Cripple Creek & Victor Railway 7/18/2016

by Chris Guenzler

Chris Parker, Robin Bowers, Elizabeth Alkire and I left the Rodeway Inn in Alamosa and drove Colorado Highway 17 but about ten miles out of town, we were stopped once for five minutes and then another time for fifteen minutes for road construction. I had managed to get around all the construction crews and there was an open highway in front of me, but they stopped us and let all those construction vehicles roll by to their work site. We made our way to Salida where I stopped so Elizabeth could photograph the steam engine there. After a stop at McDonald's, we proceeded to Cripple Creek, arriving at the parking lot at 10:38 for the 10:40 AM train. Luckily the Cripple Creek was not on Swiss Time, so we had time to buy our tickets then board.

Rolling stock

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.

Rail gauges

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 current railroad started operations on June 28, 1967.

Track route

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.

Stations and depot

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.

Our visit

We boarded the last car and once Robin returned, our train left the Cripple Creek depot.

Compania de Minerales & Metales SA 0-4-4-0 compound Mallet built by Orenstein & Koppel in Germany in 1902 for Guillermo Purcell in La Terminal, Mexico. It stayed with the company through various mergers and consolidations until 1964, when it was sold to John Birmingham in Boulder, Colorado, then becoming Cripple Creek & Victor 1.

Leaving the Cripple Creek depot behind as we start this unique trip, complete with narration about the historical places we will pass with good information given and all questions answered.

Leaving the Cripple Creek yards.

The Colorado Midland Railroad station built in 1894.

One of the old mines right next to the town.

The Number 2 engine took the 10:00 train out of town and the normal meeting procedure is that the train goes into the wye, stops to let those people photograph your train and then will wye and go back into Cripple Creek.

The town of Cripple Creek, elevation 9,494'.

Looking back down the tracks toward Cripple Creek.

Proceedingh out into the countryside.

Old gold mines.

The beautiful countryside between Cripple Creek and Victor.

One of the many gold mines.

Rounding a large curve.

Gold tailings.

Excess rock left over after the gold mining process.

The forest along the railroad.

Looking back at the western edge of Cripple Creek.

The new wye track that was not here on my previous visit. The gold company at Victor needed the land so they did a swap and the wye at Victor was removed and replaced by this wye.

The hills around Cripple Creek were dotted by glory holes. These were miners who did not have any claim but would dig a hole and sometimes they would get lucky and find gold. They would then claim this property and work their hole until they ran out of gold.

The track crew who was raking excess ballast along the line this morning.

Somewhere in this rock wall is a gold vein.

Mines across the valley.

This valley runs all the way down to Canon City and it was here where we reached our easternmost point. We would reverse to the wye but first, much good information was conveyed to the passengers.

The large gold mining operation near the town of Victor. The engineer decided to have the passengers hear the unique echoes that the whistle of the train could produce in this valley so he started with three and it echoed three times. He then blew the whistle four times which was fantastic. He then did five times which was even more fantastic. Then he set his own record by doing it six times and it was spectacular. I have never had as much fun listening to a train whistle echo before.

The valley before we left.

The journey back to the wye.

Riding to the end of the wye.

Views from the end of the wye.

The engine started around the west leg of the wye.

The U.S. Forest Service tried to cap all the gold mines into which animals and people could fall.

The trip around the west leg of the wye.

The ride back to the Cripple Creek wye.

The third train of the day departed Cripple Creek, led by 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 wyeing of our train.

Returning from the wye, we passed the old gold mine near town.

We then went by the former Colorado Midland Railroad station.

Finally we returned to the boarding area.

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. This was the engine which pulled our train.

The train was being readied for its next trip.

Even though Elizabeth had never been to this part of the state before, she told us about the Cripple Creek Candy and Variety store, which makes homemade fudge in thirty-five unique flavours including carrot cake and orange cream, as well as seasonal ones. The company that she worked for started a different tradition for Christmas gifts for some of their clients, and small businesses were preferred. The Director of Operations had a long-time friend who lived in Colorado Springs and they visited Cripple Creek on a couple of occasions, and brought back fudge for the office.

I bought chocolate mint and Elizabeth bought carrot cake and chocolate mint. We then encouraged Chris Parker and Robin to visit the store and they did. We all sampled it later and declared it was delicious.