Yet another inspiration...

While Tom Miller's layout is impressive, the Sundance Central is legendary, the Indiana Large Scaler's have set a standard, there's one other large scale modular group which is noteworthy and that is the Diablo Pacific Shortline group.

This all volunteer organization has built a modular layout which I hope to build in a similar fashion, many modules that can interlock to form various designs.  While based in the bay area of California, they've gone to shows all through California to everything from major events to hospitals, retirement homes and historic railroads.

Here's the link to check out their website: http://www.shortline.org/index.php

--James

Durango and Silverton photos

While this layout will primarily be about the C&S, Colorado Central, Argentine Central, and even the Gilpin tram, I still love the Durango and Silverton with their Denver and Rio Grande Western rolling stock and motive power.  I had the great fortune of being able to visit the D&S during Christmas break, and so the train was ridden and well documented with my Nikon camera.  Even though I already posted the photos on my main blog: jjwtrains.blogspot.com, I feel that this trip relate closely enough to my future F scale project; that the blog documenting the planning and eventual construction of the Bard Creek deserves to have the photos as well.  So without further adieu, below is a copy of my original post from jjwtrains:

In the great state of Colorado, there are many sites to see and things to do which not only tel of the past, but seem to transport tourists back to a simpler time, a time when a cleaver mid could get you money, but only a gun would keep those riches safe.  A time when thousands were coming across the Great American Desert, better known as the Great Plains, to the mighty Front Range of Colorado.  While many had their own reasons, most came because of one word, GOLD!

The cry of "Pikes Peak or Bust" resonated in every Midwest and Eastern town on the continent.  It was at this time that a legend was born.  Unlike most legends, this one is a real, hot, breathing, steaming legend.  Also unlike most legends, this one is still known to many Americans simply because it is a monument in American culture.  When mos think of the west, they think of coming into a gold mining town on coaches that seem to radiate gold themselves.  They think of towering peaks in the distance where the gold lies, while the towns surrounding the vast mountain ranges are busy with less profitable, but more stable pursuits such as farming and ranching.  The legend still lives in the most famous narrow gauge train in the world: The Durango and Silverton.

Originally called the Denver and Rio Grande railroad, the first crews which laid the track which the D&S would still use 130 years later.  Durango was founded in 1880, but the tracks did not arrive inside the town until August, 1881.  Everyone's eyes were set towards the San Juan mountains, the same Mountains which the Spaniards laid eyes upon hundreds of years earlier, but would never penetrate the rocky terrain.  These first white men in the area also had the same goal, find gold.  Te elusive "El Dorado," lost city of gold.  While the city was supposedly in South America, Americans hundreds of years later would realize that a true El Dorado existed, in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.  Indeed, Spanish explorers were within miles of their goal, but they never found much within the desolate plains and desert which surrounds the great mountains.  Even if the Spanish had found gold, the same problem remained which would plague the early settlers and gold seekers, how do you get gold out of an impassible mountain range?

That answer was finally steaming towards the mining camp of Silverton in late 1881.  The Crews of the D&RG were working feverishly to get to Silverton as quickly as possible.  Early lessons were learned about building narrow gauge railroads in the Rockies almost ten years earlier as the Colorado Central slowly built their line from Boulder to Silver Plume.  The route was shorter than Durango to Silverton, and yet it almost bankrupt the Colorado Central, and was a major drag on the finances of their sponsor, the Union Pacific.

Everyone else took notes on the Colorado Central and quickly learned how to balance finances to best get to the towns in the mountains.  The D&RG railroad was using the simply method of building quickly and efficently until reaching the goal.  This eliminated time, which eliminated money.

The full 45 miles between Durango and Silverton was completed within a year, despite the harsh winter, and despite a near impossible route.  The route between Durango and Silverton was a marvel of Engineering then, and still is today.  In between 1882 and present day was a series of misfortunes and several important events which would eventually kill the D&RG and later the Denver & Rio Grande Western along with the Rio Grande Southern railroad.  However, individuals would emerge, most notably Charles E. Bradshaw, which would put the line back on its feet, this time hauling people instead of ore.  Another great turn of luck was when Hollywood discovered the line and used the railroad to make several movies, no doubt most have seen the westerns with the golden railroad cars in the background.

Today, the Durango and Silverton is operated as a tourist line, giving passengers a unique view into untamed wilderness and well preserved history.  I had the privilege of riding the famous line over Christmas, 2013.  So what follows are a series of photos showing some of the highlights of the line.  Please enjoy, and feel free to comment if you'd like to add a piece of info or two or if you have a question.  I hope that someday, you too will get a chance to ride this line because, even in the dead of winter, the journey is fantastic!

Using your resources

While modeling is fun, I find that researching the prototype and learning more about what I'm modeling to be very rewarding.  The Bard Creek Railroad will not be modeling anything specific like towns or even the route itself, rather the Bard Creek will be giving the impression of Rocky Mountain narrow gauge railroads.

The area I've isolated is the famous Clear Creek.  The Colorado Central, later the Colorado Southern, and finally the Burlington route which bought the C&S went up Clear Creek west of Golden, CO to access the mines in the valley.  Gold, Silver, and Coal were all mined in the area, while I hope to reproduce on my railroad at some point.  The Route went up the hill from Golden following Clear Creek.  About midway, the line splits.  The North route followed the North Fork of Clear Creek to Blackhawk, Central City, and Nevada.  The Colorado Central connected to the 2 foot gauge Gilpin Tram at Black Hawk.

The Southern route followed the main fork of Clear Creek to Idaho Springs, and then later to Georgetown, and Silver Plume.  The route was originally going to be a connecting route over the Great Divide through Berthound Pass just North of Empire.  However, plans changed later on and the route instead went through the Moffat Tunnel in a valley north of Clear Creek.

The Clear Creek route had a steady decline from about 1927 before the Southern Route from Silver Plume to Idaho Springs was abandoned in 1939.  Finally, the whole route was abandoned on May 4, 1941, a full 7 months before Pearl Harbor would bring the nation into World War II.  The iron within the rails pulled up would be used for the war effort both at home and on the front.

However, well after the second Great War, preservation Societies began working to rebuild a portion of the line, and currently the Georgetown Loop is operating as a tourist railroad, just as the C&S was doing ot make money as the mines closed through the 20's and 30's.

How do I know this?  One simple word which is not used enough, research!

Researching the prototype has helped me find out more about what I'm modeling and how my fictional line could have fit in with the much broader picture.  The Internet is a great resource, but it is still new enough that many pieces of information, particularly photographs, lithographs and maps are not online.  The best approach to research still is the age old method of publications.

While the Colorado Central and the Colorado Southern are eclipsed by the legendary and romantic Durango and Silverton, information is still there, particularly about Clear Creek.  Below is a list of resources I have found very helpful:

1. My best information so far has come from the issue number 10 of the Colorado Rail Annual.  The title is "Narrow Gauge to Central and Silver Plume: Route of the famed Georgetown Loop."  The publication tells the complete story of the line from birth to death including many old photographs, maps, timetables, lithographs, and drawings which visualize the writings.
2. My number two best friend is "Rivers of the Rockies." Why?  Because this book shows Colorado in color in all seasons.  Plus since my railroad is following a creek, the many pictures help me visualize what the scene will be.
3. Third on my list are old copies of the Narrow Gauge and Shortline Gazette.  While new publications of this magazine are also helpful, older issues from about 1995 back show many Colorado narrow gauge trains including Colorado Southern.  The Gazette comes complete with many drawings and elevations of rolling stock and locomotives.  Since I plan to kitbash and scratchbuild, these reference drawings are very helpful.
4. Now comes the Internet.  Particularly, Google Maps.  This portion of Google shows the globe through the eyes of satellites.  Old Roadbeds, and many geographical features can be seen in detail.  Plus it is cheaper than a plane ticket (Google Maps is free).  The other program, Google Earth, is also very helpful, being able to see the landscape in 3D.
5. If I can't get to the prototype in the season I want, a great site is called traildamage.com   While many roadbeds no longer have rails, many more have been turned into pathways for bikes, hikers and horseback riders.  Bard Creek is an actual Creek in Colorado, being a small tributary of Clear Creek.  There are many trails in the valley Bard Creek is located in, and so people on Trail Damage have taken pictures and written reports on the trails, particularly the ATV and off road vehicle trail which goes by an old mine and climbs up the side of the mountain to the top.
6. The Internet itself is my best friend, but only ranks sixth on my list because particular websites and publications are far more helpful than the young Internet is.  However, a lot of Information exists which is helpful to my research, and so the Internet at least gets acknowledgments.

So those are my biggest resources so far.  Through this, I'm building a small library of materials related to Clear Creek and the Colorado Central as well as the Colorado Southern.

--James