Signs of Life on the Gunnison Branch, 1912-1915

There’s something exciting about activity on a dormant railroad track. A few such activities between 1912-1915 came to my attention recently related to the Gunnison branch. 

The first took place on the way to the east portal of Alpine Tunnel. The C&S sent its last train through the tunnel on November 10, 1910, though cleanup trains appear to have traveled through the bore in December. The track, however, stayed in place as the railroad didn’t actually abandon the route. Some have surmised that the C&S feared courts might order them to open the route again as happened when the railroad attempted to also shut down the Boreas Pass route around the same time.

C&S grade west of Hancock

For two years the track above Hancock lay dormant when the railroad needed a bit of 56 lb. rail, presumably to replace rail elsewhere on active track. In late summer, August 1912 the C&S sent a crew to pull up a half mile of 56 lb. rail a little west of Hancock. The curious part is that, even though the track there remained inactive, the crew replaced that half mile when they re-laid aged 35 lb. rail. 

The rail remained in place until 1924 when the railroad’s chosen contractor William Turner dismantled it. Good thing that it was still there for all those years because it allowed some local frivolity. 

As reported in a 1915 Buena Vista newspaper, in August a group of at least nine men and women were having some fun by riding a push car by gravity from the east portal of Alpine Tunnel downgrade to Romley. The track must have been clear enough to pull this off even after five years of disuse. Even if the track was in decent shape, it must have been an arduous task to get that car up the grade to the tunnel! 

The joyride took a turn when the man in charge of the brake, Rick Hagardane, lost control. In fear of careening off any of the many upcoming curves, an assayer on the ride by the last name of McCarry jumped into action, literally. He wrapped a rope around himself and jumped off the back to be a human brake. His hope was to slow the car enough to allow the women to jump off safely. 

Three women did jump and all got quite banged up with one breaking her collarbone. McCarry succeeded in eventually stopping the car after about a mile. The remaining passengers must have breathed quite a sigh of relief! Ironically, the ‘Human Brake’ McCarry only ended up with a few bruises. Some elements of this story seem like a “tall-tale”, but who knows? 

Garo 2017. By Jeffrey Beall - Own work,
CC BY 4.0

Lastly, a bit to the east of the above happenings, a three-mile stretch of inactive Gunnison branch track
came back to life briefly. After two years of inactivity, on the night of November 11, 1912, an Alma newspaper reported the C&S ran a train “up for Garo and handled ten cars of freight from Cohen’s spur.” During the intervening years, wires had even been put up across the tracks. The crew had to cut these to get the train through. Interestingly, the newspaper also stated, “There have been reports before that the railroad was running trains at night over parts of this road, but it has been impossible to learn anything definite until recently.”

Now, if we could just get someone to re-lay the Gunnison branch tracks again in 2026, what fun it would be! In the meantime, the good news is that it’s happening for real in the Como yards.

Grading on the old Gunnison branch in Como, 2021

You can see the Gunnison tracks in the top right corner, 2026

Both above photos are screenshots from videos on the Denver South Park & Pacific Historical Society Youtube channel.

Sources:

Historic Alpine Tunnel by Dow Helmers

The South Park Line: A Concise History, CO Rail Annual No. 12 by Gordon Chappell, Robert W. Richardson, and Cornelius Hauck

A Documentary History of the South Park Line: Vol. 5, The Gunnison District, Part II by Daniel W. Edwards

Happy Easter! Born Again on the C&S

 In 1972, the song that would later become one of the state songs of Colorado, hit the airwaves. John Denver’s “Rocky Mountain High” was a biographical tune containing the lines, “He left yesterday behind him; you might say he was born again.”

Denver’s reference to “born again” was a tip of the hat to what came to be called the Jesus Movement, a generation of young, often long-haired hippies who eschewed both the sex and drugs culture of the 60s and 70s as well as the stodgy nominal church life of many of their parents. Instead, they discovered that to follow Jesus was a radical new life, akin to begin “born again,” a phrase Jesus Himself used when he explained to a seeker that eternal life is life that begins not in Heaven, but now, at the point of following Him.

On this Easter Sunday, when many of us celebrate that Jesus conquered death, making a way for us to be “born again,” it is a delight to see a symbol of this new life in a tiny railroad that has been experiencing many rebirths lately. It might be a stretch to call it a symbol, but I’d like to believe the Lord looks kindly on a our meager attempts to resurrect that which was lost.

One can't think of the C&S these days without considering the resurrection in Como. The Como depot, as just one example, was long dead not that long ago. The only thing left was to finally fall over in one of those characteristic South Park winds. 

But death was not the end-of-the-line for the depot. 

I took this photo in 2004 (with a superimposed image of a train at the same location in operation days). I never would have believed that this historic station would rise again. 

But here it is. Alive again. A foretaste of the Day when He will make all things new.

Happy Easter! He is risen!

I made the following video in 2018, so much, much more resurrection has happened since then, but it's still a great testimony to the hard work of the DSP&P Historical Society and the South Park Rail Society (and all the countless volunteers)

Check out my book Colorado & Southern Narrow Gauge Revival. 

5 Sections of Relaid C&S Track in Platte Canyon and South Park

Here is a look at 5 places you can find C&S rails relaid on the original roadbed in Platte Canyon and South Park. Since the line was abandoned in 1937 and the rails pulled in 1938, a few spots of relaid rails have sprung up. There are five:

5. A stretch of track underneath two gondolas in Pine Grove. Pine Grove History Park was created on Feburary 11, 2020 to memorialize the former railroad servicing location. The town once sported a tall coaling platform that serviced the line's steam engines. The track is on the original roadbed. The gondolas are former Denver, Rio Grande and Western cars, but are painted to honor the Colorado & Southern and the Denver, South Park & Pacific (the C&S' predecessor).

4. A stretch of track underneath a caboose in Helen McGraw-Tatum Memorial Park in Bailey. The caboose is a standard gauge C&S car resting on standard gauge rails, though they are laid on the original narrow gauge roadbed. Near the caboose is the old C&S Mill Gulch bridge and Glenise Way Station, both moved from their original sites in the canyon. Click here to see a video I made of this unique park.

3. A rebuilt portion of the wye on top of Kenosha Pass. The railroad crested Kenosha Pass to enter into the South Park. Helper engines were required for trains to reach the summit. In order to turn the helper engines around, a wye was constructed. One leg and part of another leg of the wye have been rebuilt, the first stretch being constructed in 1998.

2. A small segment of track underneath a caboose in Jefferson. The first depot in the South Park (westbound) is the town of Jefferson. The depot still stands and can be rented by vacationers. The owners, who also operate the excellent Hungry Moose Caboose restaurant next door, also acquired and refurbished a Burlington Northern caboose as a rental. The track under the caboose, though standard gauge, is on the original narrow gauge roadbed.

1. A lot of track at the old division point of Como. A book could be written about the restoration of this former railroad town. The old stone roundhouse, the depot, and the railroad hotel survived the line's abandonment, but since roughly 2016 the entire complex has been undergoing a rebirth. The turntable and tracks into the roundhouse have been restored, along with several other tracks, including stubs representing the mainline east to Denver, west over Boreas Pass to Leadville, and west to the Alpine Tunnel and Gunnison. My video here is a mixture of footage from 2018 and 2022. Much more has been done since. Check out the South Park Rail Society's page for more info. 

2023 Como work highlights and Boreas drone shots

The Denver, South Park and Pacific Historical Society continually does great work in the old C&S division point of Como (along with the South Park Rail Society).  The video below shows some of their work from open houses and work days in 2023 with upcoming 2024 dates for the similar events.

There are great drone shots of the roundhouse, turntable, and depot.  My favorite is one of locomotive Klondike Kate, dressed down for lots of needed work, on the turntable. 

Below that video are some great drone video shots along the old C&S Boreas Pass route also produced by the DSP&P historical society.

Enjoy!

1979 C&S News (1) - Running snowplows through Alpine Tunnel, club trip to Boreas Pass

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 1979 editions.   

1979

March

(Man who rode the last rotary through Alpine Tunnel turns 95)

OUR VERY BEST WISHES to George Champion who just celebrated his 95th birthday! George worked on the South Park line (he rode the last rotary snowplow run through the Alpine Tunnel) and the Moffat Road and is a fountain of information when the topic of conversation is about those fascinating lines.

(Ed. You can hear an audio recording of Champion describing his experience taking a rotary through Alpine Tunnel below)

July

(Exploring Como and Boreas Pass with Ed Haley, Dick Kindig, and George Champion)

A PORTION of one of Colorado's most colorful narrow gauge lines will be the subject of the club's August field trip as we explore the Breckenridge Como grade of the DSP&P. The 20-mile grade over Boreas Pass has not heard the exhaust of a steam locomotive since the late 1930's, but most of the route is still intact, and a few relics of the railroad's past are still evident. 

Baker Tank 2018

The field trip will start at the east end of the Villa Italia Shopping Center in Lakewood near the Joslins store. Departing from there at 8:00 A.M. on Saturday, August 18, we will proceed to Breckenridge and the beginning of the grade. There will be a number of "wandering" stops along the way, such as at Baker's Tank and the summit, but only one very short walk during the day. 

Just about anyone could make this trip, and the road is passable for autos. Ed Haley, Dick Kindig, and George Champion will be along to answer questions on the line, and describe points on interest relating to some of their experiences in riding the line back in the "good old days'?" We will stop along the way for lunch. We ask everyone to bring their own picnic lunch and beverages, and perhaps a blanket to throw on the ground.

Richard Kindig

Upon arrival at Como, we will take a look at the site of the rail yards, including the station and roundhouse. George, who is intimately familiar with Como, will explain the yards and answer questions and show photos of the facilities as they once were. Supper will be served in the old Como Eating House by Keith Hodges, who is renovating the structure for use, once again. 

After supper, we will go up to the old school house and enjoy a slide program by Ed Haley and Dick Kindig on their experiences in riding the passenger train from Denver to Leadville by way of Como and Boreas Pass. 

The fare for this all-day outing, which will cover the handout, dinner and program, is $7.00 for adults and $3.00 for children under 12. Tickets MUST BE PURCHASED IN ADVANCE, and will be sold on a first-come first-served basis. Please send orders to the club's post office box. Please use the order blank at the end of the newsletter, or forward the same information.

August

THE BOREAS PASS-COMO FIELD TRIP will take place on Saturday, August 18. Refer to last month's newsletter for details and ticket order blank. 

A reminder that tickets must be purchased in advance, $7,00 adults, $3.00 under 12. For those who have ordered theirs already, the tickets will be in the mail soon. Even if you have been over the pass, and many of us have at one time or another, this is still a good opportunity to refresh the memory (and the lungs), get first-hand information on the line, have dinner at the recently reopened railroad eating house in Como, and see a slide program on riding the line in the 30's. The drive is about 150 miles round trip from Denver, and will include little walking. Departure from Villa Italia Shopping Center is at 8:00 A.M., although if you wish to meet the group on the south end of Breckenridge, we will depart from there no sooner than 10:00 A.M. Bring a picnic lunch. If you have any questions, call Darrell Arndt at 321-2723, or Ardie Schoeninger at 238-4485. * * * * *

(Ed. Take this same adventure over Boreas Pass with me below!) 

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!”

Boreas Pass RR Day 2022!

 So wish I could be there!

Como wye video

 While many are familiar with the turntable outside the roundhouse in Como, not as many are aware of the wye that existed outside of town.  As eastbound trains headed past the Como depot and the hotel, the mainline to Denver split from the line towards Boreas Pass and curved sharply (seemingly parallel, albeit a good distance from the Gunnison main).  Then, close to the present highway, the right-of-way curves again to head across South Park.  It is at this curve that the wye once existed.  It was originally know as the King Wye Branch-a branch leading to the King Coal mine.  

One talked-of plan of the track work in Como is to lay track all the way to the wye, all of which can be done without crossing the highway.

Below is a great video of drone footage following the line from the depot, out to the wye, and a little beyond.  

Como scores a 2-page article in Trains Mag!

The Colorado & Southern narrow gauge has not made numerous appearances in the annals of Trains

Magazine, the flagship railfan publication.  It has indeed happened here and there, but briefly or in small insets.  The last time I recall coverage was in 2017 when a number of small references came up related to Como and Klondike Kate, and the news that No. 40 was returning to the Georgetown Loop.  

However, in the February 2021 edition of Trains Como got a full two-page article in the "Preservation" section on the magazine.  

Most of the info is old territory to those who are familiar with the history and doings at Como.  There were a couple items, though, that were new to me. 

First, I was not aware that the roundhouse "smoke jacks were [originally] closer to the front elevation (instead of near the back wall and windows where they are currently).  This implies that locomotives were originally reversed in, instead of positioned head first, as practiced later.  The reason for the change and its resulting modification to the building is unclear."  Curiously, it appears Klondike Kate has been reversed in for the most part.

I was also not aware that "A much more in-depth project, a two axle bobber caboose frame, rests nearby atop several sawhorses.  Due to the frame's fragile condition, an exact reproduction has been built from heavy timbers."  If anyone has more info on this project, please let me know.

Finally, as a testimony to the hard work of all those at Como, it was encouraging to read the author Z.P. Liollio describe 1878 DSP&P boxcar 608 as "pristine."  For those who have seen photos of this car when it was moved from its location as a cabin, this positive designation is an honor to tremendous restoration work!

Como roundhouse 1981 "reaching the point of no return"

For anyone who has seen the startling restorations in Como in the last few years, it is good to remember just how far things have come.  

In perusing old copies of the Rocky Mountain Railroad Club's Rocky Mountain Rail Report newsletters, I came across the following from one year shy of four decades ago.

June 1981 

IF YOUR TRAVEL PLANS INCLUDE ANY EXPEDITIONS across Colorado in the future, and you are motoring through South Park on 285 around eating time, stopping to vanquish hunger pains at the Como Depot [sic - the hotel] at Como may be worthy of consideration. We don't "own any stock" in the restaurant, but Jo and Keith Hodges deserve credit and mention for providing a useful function for the building by the operation of their restaurant, which also results in the preservation of the historic railroad hotel. The food is good, and reasonably priced. (A recent visit reaffirmed a previous observation that the prime rib is "tops".) Hours are 6:30 AM to 9:00 PM (until 8:00 PM on Sundays). They are closed on Tuesdays.

The Como roundhouse sits nearby, of course, looking more forlorn everyday. The building and grounds are for sale for a reported $50,000, a sum hardly attainable by any group desiring to acquire the building for preservation, particularly when con­sidering the cost of needed repair. It is sad to see such a memorable part of our state's railroad history reaching the point of no return. Ideas, anyone? Oh yes, the name of the company handling the property is Leach Realty.

Below are some photos of photos of the roundhouse in the 1980s.   These shots were in the roundhouse office when I visited in 2018.

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

C&S "Gondola freight rail car gets new lease on life"

I found the following article by Patty Unruh from last year that does a nice job telling about the movement and background of the last narrow gauge C&S gondola, no. 4319.

Also, here's a video I posted a little while ago with some of the photos and video of 4319 from 1941 to the present.