Re: Draft Layout Plans: Black Hawk C&S / Gilpin Tram

Posted by Keith Hayes on Feb 22, 2025; 4:07pm
URL: http://c-sng-discussion-forum.254.s1.nabble.com/Draft-Layout-Plans-Black-Hawk-C-S-Gilpin-Tram-tp20518p20521.html

Looks great, Martin. Keep on going, and please keep us posted!

I have long thought that Black Hawk or Idaho Springs would both make great subjects for smaller shelf switching layouts as they are reasonably compact, well documented and have some interesting structures and switching opportunities. More importantly, you could match the prototype with a limited amount of available equipment.

#70 was the regular engine in later years after the oil conversion, but other locomotives made appearances, notably many of the 2-6-0s 5-9, and 58 and 69. Waycars 1003 and 1006 seemed to be Clear Creek hacks. CONX 8 was a visitor, and of course lots of coal and box cars. And the funny flat with the precast concrete pipe sections.

Also, if you model Black Hawk or Idaho, you really need to like to build model structures, as the plan above shows. Many of these have been available as kits in HO, S and O, but all can easily be scratch built.

To the uninitatied, the South Park and Clear Creek are a single railroad, but studying the photos, they are two separate operations with a very small amount of crossover.