I drove into Cripple Creek from Leadville and remembered the train was at the east end of town. I parked in their parking lot and went inside to get my ticket for the 3:20 PM trip. The sky then let loose and rain poured down while thunder clapped loudly across the sky. This limited my picture taking as I wanted to stay dry but I started anyway.
Cripple Creek and Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad History and DetailsOn June 28th , 1967, Dr. John M. Birmingham opened the Cripple Creek and Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad for business. The CC&V RR has been carrying passengers ever since. The Railroad has always been a family business, now operated and managed by John's son, Jim and his family. John Birmingham was born into a railroad family, his father was an engineer for the Union Pacific Railroad and also his grandfather. In 1965 he purchased two locomotives from the Climax Molybdenum mine of Colorado. They were located in Mexico, one was fully operational the second was 60% through a major overhaul. John spent a lot of spare time and vacations to build the railroad, he had help from his friends and family.
As of the 2008 season, the railroad operates three coal-fired narrow gauge steam locomotives. Engine 1 is an 0-4-4-0 Orenstein & Koppel articulated mallet built in 1902. Engine 2 is a 0-4-0 Henschel built in 1936. Engine 3 is an 0-4-0 H. K. Porter tank built in 1927. Engine 4 is a W. G. Bagnall 0-4-4-0T, built in 1947. The 5th engine is a 1951 General Electric, four wheel, diesel-electric engine that was battery operated for underground mining at the Idarado Mine near Telluride, Colorado. The engine is currently being used by the railroad's track crew.
Although the railroads that previously occupied the Cripple Creek & Victor's route were laid to 4 foot 8 1/2 inch in standard gauge and three foot narrow gauge, the current railroad is laid to a two foot narrow gauge. The track system begins at Bennett Avenue/5th Street going south out of Cripple Creek, goes past the old Midland Terminal Wye, then over a reconstructed train trestle, continues past historic mines and terminates very near the abandoned Anaconda mining camp. The return trip to Cripple Creek completes a total of four miles. The railroad does not actually terminate at Victor, Colorado, as the railroad's name implies.
The Bull Hill Station in Cripple Creek was originally built at the Anaconda Mine in 1894 by the Midland Terminal Railway. However, it was moved to Bull Hill in 1912, east of the town of Victor. In 1968, the depot was moved to Cripple Creek.
Cripple Creek & Victor Railroad 0-4-4-0 4 "Nonoti", ex. Darnell Sugar Estates "Mbozana", ex. Reynolds Brothers Sugar Company 13 1968 in Sezala, South Africa, nee Tongat Hulett Sugar in Natal South Africa, built by W.G. Bagnall in Stafford, England in 1947. It is one of only two surviving Bagnall locomotives in the United States and neither of actually operated for an American railroad. W. G. Bagnall was a locomotive manufacturer founded in 1875 and built steam and diesel locomotives of varying sizes and gauges. The company was taken over by English Electric in 1962. This steam engine was out of service.
One of the Cripple Creek & Victor Railroad trains returned during the downpour.
Rain, rain, go away.
On the water tower is a list of locomotives that the railroad uses.
The Bull Hill station was built at Anaconda in 1894 by the Midland Terminal Railroad. It was relocated to Bull Hill, east of Victor, in 1912 and moved to Cripple Creek in 1968.
The train sat in the rain. The crew invited me onto the train and because of the weather, the 3:20 run was cancelled but I was giventhey gave me a ride to the wye to switch the switches and return to the station.
The Colorado Midland Terminal Railroad station built in 1884.
A view at my crew at work on Hanseatische Kieswerke 0-4-0T 2 built by Henschel and Son in 1948. In 1967, it was sold to Arthur Seifert in Hilliard, Florida and then to Joe Pettingill in Estes Park, Colorado. It was bought by the Cripple Creek & Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad in 1970.
The old Mildand Terminal Railroad wye.
The Town of Cripple Creek.
A mine shaft in town.
While we were at the wye, the rain let up which made me very happy.
We returned to the station but came in on the siding.
Home-made mine locomotive in the yard.
Cripple Creek & Victor Railroad 0-4-0T 2.
Our train sat in the siding as weather conditions improved.
The front of Cripple Creek & Victor Railroad 2.
The station.
Cripple Creek & Victor Railroad water tower.
Cripple Creek & Victor Railway 0-4-0T 3 built by H.K. Porter in 1927 for the Compania de Minerales y Metales in South Africa. It was sold to Singing Rails, Incorporated in Boulder, Colorado in 1964 and moved to the Cripple Creek & Victor in 1971.
The railroad runs two trains at a time and here is the one that was out during the rainstorm.
The train reversed into the station.
The smell of steam was in the fresh air. Since my train would not depart until 4:20 PM, I had plenty of time to look around.
Two trains looked great after the rainstorm.
Across the street was Colorado and Southern maintenance-of-way car 99972, nee Colorado and Southern 5xx series coach, builder and year unknown.
Denver and Rio Grande Western caboose 0952 built by Haskell and Barker in 1909 and Colorado and Southern box car 99551, built by the railroad year unknown.
The restrooms are in Colorado & Southern box car 99551.
The caboose has another use.
The look of active steam engines.
The cab of Cripple Creek & Victor Railroad 2.
The unique Cripple Creek & Victor Railroad steam engines.
Colorado Midland coach 21, built by Pullman in 1887, is the Cripple Creek Visitors Center.
The Colorado Midland Railroad terminal building. I went back to a bench by the station and waited for the train to board.
