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| Happy Fourth of July Colorado Springs!!! |
Friday, July 1, 2011
Email us to request the latest copy of "The Singing Wire"
The newsletter is available as a pdf and has lots of pictures to look at! And it's FREE!!!! :)
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| Drop by "The Barn" for a tour!! |
Saturday September 17, 2011
This indeed be a day to remember for members and friends. As we celebrate Colorado Springs & Interurban Railway car #59
reaching the 50% level of restoration on its way to becoming a fully operational streetcar again. You will hear from several of
the wonderful people that have helped bring the car to this point, as well as some of the almost unbelievable stories about
the car that we have discovered as we have gone about the restoration of this one-of-a-kind car. Our Senior Restoration
Specialist will explain some of what is involved in returning a car that has been out of service for 79 years to a car that is
once again destined to do what it was built to do 110 years ago.
In addition our Birney, CS&IR #135, will be on display. The electrician responsible for the final wiring will be on hand for
Q&A.
This will be a combination of celebrating major progress on Car #59 as well as Members and Friends Day. With that in mind,
here are some of the items in store for you:
* Western BBQ Lunch will be available for purchase.
* Presentation about the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railway from the Colorado Springs Restoration Crew of the Denver & Rio
Grande 1889, Pullman built tourist sleeping car and a tour of their new shop area.
* Museum of the Railway Worker; see the advances in the restoration of their 1938, Southern Pacific Dining car #10400.
* New displays in the Rock Island Museum
* See new displays in the Foundation museum and upgrades in our gift shop.
* Business meeting for PPHSRF members.
This will be a day you will NOT want to miss! You will receive a flyer or email by mid-August that will give you complete
details for this event.
Chicago, Kansas, and Nebraska Railway - Steve Pelles
The Chicago, Kansas, and Nebraska Railway was formed in 1885. Marcus Low was named as its first President. The CRI&P
advanced the CK&N about 25 million dollars to begin construction in exchange for nearly all of the railroads stock. This made
the CRI&P the owners of the railroad from the very beginning. The CK&N had laid about 1388 miles of track by 1888. It was
laid mostly in Kansas and Missouri, but in 1889 CK&N failed to make its interest payment to the CRI&P and so foreclosure
proceedings began resulting in the takeover by CRI&P by June 17, 1891.
Marcus Low was hired by the Rock Island in 1873 as a lead attorney and was active in bringing about the control of the St.
Joseph and Low Railroad by the RI. Low was turned loose to extend the RI into Colorado. In the middle of 1886 Low wasted
no time grading from Elwood, Kansas in the direction of Horton, Kansas. The construction gangs, aided by the fair Kansas
weather and its ideal terrain, were caught up in a wildly enthusiastic spirit of challenge. They threw up the fill, bridged the
streams, and had things ready for the track layers over the first 43 miles.
The trackmen followed to Horton, and then went to the state capital Topeka, which was reached in 1887. From this point the
line was to go toward Hutchinson and then to Liberal, Kansas, but a change was made when a property owner by the name
of M. D. Herington talked Low into moving the line to Herington. At that time the town did not even exist, but was promised.
Herington made a deal with Low to have every concession possible and that he would receive fine treatment when he got
there. By midsummer Herington became a railroad center, and one of the biggest deviation points on the Rock Island system.
1887 saw the railroad build a line one hundred and three miles from McFarland, on the south west line, in a northwesterly
direction to Belleville, Kansas. Then from Herington to Salina 48 miles was constructed, and finally from Fairbury, Nebraska
to Nelson another stretch of 51 miles went into the records.
Roughly following the Old Chisholm Trail, the construction down into the land of the Indians across the Kansas border
progressed through the first half of the following year. Pond Creek was reached on July 15, 1888, and the grading was almost
finished beyond to Skelton and Hennessey, Kansas.
To the north a line from Horton, Kansas through Fairbury, Nebraska stretched its lonesome length to Roswell, Colorado and
southwest from Herington down through Hutchinson and Pratt.
Nothing in all railroad construction history had ever before equaled the Rock Island expansion so rapidly. The entire
mileage from Horton to Liberal was placed in service on February 26, 1888, and to Pond Creek on July 15, 1888. The first train
traversed the 564 miles from Horton to Colorado Springs on November 5, 1888. In all it had taken two years, four months, and
four days to build and put into operation one thousand one hundred and thirteen miles of railroad.
The Colorado extension had its beginning with the incorporation in Colorado of the Chicago, Rock Island and Colorado
Railroad Company on January 31, 1888. On February 15 of that year the CRI & Colorado RR entered into a contract with the
Denver and Rio Grande RR “securing full and equal use of, and joint right in, that part of the road between Denver and
Pueblo, including all main line terminals and depots.”
In another area just west of Horton, Kansas the CK&N headed southwest toward a newly proposed settlement called
Goodland. By August the construction had reached a point 60 miles west of Goodland and was pushing ahead with the
objective of reaching Colorado Springs by November 1, 1888 at a rate of two and a half miles of track laid a day.
CK&N made the crossing with the Union Pacific at an area later platted for the town of Limon Junction, 107 miles from
Goodland. Passengers wishing to go to Denver could take the supply train to Limon and transfer to the Union Pacific.
Eighteen miles northeast of Colorado Springs the CK&N crossed the Denver and New Orleans railroad at Falcon. They built
a large depot there, in their style, with a two story station.
In September of 1888, crossing under the Santa Fe line to Denver, (pillars can still be seen, but the bridge is gone), the
CK&N followed the stream west to the D&RG’s main line. On the west side of the D&RG the future town of Roswell City was
platted, but later was changed to the east side of Monument Creek. East of the main line was laid out as the yard and shops
for the Colorado Springs terminal and became known as Roswell Junction. The CK&N main line was built parallel to the dual
gauge D&RG in Colorado Springs two miles to the south.
The track layers arrived on October 10, 1888 and the connection with the Rio Grande was officially made two days later. The
first train over the line, other than the construction train, was on October 26, 1888.
Service between Chicago and Colorado was started on November 18, 1888, with the luxurious “Royal Vestibule Flyer”,
bringing an actress to Denver and Pueblo.
On July 27, 1890, the Chicago, Kansas, and Nebraska Railroad was turned over to the Chicago, Rock Island, and Pacific
Railway Company, with all railway property, rights, and franchises now under the control of the Rock Island.Car Barn Stuff and ongoing work
A new sandblast cabinet has
greatly helped our work. It can
hold larger items, it’s
freestanding saving the
operators back, and most
importantly, it works!
Car 135 "The Birney" Work
Wayne Russert continues
working on the electrical
components for the car. He is
dedicating one day a week
doing the work in his shop at
home. He has numerous
tools there unavailable at the
barn. He’s fabricated metal
panels for the operator
controls for the lights and
indicators. They will probably
be black crackle painted to
appear as the same era as
the car. The panels will hold
controls and indicators not
originally used, such as air
brake low pressure warning
indicators, required by
modern safety requirements.
Once these are installed and
wired the next step involves
restoring the two seriesshunt
controllers and the
heavy gauge wiring
underneath the car.
When tour groups pass
through the barn the Birney
receives numerous admiring
comments. The work of Jeff,
Neil, Vince, and everybody
else on the Birney crew is
much appreciated.CS&IR No. 59 Restoration Archeology by Greg Roberts
With warmer temperatures the work pace on ’59 picked up. Not only do some materials
require warmer temperatures, so do fingers. Structural defects in the lower frame are
being repaired one by one. Some of these have contributed to the historical record of
the car. A charred spot on the interior of one end sill was about 5 inches across and
just over half an inch deep. Located where a choke coil and the lightning arrestor were
mounted it indicates lightning gave ’59 a nasty jolt at some time. Given the
thunderstorm activity in Colorado Springs this is no surprise. Adding to this Mr.
Dodson, who purchased the car body in 1932, storing dynamite in the car during its
service as a work shed we’re lucky to still have it. Good thing lightning didn’t hit the
car with the dynamite in there!
Where one center sill and a bolster sill join, a small piece broken off of the center sill
had been nailed back into place. Since the repair was under the original flooring the
repair was done at Laclede during construction of the car. Due to some added
deterioration around the broken piece it had to be removed so a new piece of wood
can be spliced into place, called a Dutchman. Since the long sills were Long Leaf Pine
the same material will be used for the repair. The replacement pine came from a
World War II warehouse torn down in Texas over a decade ago. While paring down the
center sill spot to fit the new piece the smell of the resin in the pine wafted up.
Shavings were collected and put in a bottle. How long it will last we don’t know, but
for now we have preserved a smell the workman at Laclede who built the car would
have experienced 110 years ago.
Removing the floor revealed a nasty looking hole just over an inch in diameter passing
through a center sill at a 45 degree angle. It had been plugged with caked in mud.
Such a defect in any structural member would not pass any building or structural code.
Properly cleaned and filled with structural epoxy it will pass muster. The origin of the
hole: a knot in the timber which apparently worked its way out years ago.
The ends of the car were covered with vertical Poplar wood panels covered with heavy
gauge sheet metal. Removing the sheet metal on one end revealed faint pencil writing.
It was where some workman marked the number of the panel on the car during
construction. Although this piece can’t be reused, it will be preserved.
Some added information about the car’s future history. Uhrich Locomotive Works has
completed the replica U.S. Type 6 trolley base. Improvements to the original design
include roller bearings, grease fittings, and shunts to pass the current around the
bearings instead of through them. The base is undergoing tests for proper pressure on
the harp. A minor problem with the spring guide twisting is being resolved with an
added keyway. The base, pole, and the trucks will ship to Colorado Springs in June.
Greg Roberts
Car Barn Stuff
President's Message
President's message:
Since our March letter, some
significant events have occurred. We have
a new City Council, and our reading is that
a majority of them are sympathetic to a
revival of the bus system for two significant
reasons; the need to provide better
transportation services to the segment of
our population that is not able or willing to
drive to work and shop for various reasons,
and the expressed opinion of many firms
looking to locate here, that a vibrant public
transportation system would be a major
positive factor in their decision process.
Why is this important to our Foundation? It
is because we hope to joint venture with
Mountain Metro Transportation in the
operation of a streetcar system and that
group's sustainability is very important to
us. The Mountain Metro task force that
came up with a roadmap for their future,
gave a compelling presentation to Council
in late May, with the following
recommendations - discussed but not
voted on by Council. That their task force
reconstitute itself as an implementation
group, to further refine the specific
processes that need to occur, to make
MMT a self-sustaining operation, rather
than relying on annual appropriations from
the City's general fund. That that task force
approach the Pikes Peak Rural
Transportation Authority about putting MMT
under PPRTA and when that agency's
sales tax authority comes up for voter
renewal next year, to request a greater
share of the 1% collected be allocated to
transit operations than the 10% present
allocation.
If and when the above comes to fruition,
the bus system will be on a much stronger
footing from an operating standpoint, and
we will be dealing with the capital needsrequired to put tracks in the streets,
with the associated power lines,
storage/maintenance facilities, etc.,
which it's now anticipated the City (or
PPRTA) will undertake, and that of
supplying the cars to operate, which
our Foundation expects to do. At this
point, Federal grant monies with a local
match of 20-50% will be the preferred
option for the City, and corporate or
private sponsorships for restoration of
our cars, augmented by a public fundraising
campaign will be the
Foundation's approach. Complicating
and muddying our plans for our capital
funding needs, the City's new mayor
has taken a "no new taxes" pledge and
the US Congress, led by the House of
Representatives, will probably cut
drastically, transit funding in its future
budgets. Both the Streetcar Task
Force and the Foundations are working
on these issues and I hope to have
some positive news to report in our
later editions of The Singing Wire.
Several Sad Notes:
Our long time volunteer and car
operator, Irene Bones, suffered a
debilitating stroke several weeks ago.
In Pittsburgh, during WW2, Irene was
the youngest female streetcar operator
in the nation, and we had hoped she
would be the oldest when our system
was operating here. Our prayers are
with Irene for her complete recovery.
We also note the passing of Neal
McElroth’s wife Ruth. Our prayers go
out to Neal and his family.
Dave Lippincott
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