Chatfield Standard Gauge

[Daniel Frauenhoff]

So as we all know the narrow gauge trackage from Denver to Waterton was abandoned in 1942.

In M.C. Poor's Denver South Park and Pacific it is found that:

"The authority to abandon this section [Chatfield-Waterton] was granted on October 15, 1942, and two weeks later, on October 31st, the operation of all freight service on the remainder of the narrow gauge line from Denver to South Platte was discontinued. By November 21st, all rail beyond Chatfield was removed, and by December 5th, all narrow gauge rail between that point and Denver was removed." (409)

This was 3-rail track at the time, however. Poor continues that:

"In 1937, the line from Denver to Sheridan Junction was laid with third-rail to accommodate the sugar beet business in this vicinity. . . This third-rail was extended to Chatfield in 1939." (418)

The standard gauge spur to Chatfield remained for 8 more years. In the C&S annual reports of 1950 the following quote is found:

"On March 15, 1950, the Interstate Commerce Commission authorized the abandonment of the Chatfield branch line, approximately 6.51 miles, which resulted in a credit to capital account of $113,243."

The branch was then shortened to its current location just north of Sheridan Junction.

I have a few photographs from the Littleton museum of this period, they are copies of copies of copies and thus very low quality:


Several standard gauge gondolas sit at Chatfield. W.C. Cuthbert collection


Platte Canon road by the beet dump. October 29, 1939. W.C. Cuthbert collection

Another from DPL:


C&S 9 pulls a northbound load of Sugar Beets and presumably Feldspar. Otto Perry photograph, October 15, 1938. Third rail visible at bottom right. Location probably just north of Chatfield near M.P. 13 around present day Wadsworth/C-470. Assuming the date is correct, the third rail may have been extended to Chatfield before 1939.
http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm/fullbrowser/collection/p15330coll22/id/42504/rv/singleitem/rec/1


I assume the branch could only have been used sparingly to collect beet harvests. However, does anyone have any information/knowledge/photographs of this brief period of operation? Any of Chatfield in general? I recall a shot of the "End of Third Rail" sign but can't find it. Maybe in Farrell's book? (I don't own it)

Thanks,

Daniel

[Chris Walker]

[Daniel Frauenhoff]

Thanks Chris,

What book is this photo found in?

Daniel

[Chris Walker]

The CRAnnual #12 The South Park Line has a b&w picture on pg204; mine is a copy from an original Maxwell slide that was part of a bunch of prints Moe(n3) Mechling gave me in the early 80's.  It was his un-asked for generosity that started me down this path of research.

[Daniel Frauenhoff]

Thanks again,

Its a beautiful print, I enjoy stumbling across the rare color images of the line. Makes it easier to visualize what it would have been like on a summer afternoon.

Daniel

[chtrout]

I know the remnants of what had briefly become known as the "Chatfield Branch" had been cut back from the Chatfield sugar beet load-out to just north of Sheridan Junction in 1950.  I have a vague memory as a child of there still being a railroad crossing on West Hampton Avenue, with the track seeming to end just south of the crossing, perhaps in a lumberyard or such.

Does anyone have the date for when the tracks were cut back further from Sheridan Junction, and where the current end of BNSF track might be?