Yet Another DPL Gem: Unseen Clear Creek.

[Chris Walker]

Blackhawk bound Mixed from Central.


http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm/fullbrowser/collection/p15330coll22/id/78520/rv/singleitem/rec/372

[Jim Courtney]

This weeks eBay purchase, another Ducca contact print postcard, scanned at 1200 dbi:





This is a companion to the photo posted above of C&S 5 and the daily "up train" from Denver, laying over at the wye at Silver Plume. The picnic grounds and C&S Pavilion, as well as the Burleigh Tunnel clock tower depot for the mine train ride are all clearly visible.

It looks like some other folks in touring cars have also stopped to dine as well. A couple of people are standing at the small concession shed just to the left of number 5 and train--buying tickets for the mine train ride or perhaps ice cream or snow cones??

The obnoxious stuffed chicken hasn't arrived on the scene as yet.

As this is the summer of 1926, the train won't be coming here much longer . . .

[Jeff Young]

What a fantastic image, Jim.  Thanks for posting!

[Jim Courtney]

Found two more Ducca contact prints of old Sanborn postcards hiding with the Maxwell prints in the bottom of my file cabinet:




Number 5 and the "up" passenger train, west bound on the High Bridge of the Loop.




After laying over for lunch at the Silver Plume wye, number 5 and the "up" passenger train return to Denver, east bound on the High Bridge of the Loop.

Consecutive negative numbers, dated 1926.

[Chris Walker]

Frothing ...

[Jim Courtney]

Another eBay photo purchase from last week:



Harry Brunk, in his series in the Gazette, identified the photographer as Richard Kindig, and dated it to 1938, the last year that trains still made it up to Silver Plume.

The power for the Clear Creek local are on the tail track of the wye, the brakeman has just lined the switch at the old platform to the east leg of the wye and numbers 70 and 73 are about to move back east to the depot and ultimately to Denver.

I like to think that the two engines had been spotted on the tail track while the engine and train crews walked across to the old C&S Pavilion restaurant for lunch -- perhaps they dined on ugly stuffed chicken and had Carlson's ice cream for desert.

The clock tower depot for the mine tram ride is long gone, but the stone retaining wall for the structure remains at the right.

[Jeff Young]

What a great picture.  Note also the truck and the bridge it stands on, and the steam (?) shovel to the left.

[Jim Courtney]

I never really studied these McClure photos, c1905-1910, likely because there isn't a C&S train in them:

http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15330coll22/id/3657/rec/60



http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15330coll22/id/77566/rec/31



http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm/fullbrowser/collection/p15330coll22/id/77490/rv/singleitem/rec/8



Passengers disembark from the "up" train from Denver and head to the Pavilion grounds, after the train is backed onto the tail of the wye. Those passengers not riding the Argentine Central up to Mt. McClelland or the Sunrise Peak tram ride, wile away the layover at the Silver Plume wye, under the fir trees of the picnic grounds, awaiting train time to return to Denver.

People certainly dressed up to take a train ride into the mountains!

[Jeff Young]

What’s the structure that looks like a modern above-ground pool in the middle picture?

[Jim Courtney]

I dunno, Jeff.

I was thinking a lunch counter or bar set up between the tree trunks, open in the middle for the wait staff.

Perhaps to cater to large groups. Or maybe to set up kegs of beer for non-Sunday excursionists!

Did you notice windows and parts of the mill building across clear creek, peeking thru the trees in the last photo??

Jim

[Jim Courtney]

Another Dorman Collection view:


http://ngtrainpics.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/RD072-C-S-Engines-1/G0000y41HjSfI1c4/I0000_1NbCbGzM6w/C0000Vd2qoA2MbNU



On the High Bridge, c1903-1906.

This is the only photo that I can recall with rebuilt Cooke number 7 in the "Columbine" lettering scheme.  Cooke 2-6-0s number 5 and 7 seemed to be regulars on the Clear Creek Line passenger trains, with number 8 sometimes pinch hitting.

Can anyone identify the passenger cars?

[Robert McFarland]

The RPO is from the 10-11-12 series

[Ken Martin]

Jim,

The baggage-mail is either 10 or 12 before being rebuilt for new postal standards. On 11 the center door is offset to the right.

Second car is 53 - 56 from counting the windows, this would be before filling in windows for the stove. Hard to tell exactly as is it too blurry.

The third car is a tourist car.

Ken Martin

[Jim Courtney]

Hmm . . . coaches 53-55 were CC coaches built by the UP about 1880 as I recall. Coach 56 was a former DSP&P car. Were the all identical?

And please define "Tourist Car". Do you mean like the ex-Pullman tourist sleepers, i.e. C&S number 62?  Or are you referring to one of the cars in the high-70's or 80's sequence. I've thought of the high windowed coaches with the double pane windows and no letter board fascia as Tourist Cars.  Are you referring to these?

[Robert McFarland]

Check out Hayes Hendricks threads on South Park passenger cars.

[Ken Martin]

Jim,

Sorry for the delay in responding.

>Were they all identical?
No they weren't. I was counting windows, the car has 14 windows and 53 to 56 are the only cars with 14 windows and that roof.
On further inspection I believe it is 56 as the second window from the left is filled in.

By tourist car I was referring to the open window cars 120-140. However on further inspection I realize the roof is wrong and I now believe it is car 59 which is from the same order as 78-79 however it had received 5ft trucks and was downgraded to a second class coach. 78-79 retained their original Pullman 6ft truck.

Ken Martin

[Chris Walker]

http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm/fullbrowser/collection/p15330coll22/id/74649/rv/singleitem/rec/41

This Harry Lake photo taken at Gregory Street in Blackhawk was printed on pg112 CRRA #10 Narrow Gauge to Central and Silver Plume and  pg246/7 The Gilpin Railroad Era.

Since the Gilpin books view was rather muddy and CRRA #10's somewhat smaller I never picked the significance of this photo, I can't say I've ever noticed a view showing UPD&G, U.P., C&S boxcars in the same train.

[Jim Courtney]

Thanks for the enlargement Chris!

Recently re-lettered C&S boxcar 7521, behind the tender of C&S 11, is one of the Kansas Central cars built by the UP in 1884.





This particular photo again demonstrates that when "The Colorado Road" lettering was applied c1900-1901, some cars were not repainted -- the older UP / UPD&G was painted out with fresh paint leaving visible "paint masks" of a darker color.

Perhaps this is why the white upper fascia survived on some cars, not on others (that received a full new paint job).

The second "UP" boxcar appears to be one of the Peninsular 30 foot boxcars built for the DSP&P.

Can't tell if the 3rd "UPD&G" boxcar is another UP built, KC 27 foot boxcar, or one of the UP built 24 foot boxcars built for the Colorado Central.

Such a great photo.

[Jim Courtney]

Another photo, new to me, for sale on eBay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Later-print-of-1920s-Photograph-COLORADO-SOUTHERN-Railroad-SILVER-PLUME/222588390140?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649




The photo shows a 7 car passenger excursion train, spotted on the tail of the Silver Plume wye, laying over for lunch. Motive power is not visible.

The back of the photo is just as interesting as the front (see eBay listing):  A stamp shows the image to be a reproduction from the Denver Public Library collection. Has anyone seen this photo on the DPL online collection??

There is an inscription dating the photo to 1930 at the lower left corner.

In a darker inscription (that looks a lot like the notes that John Maxwell would write on the back of the photos that I purchased from him in the 1970s), the passenger cars in the consist are listed.  From right to left:
Combine 29 by the clock tower
Coach 59
Coach 62
Coach 78
Coach 79
Coach 82
Either coach 80 or 83 at the end.

What about it, Ken Martin, do you agree?

The inscription notes that most of the passenger cars were scrapped in 1929, and dates the photo to "early 1920s". None of the newer coaches 70-76, used in regular passenger service, are in the consist.

The clock tower is still standing but the roof seems in need of repair.

Can anyone identify the two vehicles on the flat by the end of the wye tail track? Perhaps that might help date the photo.

Don't know where all of the passengers are, perhaps inside the Pavilion, dining on ugly stuffed chicken . . .

[ComoDepot]

I remember being told that the DPL has a lot of stuff that has yet to be catalogued never mind scanned.