Cheyenne Frontier Days Winds Down

UP 4-8-4 #844 and Centennial DD40X
#6936 in Cheyenne, photo: UP

The Cheyenne Frontier Days Special has just about wrapped up its runs for 2011. They are heading south on their final run of the final day as I write. The last run is scheduled to leave Denver tomorrow at 1 p.m. for an arrival at UP Steam's headquarters in Cheyenne at 6:00 p.m. It is the first Cheyenne Frontier Days train since the tradition restarted in 1992 to run without the oversight and steady hand of Steve Lee, recently retired.

Steam-to-steam Transfers On Wednesdays Until August 17th

Here's a video from 2008 when the steam-to-steam transfer at Antonito was quietly tried out using a caboose to take riders into Alamosa.

Valuable Model Railroad Damaged In Union Station Floods

The HO-scale Platte Valley & Western model railroad and the O-scale Colorado Midland model railroad, both located in the basement of Union Station, were flooded earlier this month. While only a few inches, the flood caused damage to electrical equipment of the Platte Valley & Western as well as damage to display materials stored in a closet.

Hear That Whistle Blow

One of the more interesting groups of railfans are the ones that are into locomotive whistles and horns, the signaling devices used by engineers to communicate and warn the world outside his cab of what he's doing. An entire industry has grown around a collection of railfans who collect and, at times, sound off their affection for trains.

Happy 4th and Talk About Picture of the Day

Old Glory as it was July 4, 1877
the first Independence Day after
Colorado joined the Union

First, Happy Fourth of July to everyone! Have a great holiday and a safe return home.

Next, just a quick note about the POTD and it's status around here. Most of you haven't noticed the periodic absence or graciously ignored the gaps. Really, it's not me. No, really. It's not. Here's the story.

Cumbres & Toltec Serving Up A Hot Fourth of July

If you have not made any solid plans for next weekend's Fourth of July festivities, consider heading down to the Cumbres & Toltec for a weekend that promises to be unforgettable. They have a full plate of Independence Day activities. A photo from last year's celebration found itself on the back inside cover of Trains Magazine. If you need any more encouragement to go, read on!

Model Commuter Rail Car Closes After Extended Stay

As of 2 p.m. today, the full-scale model of the commuter train that Denver's Regional Transportation District (RTD) has had on public display for five weeks at Denver Union Station has finally closed. The model depicts the front third of an actual 85-foot commuter rail car. On Monday, a crew will lift the 10,700-pound unit onto a trailer for transport to a storage facility. The model was placed on display for the public to give feedback on the planned interior design of Denver's commuter rail cars.

California Zephyr Crash in Nevada

All the details have yet to emerge, but a semi collided with Amtrak's California Zephyr in Lovelock, Nevada.

New Railroad Construction In Denver

It's always a good sign when your friendly neighborhood railroad, usually BNSF or Union Pacific west of Chicago, starts adding capacity in your region. It could be a second main line between two points only a few miles apart, or it could be a third or (wow!) fourth main for 20 miles or more. After a century of contraction and abandoned routes, railroads are cautiously upgrading and adding rail routes.

Highball! First Run of Passengers Over Lobato Trestle From Chama To Osier

It is all over the narrow gauge world out there this morning that Lobato Trestle on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic is finally back in service! While there were photos and videos of the trestle with the C&TS diesel switcher and a MOW car with ballast for the abutments, there was no official word when the trestle will be ready for daily service with the two regular trains ...until suddenly yesterday morning when a train loaded up and quietly left Chama, full of passengers.

Copper Thieves Nabbed After Moffat Route Spree

Brothers Gerald and Donald Furrer are caught near Parshall, Colorado, after a month of purportedly stealing cable off the Union Pacific's (ex-Rio Grande, D&SL) Moffat Route. Grand County Sheriff's Deputies nabbed the men after they hid by using a thermal imaging camera. Nathan Holmes has the story at DRGW.net.

New Icons

It's amazing what consumes a blogger's time. I spent most of my useful time today on one--just one!--silly icon. Nevermind that the other three took almost as much time. Icons ...that you might notice. You might even click on them.

Durango Looks Great This Summer

Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, headquartered in Durango, Colorado, is offering a rare deal for vacationers this summer and has several events planned. Durango, a town that's never really shed it's wild west image, is an amazing place to fall in love with narrow gauge, steam railroading. It's worth the travel time to get there, and if you're really brave, you'll bring your camera but leave your laptop and smartphone charging at home. Unplugging with only a hotel phone for emergencies may be the 2011 way of "roughing it," for some folks. I know that for me, doing so would certainly add to the old west, frontier feel!

Lobato Trestle Nearly Complete - Planned Opening Prior To Season Start

Important: See update at end of post

Chama is back!

The Lobato trestle is nearly completed and is projected to open mid-week, only days before opening weekend. Once in place, trains will once again roll from Antonito to Chama and back again, without having to halt progress at Cumbres Pass.

DUSPA To Resume Walking Tours This Summer

From the semi-autonomous Denver Union Station Project Authority's newsletter for May 2011,

The Denver Union Station Project Authority (DUSPA) once again will be conducting free walking tours of the Denver Union Station redevelopment site this summer. The tours will be held at 4:30 p.m., starting on Thursday, May 19, 2011, and continuing on the first and third Thursdays of the month through September. The one-hour tour will depart from the main entrance of the historic station on Wynkoop Street.

Volunteers Needed This Weekend

Colorado Railroads just received an urgent appeal for volunteers this Saturday for a steam-up at the Colorado Railroad Museum. Here it is:

Looking for volunteers to help with parking for our "Bunny Express" Saturday. We are anticipating need for overflow parking for this annual and very popular event at the Colorado Railroad Museum. Help!!!!

Donald Tallman
Executive Director

If you're in the Denver area on Saturday and need an excuse to go to the Colorado Railroad Museum for the day, this is about as good as they get. Giving time to the museum is an easy and cheap way to show your support for Colorado's railroad history. Contact Donald Tallman via Facebook, or contact the museum directly at 303-279-4591 or 800-365-6263.

Announcing Photo of the Day

Rio Grande narrow-gauge #475 crosses the road's
namesake in Otawi NM by Otto Perry, DPL

Railroad photography is an art that I wholeheartedly support here on Colorado Railroads. Photographers like O. Winston Link and Colorado's own Otto Perry not only preserved history with their work, but also elevated such preservation to an art form. Countless more railfans aspire to have their work so regarded.

Rio Grande's Last Decades Still Survive On the Web

A lot of us, some of us still in our thirties, still remember the latter days of the Rio Grande with fondness. In the era of SD-70ACe's and smarter FREDs, it's possible to recall the days of GP-30s and cabooses (cabeese?). These days, however, it helps to have something to refresh our own memories.

You've Got CR In the Palm Of Your Hand

If you have an iPhone or Droid or any other mobile browser, you should be viewing the site in the new mobile version. If you're not, change your CR bookmark to the new url and enjoy Colorado Railroads without squinting or scrolling like mad. But if you're driving (whether a locomotive or otherwise), put the thing down and drive! Arrive alive, you know?

Now, if only I could get it to tell you about the railroads where you are right this moment! That's actually something I'm working on.

Friends Bring $121K Check For Lobato Trestle

The Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad is a volunteer support organization that works to preserve the rolling stock and most of the equipment of the Cumbres & Toltec. Last year on June 24th, the trestle at Lobato burned in a spectacular nighttime blaze. No one was injured, and the investigators have ruled out arson. Even while the embers were cooling , the Friends have taken on the work of soliciting donations for the rebuild, hopefully in time to restore service from Chama this coming season, which starts May 28th.