5/19/2024 Elizabeth and I arose at the Quality Inn in Durango and following our Internet duties, went to Denny's for a good breakfast then I drove us through Pagosa Springs where we found a passenger car which used to be in South Fork.
Seaboard Coast Line coach-lounge-observation car PPCX 6401, ex. Seaboard Coast Line 775003, nee Seaboard Air Line 6401 built by Budd in 1939. We then made our way over Wolf Creek Pass and stopped at South Fork.
The water tower in South Fork, built in 1881.
White Satin Brighton 44 ton switcher 1, ex. Amalgamated Sugar 1, exx. Amalgamated Sugar 4, exxx. Great Western 40, nee Denver and Rio Grande Western 40 built by General Electric in 1942.
Santa Fe business car 36 built by Pullman in 1924. I drove us to a petrol station on US Highway 285 where we switched drivers and Elizabeth drove us over Poncha Pass to Fairplay. A stop was in order at Jefferson.
A hole in the sky.
Denver, South Park and Pacific Jefferson station built in 1879, which became an Air B&B between 2020 and 2024.
The station information sign.
Adjacent to the station was Burlington Northern caboose 12517, ex. Burlington Northern 11607, nee St. Louis-San Francisco 1279, builder and year unknown. Since 2022, it has been the Hungry Moose Caboose.
I drove us to Wheat Ridge where we dined at Jersey Mike's then checked into La Quinta Inn for the night.
5/20/2024 For breakfast we walked across the street to Denny's, then checked out and drove to the Colorado Railroad Museum. At the gate, we gave the volunteer our names (since they are closed on Mondays) and we were allowed in.
Colorado Railroad Museum Dak Dillon Photography Steam CharterFreight trains, passenger trains, roundhouse action… this event will feature a unique mix of runbys, scenes and portraits at the Museum's Golden campus with Rio Grande Southern 20 and Rio Grande 491.
For the first time at the Museum, we plan to operate trains in multiple directions simultaneously, allowing for various interesting angles that take advantage of both steam engines. We also plan to take advantage of the unique roundhouse and turntable for posed photos along with our various runby scenes.
Our charter will begin shortly after sunrise and will feature a morning session, afternoon session and night photo session, wrapping up around 10 PM.
The photo charter follows the Colorado Crossing public event at the Colorado Railroad Museum, the annual steam kickoff weekend in May.
You can see an extra day of steam by visiting the museum on Sunday (separate admission required). For our photography event, you will have extra access and opportunities on Monday including access to locations usually off limits to the public.
The Charter Event
Dak Dillon went over the rules and warned everyone that if they broke them, they would be escorted off the property.
Rio Grande Southern 4-6-0 20, built by American Locomotive Company in 1899, came out of the roundhouse.
The museum's turntable which came from the end of a Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad branch line at St. Francis, Kansas. It is 74 feet long and was built in 1900 by the American Bridge Company of Chicago at its Lassig Works. A sophisticated center bearing and counterbalance system allows two individuals to easily rotate a car or locomotive by pushing on the arms or "cheaters".
The group in front of Rio Grande Southern 20.
Rio Grande Southern Galloping Geese 6 and 7.
Rio Grande Southern Galloping Goose 2.
Rio Grande Southern 20 and Galloping Goose 6.
Rio Grande 2-8-0 318 built by Baldwin in 1897.
Rio Grande Southern 2-8-0 20 and Rio Grande Southern Galloping Goose 6.
Rio Grande Southern Galloping Goose 2.
Diesels lined around the turntable leads.
Denver and Rio Grande Western 491 built by the railroad in 1928 and Rio Grande Southern 20.
Rio Grande Southern 2-8-0 20 re-emerged from the roundhouse.
Rio Grande Southern 2-8-0 20 came out onto the turntable for photo runby one.
The engine then reversed into the roundhouse.
Both engines are in the roundhouse.
Rio Grande Southern 2-8-0 20 came out onto the turntable for photo runby two.
Rio Grande Southern 2-8-0 20 reversed into the rooundhouse.
It was time for photo runby three with Rio Grande Southern 2-8-0 20. We were allowed to move around the turntable area to have plenty of different angles.
Rio Grande Southern 2-8-0 20 and Denver and Rio Grande Western 491.
Denver and Rio Grande Western 491 came out onto the turntable for photo runby four.
Denver and Rio Grande Western 491 reverses off the turntable.
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Photo runby five.
Denver and Rio Grande Western 491 took a spin on the turntable.
It reversed into the roundhouse.
Denver and Rio Grande Western 491 built by the railroad in 1928 and Rio Grande Southern 2-8-0 20.
The dedicated and knowledgeable crews of both steam engines.
Denver and Rio Grande Western cupola narrow gauge caboose 49 built by the railroad in 1881.
Denver and Rio Grande Western narrow gauage business car B-8 built by the railroad in 1879. We all walked to the No Aqua Water Tank.
A conductor's vintage car.
Rio Grande Southern 20 reverses to its train.
Rio Grande Southern 20 on the point of the train.
Rio Grande Southern 2-8-0 74, ex. Colorado and southern 74, nee Colorado and North Western 30 built by Brooks Locomotive Works in 1898. The Colorado and North Western ran west from Boulder up the Boulder Canyon to Ward and Eldora. Freight traffic was not enough to keep the railroad profitable, so it advertised itself as the "Switzerland Trail of America" to entice tourist revenue, but finally went bankrupt in 1909. Its successor, the Denver, Boulder & Western had an even shorter life, going bankrupt in 1919.
In 1920, the operation was bought by Morse Brothers Machinery & Supply Company in Denver, which traded the three engines to the Colorado & Southern in 1921. It worked there until 1943, when the last of its narrow gauge trackage was abandoned. Returned to Morse Brothers, it sat until 1948 when it was bought by the Rio Grande Southern. It had a brief life on the RGS until operations ceased in 1951 and, the following year was donated for display in the City of Boulder. In 2012, after a cosmetic restoration, it was leased to the museum.
Denver and Rio Grande Western F9A 5771 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1955.
The cars for the Denver Rio Grande and Western 491-led train later today.
Rio Grande Southern business car B21, ex. Denver and Rio Grande Western 4, exx. Denver and Rio Grande Western 53, exxx. Denver and Rio Grande Western 569, nee Rio Grande Southern construction car, built by the railroad in 1880.
Denver and Rio Grande Western coach 280.
Denver and Rio Grande Western coach 284.
Rio Grande Southern 20 on the point of our train.
Taking on water on No Aqua Water water tower.
Putting up the water spout.
Denver and Rio Grande Western 481 reverses onto its train.
Coupling on to its train.
The two trains started multiple loops around the half mile of track so all the photographers had a steam train about every minute-and-a-half. This was photo runby six.
Rio Grande Southern 20 created photo runby seven.
Rio Grande Southern 20. I then rode the caboose on the freight train around the loop of track.
Views from the freight train's caboose. Another participants and I detrained and gave someone else an opportunity to ride.
No Aqua water tower.
Summit Rogers Pass Elevation 5,328.91 feet.
It was then Denver and Rio Grande Western 491's turn to perform photo runby eight.
UTLX tank car 55349, ex. Union Tank Car 88177, exx. Union Tank Car 11058, nee Union Tank Car 55349, built in 1910 by an unknown company.
Gramps tank car 55172, nee Union Tank Car 88164 built in 1910 by an unknown company. "Gramps" refers to the Gramps oil field west of Chama that these tank cars serviced to the refinery in Alamosa.
Denver and Rio Grande Western idler flat car 6732, nee Denver and Rio Grande Western box car 3501, built by American Car and Foundry in 1904.
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Denver and Rio Grande Western box car 3272, built by American Car and Foundry in 1904.
Denver and Rio Grande Western flat car 6532, built by American Car and Foundry and the railroad in 1940.
Denver and Rio Grande Western cupola caboose 0578, nee Denver and Rio Grande, built by the railroad in 1886.
Rio Grande Southern 20 executed photo runby nine.
It was then Denver and Rio Grande Western 491's turn as the trains continued looping around; this was photo runby ten.
Photo runby eleven was by Rio Grande Southern 20.
Photo runby twelve.
Rio Grande Southern 20 executed photo runby thirteen.
Denver and Rio Grande Western 491 had the honour of photo runby fourteen.
As the trains continued to loop, the fifteenth photo runby featured Rio Grande Southern 20 and its train.
Denver and Rio Grande Western 491 executed photo runby sixteen.
Rio Grande Southern 20 performed the half mile loop photo runby seventeen.
The penultimate photo runby, eighteen, was with Denver and Rio Grande Western 491.
The final runby here was with Rio Grande Southern 20. Everyone then relocated to the yard sign.
Denver and Rio Grande 491 performed photo runby twenty with Manitou and Pikes Peak rail car 7 in the scene.
Rio Grande Southern 20 executed photo runby twenty-one.
491 next did photo runby twenty-two.
Rio Grande Southern 20 performed photo runby twenty-three.
Photo runby twenty-four.
This was photo runby twenty-five, after which we all relocted once again.
491 performed photo runby twenty-six.
The 20 on photo runby twenty-seven.
Manitou and Pikes Peak rail car 7 built in 1938 at the Colorado Midland shops for the purpose of having a smaller piece of equipment to run that was cheaper to operate when the off-season occurred.
Manitou and Pikes Peak Railway 0-4-2 cog 1 built by Baldwin in 1890. During the 1930's, the railway began investing in diesel power, although 1 continued working on the grade until 1941. At some later date, it was donated to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs then in 1979, it was donated to the Colorado Railroad Historical Foundation for display at the museum.
Alpine Tunnel depot of the garden railway at the museum.
The Vista Dome Car that used to be in Glenwood Canyon.
Vista Dome Car Information plaque.
Denver and Rio Grande Western 491 executes photo runby twenty-eight.
Rio Grande Southern 20 did photo runby twenty-nine.
The 491 performed photo runby thirty.
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Photo runby thirty-one was care of Rio Grande Southern 20.
This was photo runby thirty-two with 491 leading.
Rio Grande Southern 20 executed photo runby thirty-three.
Photo runby thirty-four with Denver and Rio Grande Western 491.
Photo runby thirty-five with Rio Grande Southern 20.
Scenes with Rio Grande Southern 20 and the vintage car.
Photo runby thirty-six.
Manitnou and Pikes Peak cog railway 1.
Denver and Rio Grande Western F7A 5771.
Denver and Rio Grande Western F7A 5762.
A wig-wag crossing signal.
Union Pacific 0-6-0 4455 built by Lima in 1920. It was sold to Monolith Portland Midwest Company in Laramie, Wyoming in 1949, who retired it in 1970 and donated it to the museum.
Denver and Rio Grande Western 491 performed photo runby thirty-seven after we relocated.
491 returning to the roundhouse while Rio Grande Southern 20 was being turned for more photo runbys. The group relocated to the southeaest corner of the property.
Florence and Cripple Creek box car 588 built by American Car and Foundry in 1898.
The scene for the next few photo runbys.
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Photo runby thirty-eight with Rio Grande Southern 20. I relocated back to the group.
Reverse move.
Photo runby thirty-nine, after which I returned to my original spot.
Photo runby forty.
Denver and Rio Grande Western 491 giving everyone a special photo runby.
We had a lunch break so Elizabeth and I drove into downtown Golden and went to Jimmy John's for lunch then rreturned and started photographing other equipment on the grounds during the break.
Denver and Rio Grande Western GP30 3011 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1962.
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy 4-8-4 5629 built by Baldwin in 1931.
Denver, Leadville and Gunnison 2-8-0 191 built by Baldwin in 1880 as Denver, South Park & Pacific Railway Company 51. In 1885, it was renumbered 191 and it retained that number when the railroad was sold to the Denver, Leadville & Gunnison Railroad Company in 1889. Ten years later, when the Denver, Leadville and Gunnison was consolidated into the Colorado & Southern, it was renumbered 31. Soon after, it was sold to Edward Hines Lumber Company in Park Falls, Wisconsin where it was renumbered 102.
In 1902, the locomotive was sold to A.A. Bigelow & Company, in Washburn, Wisconsin, where it was re-numbered 7. It then retained that number when it was sold to the Robbins Railroad Company in Rhinelander, Wisconsin in 1906. After being transferred to the Thunder Lake Lumber Company in 1919, 7 was finally retired in 1932 and was donated to the City of Rhinelander. In February 1973, the locomotive was transferred to the Colorado Railroad Historical Foundation for cosmetic restoration and display at the museum as it appeared when it worked for the Denver Leadville & Gunnison as 191.
Colorado and Northwestern 2-8-0 30 built by Brooks Locomotive Works in 1898. The railroad ran west from Boulder up the Boulder Canyon to Ward and Eldora. Freight traffic was not enough to keep the railroad profitable, so it advertised itself as the "Switzerland Trail of America" to entice tourist revenue, but finally went bankrupt in 1909. Its successor, the Denver, Boulder & Western had an even shorter life, going bankrupt in 1919.
In 1920, the operation was bought by Morse Brothers Machinery & Supply Company, in Denver, which traded the three engines to the Colorado & Southern in 1921. Re-numbered 74, the locomotive worked on the Colorado and Southern until 1943, when the last of its narrow gauge trackage was abandoned. Returned to Morse Brothers, it sat until 1948 when it was bought by the Rio Grande Southern. It had a brief life on the RGS until operations ceased in 1951 and the following year, was donated for display in the City of Boulder. In 2012, after a cosmetic restoration, it was leased to the museum.
American Oil 0-4-0T 1 built by American Locomotive Company in 1920. Originally built for stock, this tank engine was shipped to the Standard Oil Company of Indiana in January 1921 to work at the company's Casper, Wyoming refinery. It was transferred to the American Oil Company in 1960 and worked in Casper until 1962, when it was donated to the museum.
Coors Brewing Company SW900 C988, nee Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific 550, built by Electro-Motive Division in 1957. Coors acquired it in 1981.
The Coors refrigerator car is one of the more colourful cars at the museum. The history of this type ofcar is related to that of breweries and the 1918-1933era of national prohibition. Only about half of the 1,500 breweries nationwide survived those years. Coors of Golden, Colorado, was one of them. Brewers again started to market their products, and one way was to paint the sides of refrigerator cars as "billboard reefers". In 1933, Coors leased 20 cars from the Burlington Refrigerator Express Company, a subsidiary of the Chicago Burlington & QuincyRailroad and the next year took delivery of 10 more. Their reporting marks and numbers were ADCX 5400-5429. They were used to ship Coors products to distributors in Colorado and adjacent states.
When BN donated Western Fruit Express 67685 in 1971, the car was placed on a short section of track in what today is the picnic grounds. Two Coors employees donated their time to paint the car. These cars had a very short life because in July 1934, the Interstate Commerce Commission prohibited cars from being lettered for any company other than the one which owned them. By the mid-1930s, 5400-5429 were returned to their old BREX numbers and the colorful advertising became part of history. None of the original cars exist today. In 1971, Burlington Northern donated Western Fruit Express WFEX 67685 which had served on the Great Northern Railway. This car was built in 1929 at the Alexandria (Virginia) shops of WFEX and was similar to the Coors cars. The museum painted it in the old Coors scheme, with assistance from Coors Brewing Company.
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy wooden caboose 13862, built by the railroad in 1917.
Denver and Rio Grande Western cupola caboose 04990, buult by the railroad in 1919 built from a box car.
Colorado & Southern caboose 1009, nee Denver South Park and Pacific 76 built by the Union Pacific in 1882. It was retired in 1942 and purchased by the museum in 1961.
Denver and Rio Grande caboose 49, built by the railroad in 1881.
Denver and Rio Grande Western SD40T-2 5401, built by Electro-Motive Division in 1980.
Denver and Rio Grande Western 2-8-0 683, built by Baldwin in 1890 as 583. When the Denver and Rio Grande was taken over by the newly formed Denver & Rio Grande Western, it was renumbered 683. It was eventually replaced in main line service by larger locomotives and was last used by the railroad as a switcher in Salida. In 1947, the locomotive was sold to the San Luis Valley Southern Railway Company in Blanca, Colorado where it was re-numbered 106 and was used until 1956. This was was a narrow gauge shortline chartered in 1909 to build south from the Denver and Rio Grande's standard gauge La Veta Pass line at Blanca to Taos, New Mexico. The line never made it that far, however, ending at Jaroso, Colorado, just north of the New Mexico border in 1910. It hauled farm produce, fertilizer and volcanic scoria until abandoned in 1958. This is the only surviving standard gauge Denver and Rio Grande Western steam locomotive.
Denver and Rio Grande Western refrigerator car 159, built by the railroad in 1924.
Denver and Rio Grande Western caboose 0524, nee Denver and Rio Grande 25, built by the railroad in 1880.
Colorado and Southern rotary snow plough 99201, built by Cooke Locomotive and Machine Works in 1900 as 3. It was later re-numbered 0270 and then 99201 and was converted from 36" gauge to standard gauge soon after delivery, back to 36" in 1935 and then returned to standard gauge in 1943. It was rebuilt in 1949.
Denver and Salt Lake caboose 10060, built by the railroad in 1936.
Santa Fe 3-2-1 lounge-observation car "Navajo", built by Budd in 1937 for the original Super Chief. It was withheld from Pullman lease in November 1957 and subsequently sold to the Intermountain Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society.
Denver and Rio Grande Western baggage-coach 1230, built by Pullman-Standard in 1950.
Westside Lumber Shay 14 built by Lima in 1916 as Sierra Nevada Wood & Lumber Company 10 in Hobart Mills, California. In 1937, Sierra Nevada Wood & Lumber went bankrupt and their equipment, including 10, was sold to the scrap dealer Hyman-Michaels in Chicago. Two years later, the locomotive was sold to West Side Lumber in Tuolumne and re-numbered 14. It was sold to Hal Wilmunder and became Camino, Cable & Northern 4 in Camino, California, in 1965. It then went to the Colorado Narrow Gauge Railroad as 14 in Central City, Colorado in 1974, and finally moved to Silver Plume to become Georgetown Loop 14 in 1981.
In 2004, following an impasse with the Colorado Historical Society, which owns the land on which the Georgetown Loop operates, the railroad announced it would cease operations. It planned to move to the Royal Gorge Route in Canon City, building a third rail so both narrow and broad gauge trains could run. Fortunately, the problems were ironed out and the Loop still operates although, in late 2004, 14 transferred to the Colorado Railroad Museum.
Unitah Railroad combine 50 is really 1, built by American Car and Foundry in 1904.
Union Pacific express box car 9149, "The Challenger Merchandise Service", built by the railroad in 1939.
Union Tank Car tank car 1277, nee Union Tank Car 88125, built by the company in 1907.
Denver and Rio Grande Western stock car 5714, built by American Car and Foundry in 1904.
Denver and Rio Grande Western stock car 5666, built by American Car and Foundry in 1904.
Museum scene.
Manitou and Pikes Peak cog railway diesel electric 9 built by General Electric in 1946, was powered by two Cummins NHS diesels but later rebuilt to have twin Cummins 855 Diesel engines.
The stars of today's show.
Denver and Rio Grande Western 318 once again.
One of the crew of Rio Grande Southern 20 oiling the engine.
491's engineer.
Another crew member plays his guitar.
Golden City and San Juan Railroad 8 ton narrow gauge switcher 3 built by Plymouth Locomotive Works. It worked for US Gypsum all its life until bought by the Colorado Railroad Museum in 1965. The "Golden City & San Juan Railroad" herald is another name for the Georgetown Loop.
Denver and Rio Grande Western 30 ton 50 built by Davenport in 1963. Bought by the D&RGW in 1963 and renumbered 50, it worked at Durango until sold to the Roaring Camp and Big Trees in Felton, California in 1970. 50 was then purchased by a museum in Durango in 1981 and finally sold to the Colorado Railroad Museum in 1984.
Georgetown, Breckenridge and Leadville 55 ton switcher 4, built by General Electric in 1964 as a 50 ton switcher. It was formerly on the East Broad Top Railroad in Orbisonia, Pennsylvania then at the Durango & Silverton before coming to the museum in 2006.
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy caboose 13862, built by the railroad in 1917.
Rio Grande Southern caboose 0404, built by the railroad in 1902.
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The stars of the show.
Durango and Silverton 87 Ton Center-Cab 7 "Big Al", nee Algoma Steel Railroad 39003, built by General Electric in 1975 and sold to the Colorado Railroad Museum in December 2021 and later moved there on April 20, 2022.
Denver and Rio Grande Western refrigerator car 159, builder and year unknown.
Those two diesels again as we took all of us took a spin on the turntable.
491 took a spin on the turntable.
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It was then Rio Grande Southern 20's turn.
Rio Grande Southern 20 took the turntable lead.
Galloping Goose 7 took its turn on the turntable.
The 5 took the turntable lead.
491 performed photo runby forty-two.
As well as photo runby forty-two.
Rio Grande Southern executed photo runby forty-three.
491 reversed onto its train set.
The 20 reversed onto its train. Dak asked if anyone wanted to ride the Galloping Goose and Elizabeth said "Yes!"
Elizabeth on her first lap around the museum's loop.
Elizabeth on her second lap.
Rio Grande Southern 20 now has her train.
491 waited its turn to ride the mainline.
Rio Grande Southern 20 passed Denver and Rio Grande Western 491.
Elizabeth takes her third lap.
Rio Grande Southern 20 pulled the passenger train around the loop.
My loving wife on her fourth lap.
Rio Grande Southern 20 passed the yard limit sign.
A new rider goes by my photo location.
Rio Grande Southern 20 performed photo runby forty-four.
A new rider enjoys his journey on the "Goose!"
The 20 performs photo runby forty-five.
That new rider really enjoying his ride.
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Galloping Goose 7 then came out and Dak asked if anybody wanted to ride and I others said "Yes!" So I made four laps around the museum.
Rio Grande Southern 20 did photo runby forty-six.
Galloping Goose 6 executed photo runby forty-seven.
Galloping Goose 7 performed photo runby forty-eight.
Photo runby forty-nine was performed by Rio Grande Southern 20.
Galloping Goose 6 did photo runby fifty.
Rio Grande Southern 20 did photo runby fifty-one.
Rio Grande Southern 20 on photo runby fifty-two.
Galloping Goose 5 in this posed picture.
Pictures with the afternoon crew.
Pretend track work for the benefit of the photographers.
Rio Grande Southern 20 performed photo runy fifty-three.
Photo runby fifty-four with Rio Grande Southern 20, which then went into the siding.
Posed pictures with Denver and Rio Grande Western 491.
Galloping Goose 5 did photo runby fifty-four.
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The final photo runby was led by Denver and Rio Grande Western 491 with Rio Grande Southern 20 in the siding. This was number fifty-five.
While there was an evening photo session, we had a two hour drive ahead of us so decided to leave at this time. After letting Dak know, who wished us a safe trip home, we drove to Limon and checked into the Quality Inn for the night.
5/21/2024 We arose, checked our e-mail and went to County Pride for breakfast. During the long drive home, we switched drivers a few times as we entered Kansas, drove across that state and an-hour-and-a-half into Missouri, where we stopped at Jersey Mike's in Blue Springs before the final leg of the drive to Columbia, arriving at 9:00 PM.
Thank you to Dak Dillon for an excellent and memorable photo charter and the entire crew of the Colorado Railroad Museum who took their day off to run steam engines and the Geese for all the participants.
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