Ohio Pass palisades

[Matt Hutson]

Hi all,
Here's one from ten years ago, when my son and I hiked the part of the grade that is not on the road.


As a guy who makes his living in  engineering and construction, I found this uncompleted section of grade very interesting. The South Park apparently had several grading crews working in different sections of the alignment simultaneously.

There would be a section of grade and then untouched natural terrain, repeated several times along the way. There are two unfinished large fills, the first where it crosses an unnamed creek and then another where the grade makes a loop over the same creek. Stone culverts made of BIG rocks are at the bottom of each, unburied.

Hi all,
Here's one from ten years ago, when my son and I hiked the part of the grade that is not on the road.


As a guy who makes his living in  engineering and construction, I found this uncompleted section of grade very interesting. The South Park apparently had several grading crews working in different sections of the alignment simultaneously.

There would be a section of grade and then untouched natural terrain, repeated several times along the way. There are two unfinished large fills, the first where it crosses an unnamed creek and then another where the grade makes a loop over the same creek. Stone culverts made of BIG rocks are at the bottom of each, unburied.

One of the unfinished fills.


My son, then aged 12, in one of the stone culverts.


Completed grade, waiting for rails that never arrived.


Another view of the Ohio Pass palisades, looking east.

Cheers,
Matt

[Robert McFarland]

Using the E.J.Haley map it is possible to follow the upper unfinished  section between the Balloon Loop and the lower end of the  Rock Wall.The surveyors or track workers marked the grade by felling a tree every 100ft or so leaving an uncommonly tall stump.Its kind of tricky to walk as there is a lot of tree fall and the slope is steep enough you have to grab a nearby branch to help you keep going.Using the computer you can follow the grade from the cut at the higher end of the Rock Wall on up grade.

[Robert McFarland]

The Pictorial Supplement of the DSP&P (original edition) has a whole chapter on the Ohio Creek line including the Haley map and several photos

[South Park]

  These men knew no bounds for staggering work
or the word "impossible".  Sure would have been
a sight to see 1880's South Park trains on such a
scenic stretch of trackage ! 😜

[Ken Martin]

>Sure would have been
a sight to see 1880's South Park trains on such a
scenic stretch of trackage !

A little Photoshop magic/trickery.



KenMartin

[Kurt Maechner]

Hi Matt,
Thanks so much for those photos.  It is so difficult to make out the photos that I have seen of the Ohio Pass palisades in the past because most have been black and white.  Your color photos and angles really help.  

Was it very difficult to get to this location?  Sometime I hope to make the trek.
Kurt

[Matt Hutson]

Hi Kurt,
It's pretty easy to get to the starting point - a short drive follows the grade just off a switchback on lower Ohio Pass. The parts without grade are a bit rough, and actually getting to the rock wall is pretty difficult.

Cheers,
Matt

[Todd Hackett]

Matt Hutson wrote

...It's pretty easy to get to the starting point...

And you can get a good look at the wall from the starting point. The first photo on this page was taken from the beginning of the trail, and you can see the wall near the top of the image. The hike to the second balloon loop with the big culverts isn't difficult and well worthwhile even if you're not up to the climb up to the wall itself. And just for the record, this is the rock wall at Ohio Pass. The other one is the rock wall at The Palisades. "The Palisades" refers to the cliffs above the wall, not the wall itself.

[Robert McFarland]

Downgrade from the"starting point" the road follows the grade until you reach a parking area/rest stop where the county road branches off from the grade  and the grade disappears into a heavily wooded area.Following the county road to an area where I believe there is either a corral or at least an area to unload horse trailers there is a hiking trail up the hill to a spot where you can see a portion of the grade in a clearing on the side of the hill.You can see this portion of the grade from the road coming up from Baldwin if you  know where to look.Also coming up from Baldwin if you stop at the cattle guard and corral you can catch your first view of the Rock Wall.

[Fred52]

Thanks to the OP for these pictures. My proposed layout it a what if...the DSP&P had been able to finish the line. The picture get me motivated to get things rolling.
My question for the group is where is there a map showing the proposed route? Does one exist?
Thanks
Fred Cotterell
Alabama

[Robert McFarland]

In the map pocket of the DSP&P Pictorial Suppliment is a map by E.J.Haley showing  the line from Baldwin to the end of finished grade and surrounding territory. Also in the book is a rough map of the line to the west in a DSP&P promotional pamphlet.Larry Green posted maps of the line  from Buena Vista to the rock wall and also made a CD of the maps.

[Matt Hutson]

There's about two thirds of a wye graded at the top of Ohio Pass, if you know where to look.

Cheers,
Matt

[Robert McFarland]

More input!I've never heard of this before

[Matt Hutson]

It doesn't show up terribly well on here, but you can see some of it in the lower right.


Cheers,
Matt

[Robert McFarland]

That looks like the place thats marked on the map as "last segment of  known grade" a place I used to call "the beaver pond".I don't believe its the leg of a wye.

[Robert McFarland]

After looking at it on Google maps it appears to be a depression not a grade.

[Robert McFarland]

You might contact Larry Green the expert on the area-he can also tell you about the short stretch of DSP&P grade near Floresta.

[Southpark]

What you see on Google is indeed an elevated grade, though not but a foot or so, and ends at a small stream.
Tom Klinger