The first relaid track of the C&S in 1953?

[Kurt Maechner]

I came across a video on Youtube with home videos from 1953, narrated by a man who was a young 11-year old boy when they were taken.  They follow a family trip through Colorado focused on trains.

The most interesting part of the video begins at 2:13, though, when the family takes a bus trip to Idaho Springs.  Here the young boy rides a miniature live steam train across Clear Creek and onto the C&S roadbed past the Argo Mill loading chutes.  Is anyone aware of this tiny train?  How long was it around?  This could possibly be the first relaying of track on a former C&S roadbed post abandonment, besides the display trains.

After that segment, the narrator relates how descendants of his would later learn to drive the same locomotive, now lettered with a C&S style logo for the Commanche Crossing & Eastern.  Does anyone know where this locomotive is today?

The C&S shows up again when there is a quick shot of C&S 60 at 3:24 in gleaming paint, though lettered for the Burlington Route.  It is still at the original location with the log gift shop behind.

There are a few seconds of video at Central City, though no sightings of No. 71 and train.

Enjoy,
Kurt

[SteveG]

Here's a link to the still-extant Commanche Crossing & Eastern FB page:
https://www.facebook.com/Comanche-Crossing-Eastern-RR-and-Thain-picnic-grove-546699352032730/
and there's at least one engine with a C&S style logo in the photo section, although it may not be the one in the video.

Cheers,
Steve
Redmond, WA  on the way to Austin, TX

[Kurt Maechner]

Thanks for that link.  Do you know what state this is in?  I don't see it mentioned in the description.

[SteveG]

The 'About' indicates it's in Strasburg, CO, east of Denver on I-40/287.

[Todd Hackett]

SteveG wrote

The 'About' indicates it's in Strasburg, CO, east of Denver on I-40/287.

Yes, it's here, just east of Strasburg, CO. Marlin Urich took me there once when I was out checking on one of the projects he was working on (I don't remember whether it was Coach 280 or C&S 74). I don't know the full history, but it was still running then, and from the Google aerial, it looks like there was still a lot in place when the photo was taken. This is nowhere near Idaho Springs and to my knowledge has no relation to the C&S narrow gauge. The closest miniature railway to Idaho Springs that I had heard of is Tiny Town, but I don't think the railroad was there before 1972. They do have a nice mason bogie running there now, but it's not live steam (I think it's gas mechanical). I remember seeing a photo of miniature railway with a nice version of a South Park mogul dating to the early 1900s at one of Denver's big amusement parks. I think it was Elitch's, but it could have been Lakeside. The Denver Zoo is also running a miniature south park bogie (built by Urich), which I think is steam powered. The Tiny Town and Denver Zoo bogies are both relatively new - long after 1953.