Is this a South Park train on the way to Alpine Tunnel?

[Kurt Maechner]

I came across this photo on the Buena Vista Heritage site.  It is titled "Climbing Alpine Pass".
Is that a correct designation?  It looks like it could be an eastbound somewhere between Quartz and Woodstock maybe?  The rocks seem a bit too close to the track for that section.  Or is it westbound in the last mile before the east portal?

[Paul R.]

That's an interesting photo , what is the time period ?

[Chris Walker]

Kurt,

A Westbound, that's taken above Mt. Princeton near Alpine(station).

[Jim Courtney]

Great photo, Kurt!! I've never seen this one before.

I'm with Chris, location looks to be lower Chalk Creek, I would have guessed near Cascade.

The details in the photo are fabulous:




I'd guess the time to be 1886-1887, certainly after the 1885 UP system renumbering. The lead locomotive is one of the 1883 Cooke 2-8-0s, the second locomotive likely is too.

Notice the first two freight cars. The boxcar is one of the UP built 1882-1883 27' boxcars (identified by the square shaped poling pockets on the sides at the lower corners). The reefer is one of the big 27' Tiffany cars built by St. Charles, that has the same square poling pockets. Not completely sure, but the two coal cars look to be the two classes of 27' coals, the 300 series with the tall side sills and the 400 series with the higher coal boards

The listing doesn't credit the photographer, but it has the feeling of an M.E. Chase photo. He photographed South Park freight trains at Romley and Hancock in 1888, so it could be the same year.

[Kurt Maechner]

Those rocks look awfully close to the pilot.

[Dave Eggleston]

This is a fantastic shot. It sure looks like the Cascade area.

Doing quick searches on  Alpine, Hancock, Romley, Murphy and Elmo has revealed a lot of good images, a few I've not seen before, several digitized ones I've only seen in print or larger versions of digitized images. Exciting are so far 4-5 images of St Elmo depot (several behind groups of people) in the first 3 pages (of 7) Elmo hits.

Thanks Kurt!

[South Park]

Eastbound in the Chalk Cliffs area ?

[Chris Walker]

This is the area I was thinking of: I never got up on to the Roadbed at this location when I was headed for Atlantic and the Tunnel; that was back in 1992 and I never made it back up there again on subsequent trips, much to my regret(always too much to see'n do and not enough time).

Denver Public Library C-22


on Google maps.....

Photo Similar Location Image

Another "then&now" mission for Matt Huson, should he accept the challenge....