begins on the grade. The grade shortly after the start once crossed Clear Creek (the abutments are still there). We followed the trail around until we reached Forks Creek.

Most photos of the area in railroad times were taken from the water tank side, but the path is on the opposite bank. The only recognizable shape from C&S days is the rock/mountain between the divisions of Clear Creek. Using this, I attempted to match up a 1939 Jackson Thode photo of C&S 71 and two gondolas on the wye. The photo can be found in Tom and Denise Klinger's amazing book, Clear Creek District Memories and Then Some.

Enjoy!

Kurt

Below is Forks Creek today. We are walking roughly around the area where the section house and bridge to the other side once stood.

Below is a map showing Forks Creek today. It overlays the RR grade (solid line) and today's walking path (the dotted line).