Proof that not only the Eating House was built on stilts at Forks Creek.

[John Schapekahm]

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[John Schapekahm]

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[John Schapekahm]

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[John Schapekahm]

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[Derrell Poole]

All right. Everybody ante up with the Forks Creek photos. Let's just get them all out and change the name of this topic to "The Forks Creek Report"; your first, on line, free volume of; "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know 'X' But Were Afraid to Ask" Blog Book of C&S savvy! Get them out. Let's do it!


No. 70 taking water at Forks Creek Tank - Kindig photo dated 1940


No. 70 taking water at Forks Creek Tank - Kindig photo dated 4 May 1941


No. 70 switching at Forks Creek - Kindig photo dated late '30s


String of coals on the spur off of the Idaho Springs lead of the wye. Tank and pump house stack behind the cars. Weiss Photo 7-41

The last photo shows the spur off the IS lead above the bridge to BH. The first car in the string is a 1908 version of Type II Coal. This is apparent by the pattern FM133 striker. I can faintly see the 44XX on the end of the car but cannot tell the last two digits. I also find this view of the bridge interesting. I'm not a Clear Creek fan as much as a South Park fan so I don't know how often this side of that bridge was photographed.

[John Schapekahm]

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[John Schapekahm]

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[Todd Hackett]

John Schapekahm wrote

... I want to say the actual location is Elk Creek...

Most of my photos of Elk Creek are also with the early wood truss bridge, but I do have an Al Chione slide from 5-30-39 of a gondola train pulled by #71 crossing the later steel truss bridge, identified in his notes as Elk Creek. While the abutment and creek alignment match Derrell's photo, the bridge itself is shorter. It has a vertical column at each end (the top of which connects to the diagonal member at the end of the bridge), with one more column in the middle. The bridge in Derrell's photo doesn't have coluns at the very end, but has four intermediate columns. The terrain in Derrell's photo doesn't seem to match that in the early Elk Creek photos.

[Chris Walker]

I'm sure this location is where the Highway now crosses the Clear Creek just below Floyd Hill.

[Robert McFarland]

Weren't the Souther construction engines built before the Civil War?Weren't they re-gauged to 3ft.?

[Jeff Ramsey]

"This one is a bit earlier, with a Miller Hook on the observation car."
In the third image there is no uncoupling lever for what you referred to as a Miller Hook. Great photos as always Todd.

[Todd Hackett]

Jeff Ramsey wrote

In the third image there is no uncoupling lever for what you referred to as a Miller Hook.

It sure looks like a Miller Hook to me. I believe the arrow points to the uncoupling lever. It's not the type of lever that pivots near the base, but is more like a brake wheel where the shaft rotates and a chain wraps around the base.

[Chris Walker]

I was just looking back for the Devils Slide pic, there are major differences in the construction of the levers and the way the chain connects the coupler.  The spare coupling pin is on the righthand side and the lever appears to have a ratchetbase, I would only suppose that the coupling apparatus would be spring loaded in this form to close.  
In the photo below you can see clearly the lever style is restrained in place with a vertical retaining pin.
Just my thoughts.

http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm/fullbrowser/collection/p15330coll21/id/4619/rv/singleitem/rec/5 

[Todd Hackett]

Chris Walker wrote

... I'd say that the ratchetbase style would present a safety issue should the return spring break causing a seperation....

I think the spring is the same for both uncoupling styles, and is part of the draft gear. These are just two ways to pull the hook to the side for uncoupling. When running, the chain would be slack, whether connected to the horizontal lever or the rotating shaft.

BTW, the pin would be to allow the car to be coupled to a link-and-pin coupler using a slot formed in the back of the hook if coupling to another car or a locomotive with link-and-pin coupler.

[Chris Walker]

Damn you're quicker than my brain this morning Todd {:))  
It was only after I wrote that, did I realised that supposition would only work if there was a rod or bar connection in place of the chain, so I edited my post to remove the doubt.  

[Jeff Ramsey]

Very interesting! I have never seen anything  like that for a Miller Hook. Thanks Todd.

[Derrell Poole]

Forks Creek Bridge

Yeah my bad on the previous bridge photo. I think Chris is right - that bridge was just below Floyd Hill (bridge No. 6?). Another view is on page 126 of Rail Annual No. 10

Here is a photo I started to put up this morning as the FC tank but realized that it was not. I'm not entirely certain that this was the Elk Creek Tank. But if it is the bridge John initially thought of would be blocked from the camera by the boxcars.



As I've said I'm not a strong student of Clear Creek. These dinky tanks are cool but not as squat looking as the biggies used on the SP.

[Robert McFarland]

Which Clear Creek tank had the cast posts?

[Chris Walker]

Elk Creek as seen in Derrell's picture above

 & Idaho Springs, Robert.


http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm/fullbrowser/collection/p15330coll22/id/42719/rv/singleitem/rec/126

[Chris Walker]

Derrell, the Bridge structure can be made out directly in line above the boxcar door and under the spout.  And the Truss before Floyd was Bridge 706 according to Sundance's Colorado Central Railroad.

EDIT: Changed error in bridge number.