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Rocky Mountain Railroad Club's Wyoming-Colorado Railroad Excursion 6/28/1992

The Union Pacific Historical Society convention was in Cheyenne this year and the day after the steam excursion, the Rocky Mountain Railroad Club was offering a a round-trip excursion on the Wyoming-Colorado Railroad from Laramie to Fox Park, a distance of 54.6 miles I suggested to Bill Compton that we take advantage of this rare opportunity and he was readily agreeable, so we purchased our tickets beforehand.

Experience one of the West's most scenic rides when the Rocky Mountain Railroad Club charters a special train for an excursion over the Wyoming-Colorado Railroad on Sunday, June 28, 1992. Departing Laramie at 10:00 AM, this all-day 108 mile trip will feature the adventure of travelling over one of North America's highest standard gauge railroads in classic streamlined passenger equipment through the picturesque regions of the Medicine Bow National Forest. Return to Laramie will be late afternoon. Highlights of the day will include the climb around the 10 and 12 degree curves at Albany, Wyoming, while climbing the two percent grade through these great loops plus the panoramic views that unfold. Photo runbys will be done at various scenic locations to photograph this unique train in action against the backdrp of this magnificent scenery.

This railroad, dating back approximately 90 years, ran all the way to Walden, Colorado, under various names and was most recently under the ownership of the Union Pacific until 1987, when it became the Wyoming-Colorado Railroad. Our motive power will consist of three EMD FP7 units, originally Alaska Railroad locomotives. All the passenger cars are ex-Santa Fe Railroad streamliner cars dating back to the 1940s. Two coaches have been converted to first class service private cars, three cars are regular passenger coaches and one car is a snack/beverage car.

Our destination is Fox Park at an elevation of 9,055 feet which was the highest point on the Union Pacific system before the company sold the line. At our Fox Park stop, we will have a "static" photostop and an opportunity to watch our locomotives turn for the return trip to Laramie.

The route of the Wyoming-Colorado Railroad began its life as the Laramie, Hahns Park and Pacific Railway Company which was incorporated on February 27, 1901. Initially planned as a narrow gauge railway, it was intended that the railway would run to the tiny mining town of Centennial, Wyoming, then due west into the Medicine Bow Mountains to a place called Gold Hill. From there, it would continue on to Encampment, Whoming, over the Sierra Madre Mountains to Baggs, Wyoming and south to Hahns Peak, Colorado. In 1903, grandiose plans were announced to build on to Steamboat Springs, Colorado and eventually west to Grand Junction, Colorado, the Vernal, Utah area and on to the Pacific Coast.

It took six years to complete the line to Centennial and the first official train from Laramie to Centennial ran on June 17, 1907. A second company was formed on September 16, 1907 for the Colorado section of the line. The plans to go over the Medicine Bow Mountains were abandoned because of the failure of the gold mines. The rails from Centennial were directed south toward the company-owned town of Coalmont, Colorado. Progress was rather slow and Walden was not reached until late 1911 with regular service from Laramie to Coalmont beginning on December 11, 1911. In the spring of 1912, when the line began to haul Northern Park coal, it owned seven locomotives, two passenger cars, thirty-nine freight cars and two rotary snow ploughs. Power consisted of a Cooke 2-8-0, a Hicks 2-8-0 2, No. 3 (type not available) and four new Baldwin 2-8-2s purchased in 1911 and numbered 4 to 7. Total mileage was 111 miles and this was all the railroad ever built. In 1918, a 2-8-2, No. 8, was purchased and it eventually acquired two gasoline motor cars built in 1926 for passenger and railway express agency service.

Operating costs were extremely high due to the severe winters encountered at the high elevation of the line and as a result, the line had many re-organizations: Laramie, Hahns Park and Pacific Railway Company from February 27, 1901 to June 2, 1914; Larimer and Routt County Railway Company from September 15, 1907 to June 2, 1914; The Colorado, Wyoming and Eastern Railway Company from June 2, 1914 to April 22, 1924; Northern Colorado and Eastern Railroad Company from April 22, 1924 to June 21, 1924; Laramie, North Peak and Western Railroad COmpany from June 21, 1924 to November 6, 1951; Coalmont Branch of the Union Pacific from late 1951 to late 1987; and Wyoming-Colorado Railroad from late 1987 to present.

Today, the Wyoming-Colorado's primary business is wood chips, carbon dioxide tank car shipments and coal. Passenger service began in 1988 and trips are run year-round.

Wyoming-Colorado Railroad map and inset of the Albany Loops.

Wyoming-Colorado Railroad map.

The excursion route.

Bill and I drove over Sherman Hill and found the train next to the Wyoming Territorial Prison, now a state park. The consist was for this trip was Wyoming-Colorado FP7 1512, nee Alaska Railroad 1512, built by Electro-Motive Division in 1953 and FP7 1510, nee Alaska Railroad 1510, built by Electro-Motive Division in 1953, a power car, an open car, coach 3107 "Centennial", coach 3198 "Albany", open car, coach 3087 "Laramie", first class coach/parlour "Rendezvous", first class coach/parlour "Santa Fe" and an open car. We had seats in "Laramie", ex. New Jersey Transit 3087, exx. New Jersey Department of Transportation 3087, nee Santa Fe 3087, built by Budd Company in 1937.

We departed on time from Laramie, Milepost 0, and crossed the Laramie River on our way west out of town. A radio tower was visible to the north as we turned that direction for a short distance before returning to a westerly course then continued straight across the high prairie with Big Hollow to the south and crossed the route of the old Overland Trail, with the wagon ruts still visible as we made our way Miller, Milepost 14.7. Off to the west was the Snowy Range, which is also the nickname of this route. To follow the contours of the land, we turned north along the slope of a hill before turning southwest and running along Mammoth Ditch then crossed Dry Creek after Millbrook (Milepost 17.80) with Bald Mountain standing out to the northwest.

We had now entered the Centennial Valley and next crossed Ward Gulch with Corner Mountain standing guard to the northwest, then traversed Nash Fork and entered the town of Centennial, Milepost 29.33, with its a depot and a caboose relocated north of the highway. We turned to the south to travel up the Centennial Valley with the Mountain Range of the same name to the west, crossed Kelly Creek, the Middle Fork of Bucks Creek and Curican Creek as we headed south for the mountains that were in front of us.

Our climb was started by rounding a sweeping turn to the right before another to the left to gain elevation then we proceede southwest across South Creek before curving around the base of the canyon and crossing the highway then climbing to the northeast. We looped back to the southwest, winding along the base before turning to the right, crossing the highway and rounding another horseshoe curve to reach Albany, Milepost 40.40, where we crossed the same road for the third time. Muddy Mountain stood to the west as we turned to the east and snaked our way along the slope to the Lower Albany Loop, which we rounded before stopping for the first photo runby.

Everyone detrained and the train reversed out of sight before coming towards us at speed with many cameras clicking in perfect light. Everyone reboarded and we continued to climb, turning to the southeast to round the Middle Albany Loop now travelling to the northwest before the train rounded the Upper Albany Loop to go southwest once more. We made another right hand turn before we turned left to cross Wyoming Highay 11. This had to be one of the most impressive grades over which I had ridden and it was hard to imagine that loaded coal trains once had to descend this route. Most amazing! We arrived at a canyon for the second photo runby.

Once back on board, we passed below Lake Mountain and ran along the shore of Lake Owen, then turned to right, still climbing before we turned to the left and ran about three miles to Fox Park, Milepost 54.57, our destination. The original log depot burned down many years ago and was replaced (across the track) with the two-box car arrangement. The train dispatcher used to call Fox Park home until the late 1940s or early 1950s. The original water tank, located near the south switch of the yard, was eventually replaced with a cistern a bit farther to the south at the base of the long fill that served till the end of steam. A coal hute was on the west side of the track until the 1950s. When the line was owned by Union Pacific, Fox Park had the distinction of being the highest point on the entire railroad. It was not uncommon to see new diesel locomotives here for high altitude testing.

We were allowed off as the power ran around the train and had time to explore before our return to Laramie then reboarded and descended the same route on which we had just travelled. I was very impressed with the engineering on this rail line. The third and final runby occurred at the Lower Albany Loop then the rest of the journey was quite enjoyable and I bought a Snowy Range T-shirt. We arrived in Laramie early and Bill and I said our goodbyes to this unique railroad as we drove to the Powder River Basin before looping back to Cheyenne, where we went our separate ways and I had an uneventful drive back home.

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