Ten Mile Stations of the D&RG

[Jimmy Blouch]

Continuation of previous map showing lines between Frisco and Wheeler.

Jimmy

[Jim Courtney]

The second book I received this week was also by Sandra F Mather, PhD, this time in collaboration with the Frisco Historic Park & Museum: Images of America: Frisco and the Tenmile Canon. Both books would make a useful addition to the library of any C&S fan.

I found some more images that fit in with our discussion of the Tenmile between Frisco and Wheeler:

Frisco:



Lumber being loaded at the D&RG siding in Frisco proper. Per Jimmy's map, I believe the D&RG mainline is in the foreground, siding beyond.




A small sawmill near Frisco, thought Jeff might make use of it.




The C&S second Frisco depot in later years, possibly the 1920s, judging by the auto fender at right. An extended family awaits the passenger train. The little depot is painted dark again. (Roper pointed out the small dog, to the attractive young woman's right).


Excelsior Mill and Spur:



A view from Mt Royal to the northeast, including Wichita Mountain.  Talk about your talus / boulder slope!  The Excelsior concentrator  is at the bottom of the right flank, Frisco proper to the right.  Both the D&RG and C&S grades are faintly visible on either side of the S-curve of Tenmile Creek.




A little better image of the Excelsior Concentrator -- or maybe not.


The King Solomon Tunnel:



A later view of the King Solomon, the tunnel entrance has new additional structures and a much larger tailing dump. C&S mainline in the foreground. The boiler house and C&S coal spur are behind the copse of aspen (or are those Jeff's river willows?).


C&S track in Tenmile Canyon below Curtin:






Curtin Section House:



A better quality image of the photo I posted above. Evidently, "Uneva Lake Spur" and "Curtin Siding" were one and the same on the DSP&P / C&S, at different times.


C&S track in Tenmile Canyon near Wheeler:



Looking north. The D&RG grade is covered in snow on the left bank of Tenmile Creek.


When Jimmy makes it up to Kokomo and Recene, I think I've found some new images not included in Jeff's classic Kokomo thread (http://c-sng-discussion-forum.41377.n7.nabble.com/Kokomo-td1652.html).

Jim

[Chris Walker]

Great additions to a great thread Jim, but it is correctly spelt Curtin.  Also your last picture should be looking North as the C&S occupied the Eastern side of the Tenmile.  
Did the C&S have log Sectionhouses anywhere else other than Boreas and Curtin? Was there anything written as to the reasons for this given Frame construction was used elsewhere?

[Jim Courtney]

Typos noted and corrected.

As to log section house at Curtin, the log construction was likely more sturdy, considering it was located in a slide area.  Doesn't really explain Boreas though.

I think the best image of the Curtin section house photo is in Knindig's Pictorial Supplement . . .  Good enough to allow some enlargement:


Per caption, c1896.


And to get as many known Tenmile photos on this thread:


Littleton History Museum collection, in Grandt, Narrow Gauge Pictorial Volume VIII


The C&S rotary train is working northbound in the narrow confines of lower Tenmile Canon, c1900-1901.  The D&RG line is in the background. The three locomotives, with single horizontal cab panels, all appear to be 1890 Baldwins, of the 63-70 class, still years away from being re-classed B-4-Ds.

Perhaps Chris can use his Google skills to identify the large rock outcroping above the D&RG grade.
Jim

[Jimmy Blouch]

2 more maps

Kokomo
and "continuation"

Jimmy

Kokomo:

Dark line D&RG operated line, colored lines, proposed
Locations for water tank, depot, section house and bunk house are shown

(again oversize, just can't seem to get it right)

[Chris Walker]

There are two locations that are similar however they blasted a huge amount rock for the I-70.  But at this, upstream from Officers Gulch location they haven't been able to change the background hillside so my best shot is here 39.5282401,-106.1378534  the other was back at Curtin.

[Jeff Young]

Wow, guys, this is turning into a cracker of a thread....

[Jim Courtney]

I'm hesitant to re-post all of the Kokomo photos from Jeff's Kokomo thread:  http://c-sng-discussion-forum.41377.n7.nabble.com/template/NamlServlet.jtp?macro=search_page&node=1&query=kokomo

But then, it is awfully neat to thoroughly document with photos all of Jimmy's beautiful maps, in one place.

What do ya'll think?

I do have some new images of the mills and smelters at Kokomo to scan and post, though, if I can find the time.

[Darel Leedy]

Am I the only one to notice that there is a D&RG rotary working from the other direction?

[Jim Courtney]

Evidently, you are. I didn't notice it!

[Jim Courtney]

What the heck. Since Jimmy is going to the trouble of posting all of these beautiful maps, we ought to at least illustrate the D&RG at Kokomo:



http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15330coll22/id/9170/rec/19

The D&RG depot.




In Digerness, The Mineral Belt Volume II

The D&RG mixed train at the depot.




http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15330coll22/id/12391/rec/35

Overview of the D&RG yards.




In Mather, Frisco and the Ten Mile Canon

A new photo to me -- a view of Kokomo, looking north from the hill above Kokomo.  D&RG facilities to the left, the C&S long spur to Wilfley and Breens mill is in the foreground. The C&S water tank is at the right distant center.

[Jeff Young]

My plans of the D&RG Kokomo depot will be in the next NG&SLG. ;)

Cheers,
Jeff.

[Jimmy Blouch]

Some more

Jimmy



Shows main track and spur to Wilson Mining Co at Robinson, in the area where the C&S line meets D&RG is a very faint reference to C&S connection



Summit/Fremont Pass



"Continuation"

[Jim Courtney]

Jimmy's moving on up the line toward Leadville!

So's if we are to keep up, I probably need to post a couple of things I've been saving.

In the Klingers' Highline Memories and Then Some there are two photos attributed to Anna Anderson, in the A.A.Anderson Collection, that show a rotary train in Kokomo. The captions do not identify the railroad, the date of the photos is listed as "early in 1900."




I'm pretty sure this is a D&RG rotary train, departing Kokomo northbound. The town itself is behind the train, the two coal bins for the D&RG bunk house and section house are at right mid frame. The C&S line appears far distant--just above and to the left of the rotary's snow plume, the C&S snowshed in the cut by the trestle is faintly visible.

The two locomotives appear to be D&RG C-class engines, as the diamond stacks look more like a D&RG diamond than an old UP diamond of the late 1880s to early 1890s. Besides, if they were C&S locomotives in early 1900 they should sporting McConnel "pancake " stacks.

So, it's likely a D&RG rotary train--or is it?




Anna Anderson also took this photo of the rotary train stopped at Kokomo, perhaps by the D&RG depot. The tender is lettered "Rotary 012". The numerals are the skinny block Gothic numerals as on D&RG 262 above, so it is consistent with D&RG period lettering.

But the problem is that the D&RG rotaries weren't renumbered (relettered?) to the familiar "OM" and "ON" until 1907. So far, no conflict with the photo. But according to Robert Sloan in A Century + Ten of D&RG Narrow Gauge . . ., the D&RG used a novel numbering system for the rotary plows when delivered in 1889: They were numbered 1 (later OM) and 2 (later ON).  Rotary OO was acquired from the Crystal River railroad in 1916, and never carried a D&RG number. Likewise, Rotary OY was a modern machine, acquired new in 1923.

So, if the photos don't show a D&RG rotary, does it belong to the DL&G or C&S? The rotary in the photos don't look like the Jull.

The only two Cooke (Leslie) rotaries on the South Park, according to Mal Ferrel in The South Park Line, were:
a)  DSP&P 011, built in 1889, later renumbered to DL&G 064, to C&S 01 in 1900, finally renumbered to our old friend C&S 99200 in 1912.
b)  Standard gauge C&S 03, built in 1900, renumbered 0270 in 1908, finally 99201 in 1912. It wasn't converted to narrow gauge until 1935.

The only other NG rotary was the Jull, built in 1890, originally DL&G 066, but was standard gauged after the snow plow trials, in 1890, renumbered UPD&G 025 in 1893.  

Since the original DSP&P rotary number of 011 is sequential to 012, is it possible that the DSP&P had a second rotary that we don't know about?

Are there any members of the Colorado Rotary Club on this forum, who can tell me who owned "Rotary 012" in the photo above?

 

[Jim Courtney]

I've always been interested in the major mining structures at Kokomo, and how both railroads served them.

Todd Hackett, back in the original "Kokomo" thread (http://c-sng-discussion-forum.41377.n7.nabble.com/Kokomo-td1652.html), posted this wonderful composite map:




The major mills and smelters are shown in green.

The White Quail mill was likely originally named the Kokomo Reduction Works:


In Digerness, The Mineral Belt Volume II


One of Jimmy's blue maps show a D&RG spur (or proposed spur) to an industry at that location. The large structure with clerestory windows and huge chimney appear in other photos at the location that Todd showed on the map, though it appears abandoned by the 1890s, or burnt out:


http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15330coll22/id/9201/rec/27



http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm/fullbrowser/collection/p15330coll21/id/11997/rv/singleitem/rec/5


The first Kokomo thread established that Breene's Mill and the Walsh Smelter were likely one and the same:

http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15330coll22/id/38704/rec/367


This is the only photo I've ever seen of Wilfley's mill:


In Mather, Frisco and the Ten Mile Canon


Supposedly it was here that Arthur Redman Wilfley experimented and developed the Wilfley Concentrating Table.  Note the rail spur of the South Park / C&S below the boarding house, ore bins and mill structures.

Wilfley's original mill burned down in October of 1891, and it appears that our friend, the Kimberly Mill, was built at or near the same site:


http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15330coll22/id/14928/rec/8


Arthur Wilfley apparently became an investor in the Kimberly, and the mill was subsequently known as the Kimberley-Wilfley mill and operated, off and on, into the World War One years:


In Mather, Frisco and the Ten Mile Canon



Since Wilfley's name was always attached to the operation, in one capacity or another, perhaps that is why the mills at the end of the long C&S spur at Kokomo were always known as "Wilfley's mill".

Now, does anyone have a photo of the "Summit Mill", served by the D&RG on Todd's map?  Chris?

[Chris Walker]

Not a close view Jim but I think from the location this would be it... nice find on the Rotary 012.

CHS.X7691

http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm/fullbrowser/collection/p15330coll21/id/11985/rv/singleitem/rec/13

Jeff, were you modelling the C&S Depot up on the edge of town or in town?


Geological Survey Professional Paper, Volumes 651-653

[Jeff Young]

Dang, you guys now have me really curious whose rotary 012 is.  (FWIW, I agree with Jim's assessment of where it is operating in that picture.)

Chris, I'm modelling the depot at the edge of town.  (Well, what passes for town in my horrifically compressed modelling space.)

Cheers,
Jeff.

[Jim Courtney]

Dang, you guys now have me really curious whose rotary 012 is.


I was merely trying to post a photo of a D&RG rotary train at Kokomo. About half way through the post, I realized that I had no idea to which railroad Rotary "012" belonged.

I, too, am now curious and have some more thoughts, if not conclusions.  In order to not hijack Jimmy's excellent thread with this distraction, I have started a new topic: http://c-sng-discussion-forum.41377.n7.nabble.com/Mystery-Rotary-Snow-Plow-012-at-Kokomo-td6339.html


PS.  Jerry Day has solved the mystery, on that thread.

[Chris Walker]

R.B.Jackson Photo


John Maxwell Photo

EDIT: keeping in sequence..On to Robinson...

the D&RG Depot



Headed North to Kokomo, Recen: note the siding on which UP24404 stands is shown on Jimmys map as a possible/proposed connection
http://c-sng-discussion-forum.41377.n7.nabble.com/Ten-Mile-Stations-of-the-D-RG-tp6164p6333.html
CHS.B288

http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm/fullbrowser/collection/p15330coll21/id/3742/rv/singleitem/rec/44


Grove photo from pg213 Mineral Belt Volume II by David S. Digerness

Headed South to Climax
CHS.J922

http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm/fullbrowser/collection/p15330coll21/id/7138/rv/singleitem/rec/44

For Robert  

[Jeff Young]

Sweet!  That Jackson photo is a new one to me.

Some time ago I digitally processed the Maxwell photo to within an inch of its life (totally losing the sky, but I was more interested in the building).  I think I probably posted it before, but here it is:



Cheers,
Jeff.