Force Of Nature: CDOT Films Georgetown, Silver Plume and The Far-famed Loop

When I was a teen, climbing 14ers was a scary but fun summer pastime. By scary, I mean that I can't recall an ascent where my life wasn't threatened in some way. On my first attempted ascent of Grays Peak, I can remember how my dad had told me that Grays was one of the easiest climbs within a few hours of Denver. A Climbing Guide to Colorado's Fourteeners by Lampert & Borneman said so. I remembered that while jammed inside the cleft of a large rock, 50 feet off the trail, wrapped in a heat reflective blanket, wondering if I'd see my dad again.

What does that have to do with the film below titled Force of Nature? Everything. On my way to our climb, the last towns I passed through were Georgetown and Silver Plume. G-town was where they'd likely bring our bodies, I reasoned. I breathed out curses on guidebook writers and, in the very next breath, prayed that lightning avoided men on the exposed sides of mountains and boys stuffed into rocks beneath them with equal disdain. It was only a couple of years after they had rebuilt the Loop in the valleys below my misadventure. Colorado's Department of Highways, a predecessor of CDOT, was consistently being dealt black eyes for it's handling of rock falls onto its roads. Rock slide mitigation is an inexact science with very real consequences for failure.

In 2012, rock slide mitigation is getting (significantly) better. Walter Borneman survived my curses to pen a 20th anniversary edition of the guide and appear in the film below. My dad came down off the mountain having tasted electricity and felt lightning in his fingers, surviving only to drag me up many more (with alarmingly variable results), and then safely retire last year, giving his last Jeep to my brother. You might even catch his own guide book out there. It probably doesn't mention his stuffing his son in a crevice under a rock ...but it should. After all, it taught his son to pray.



Few today seriously understand how unwilling highway designers were to give up their precious right of way to a railroad that no longer existed! This film is just a small token of appreciation for James Grafton Rogers, a preservationist, a lawyer, and a veteran on this Veterans Day 2012.

And Walt, sorry. Your advice was good. No hard feelings!◊

UP 844 and SLRG 18 Met In Walsenburg

Union Pacific 844 and San Luis & Rio Grande 18 had an unannounced meet in Walsenburg, a town that's served as the long-time junction of the Denver & Rio Grande's La Veta Pass route that links Alamosa and the large San Luis Valley with the southern end of Colorado's Front Range. The SL&RG extra with three Rio Grande Scenic cars traveled for the first time into Walsenburg under its own steam. It's likely the first time since the 1950s that two steam engines had met in this southern Colorado town. YouTube user JointLineRailfan captured the late evening-lit meet of the two oil burners on Sunday, November 4th.



Great catch, even if it was in the dark! ◊

Union Pacific 844 Tours Colorado Starting Tomorrow

The Union Pacific Steam program is a veritable powerhouse of corporate goodwill that any Public Relations department would love to have. Any live mainline steam out west is likely to happen under the UP Steam shield.

As part of their UP 150 Celebration, Union Pacific sent it's million-pound* ambassador of good will, steam engine 844 down to Texas last month for its UP 150 Express tour. It's return route will come home through Colorado, starting tomorrow. The planned route follows I-25 for most of the way up the Front Range, using the Joint Line.

Here's the itinerary from their site, followed by their locations in Google Maps.

UP 150 Express in Colorado

Location	Arrival	Departure
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Des Moines, N.M. Saavadre Street Crossing and Larkin Street		11:01 a.m.
Trinidad, Colo. County Road 75 Crossing at County Road 71.6	1:15 p.m.	1:45 p.m.
Walsenburg, Colo S. Hendren Avenue and W. 5th Street	3:15 p.m.
Monday, November 5, 2012
Walsenburg, Colo S. Hendren Avenue and W. 5th Street		8:00 a.m.
Pueblo, Colo Look for signs beginning at access road	11:01 a.m.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012 On Display
Pueblo, Colo 400 B Street	Open  10:00 a.m.	Close  4:00 p.m.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Pueblo, Colo 400 B Street		8:00 a.m.
Colorado Springs, Colo 112 Pikes Peak Ave.	9:45 a.m.	10:45 a.m.
Palmer Lake, Colo S. Spruce Mountain Road at S. Perry Park Road	11:45 a.m.	12:01 p.m.
Denver, Colo North Yard (no public access)	3:01 p.m.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Denver, Colo North Yard (no public access)		8:00 a.m.
Greeley, Colo Old Depot, 902 7th Ave	12:45 p.m.	1:15 p.m.
Cheyenne, WY UP Steam home	3:01 p.m.

UP 150 Express in Colorado Nov 2012
Map presented by Colorado Railroads, for informational purposes only, information as announced by Union Pacific on 11/3/2012


Remember that Sunday morning at 2 a.m., Colorado leaves Mountain Daylight Savings Time (MDT) and returns to Mountain Standard Time (MST). All times are taken from the UP Steam site and should be MST. For informational purposes only

* - 905,000 pounds, give or take

Happy hunting to all main line steam fans!◊

Answer to Tuesday's Trivia

The answer to Tuesday's trivia question:

D&RGW predecessor Denver & Salt Lake circled Yankee Doodle Lake over Rollins Pass. Map, Pictures (select the text to view) ◊

Trivia: Railroads Used Alpine Lakes To Climb Higher

Here's a bit of trivia for you. In Colorado, two railroads circled a lake to gain altitude for their main line, one narrow gauge, the other standard gauge. Probably the better known among the two is Trout Lake, which was circled by the narrow gauge Rio Grande Southern. What other railroad circled a lake in Colorado to gain altitude?

Comment in with your answer! Or, if you don't know, check back on Thursday to view the answer.◊

Lessons from 1993's Wreck of the Sunset Limited

Amtrak's "pointless arrow" in 1993

I watched the following about the 1993 Sunset Limited disaster* that killed 47 people near Mobile, Alabama. What I want to know is how long, how many disasters it will take before alignment sensors are put in place to guard the rails? We're nearly 20 years on, and the only fix implemented was regional. What truly chills me is that this could happen anywhere, even in Colorado, given the perfect storm of conditions.

My essential point is: Alignment-based derailments are too common to not be fixed.




* Spoiler: A loaded Amtrak passenger train at speed rammed a defective bridge truss that was knocked off its 84 year-old gravity-held mooring only 8 minutes before by a barge that was steered by an inexperienced pilot in dense fog. The Wikipedia article has more details for the those who don't have an hour to watch.

Moffat Tunnel In September

Skip Weythman posted a quick video of a westbound UP manifest freight at East Portal. Check out the beautiful aspen gold above the tunnel entrance. The trackside shed is missing a little paint and the concrete is showing it's age. Of course, everything ages faster at 9,240 feet ASL!

Georgetown Loop Oktoberfest Offer

If you like microbrews, the Georgetown Loop Railroad is offering beertasting and brats weekends until November 4 (view CR Events calendar). Here's more of the offer from their notice sent to Colorado Railroads.

How about these beers for the Beer & Brat tasting train!

• Great Divide Rumble Pilsner from Denver, Colorado
• Crabtree Serenity Amber Ale from Greeley, Colorado
• Upslope India Pale Ale from Boulder, Colorado
• Lefthand Brewery Nitro Stout from Longmont, Colorado

Dinner
Grilled Avalanche Ale beer bratwurst and all veal bratwurst, fennel sauerkraut, caramelized Granny Smith Apples, roasted red potatoes, and Dijon cream
Our bratwurst are specially prepared for us by the Continental Sausage Co. of Denver, CO

Book your reservation for the Beer and Brat train or the Dinner train.

Here's more from the site:

Oktoberfest

Oct 27, 28 & Nov 3,4
Question: What’s better than free hot dogs, bratwurst, and beer?
Answer: Riding the Georgetown Loop Railroad® and having free hot dogs, bratwurst, and beer. Ticketed passengers get free hot dogs and bratwurst, and you get to sample different micro brews or root beer. If you are lucky you might catch a glimpse of our new bighorn sheep herd that has just relocated to the south side of I-70. You've heard of moving up town, how about our “Bighorns” moving up track. Last week they were standing in the middle of Loop Drive by the High Bridge, Wow.

Sounds like a good time! Now, I just have to find my lederhosen.

OPINION: Reflecting on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic's Experiment

A lot has happened this year and particularly this summer for Colorado's heritage railroads. Nowhere more than the San Luis Valley.

American Heritage Railways, the company that owns and operates the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad had it's first season operating the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. This marked the first time since the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad abandoned its San Juan Extension in 1970 that the two remnants have been operated by the same company. Since the contract was announced in October last year, AHR's management of the railroad has not been an ideal fit with it's government-owners. As a result, AHR has largely bowed out of the contract, choosing to allow one AHR management employee, Ken Matzick, to report directly to the railroad's commission. It's hoped that this will simplify the situation and save the Commission money. Whatever happens, the impact of the change is likely not going to show very clearly for the riding public, especially if the Harper's statements about the commission and the C&TS culture are accurate.

It's not surprising that a private venture would have trouble operating under a government commission and a railroad that has been dependent on public funds for nearly it's entire existence. It's a problem as old as Keynes and Marx, capitalism and socialism. Worse, there is some entrenchment within the ranks of the C&TS Railroad. This isn't said in condemnation of the railroad. You try surviving in Antonito for more than a month without some form of assistance and trust me, you'll find your trenching tools fast. Nonetheless, neither of the two issues loan themselves to capitalists who like to innovate. Something tells me that of the two railroads, Gen. William Palmer, founder of the D&RGW Railroad, would find it slightly easier to recognize the physical plant of the C&TS, and find much easier to fit himself within the operating model of the D&SNG. Could it be the irony of the high iron that in seeking to preserve the history of the Rio Grande narrow gauge, the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic commission, the Friends, and the employees have actually lost something far greater?

If the C&TS commission attempts to bring back capitalism to the San Luis and Rio Chama valleys, it's going to have to sell to an enterprising young man who can grow, live, and possibly die with the narrow gauge. In valleys like these, no one is willing to risk that for an ideology, at least not so long as the government funds continue to flow. I really hope someone is willing to prove me wrong.

New: Colorado Railroads Logo (v.3)

I have long thought about the idea of designing a logo for this site that emphasizes the state it serves. Part of the reason this blog has been as quiet as it has recently is that I've been teaching myself how to work in SVG, an extension which is an industry standard in graphic design. That and trying to learn the legalese of protecting my work once it's out there. I hope you like it, and, if they're well received, I'm going to work on how I can integrate these logos into the site. If your feed does not display the logos below, click here to view the logos in their original post.

Colorado Railroads blog full logo © Steve Walden 2012

small or "mini-logo" versions © Steve Walden 2012

What do you think? Comment in, or vote on the poll at top right!

Rio Grande Scenic Renders Help To Flying W Wranglers

Rio Grande Scenic Railroad is offering relief for the recently displaced Flying W Wranglers. They lost their bread-and-butter when the Flying W Ranch and their chuckwagon supper facilities burnt to the ground in the Waldo Canyon Fire. From the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad site,

BNSF To Protect Joint Line With Fire Train

According to Trains Magazine's News Wire, BNSF is sending a "fire train" to assist with protecting sections of the Joint Line threatened by the Waldo Canyon fire, which is currently threatening several communities, most notably Colorado Springs. The sections of the Joint Line under threat are actually owned by Union Pacific, which inherited the originally narrow-gauge main line of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad in the UP-SP merger September 11, 1996. Despite this, BNSF's trackage rights go back to the USRA and World War I, and keeping the line in service is paramount to keep Powder River and Yampa coal flowing south to Texas.