In the December 1943 edition of Railroad Magazine the publication reported the sad occasion of the final Colorado & Southern Railway narrow gauge run. Many of us are familiar with the well-publicized event (Even Life Magazine photographed it). I thought it was interesting to see an article from the time period itself. As the author wrote, on August 25th, 1943 the South Park Line had at last "Gone to Glory."
In the June 1939 issue of Railroad Magazine a Burlington employee from South Dakota wrote an article describing a sad but historic ride he took on the Clear Creek Line. M.L. Hart saw a notice that the Colorado & Southern was going to abandon its narrow gauge line west of Idaho Springs including the Georgetown Loop. He asked and received permission to ride what he called the "Graveyard Run" on January 30th, 1939.
Along the way, riding in the caboose and later a gondola of gravel, he chats with conductor Billy Maas who later pushes a caboose with his bare hands, interacts with famed railroad photographer Richard Kindig, watches the switching at Forks Creek, witnesses construction of Highway 6 in the canyon, and hears the annoyance of a workman in Empire complaining about the railroad's choice to cut the line farther east. Lastly, he takes a trip by car up to Georgetown just two months before the tracks will be torn up.
Billy Westall, a South Park engineer, gave his life to save the passengers on his eastbound train in Platte Canyon. He stayed at his post as it hit a slide in Platte Canyon on August 28, 1898, saving every life on the train. The monument to his sacrifice still stands in the canyon.
Tommy Allen shares Westall's story in the video below. Allen enjoys sharing historical tales through his podcasts and videos entitled "Stories from the Midland." I was quite impressed at his effective storytelling and this video is a good introduction to his other work.
Enjoy!
Kurt
