The Silver Chalet, once part of the Western Pacific’s California Zephyr, rests outside Quad/Graphics’ Sussex, Wis., printing plant Nov. 24, 2004. Cody Grivno Q I saw a private car named “Silver Chalet” at Union Station in Washington, D.C. It had an odd-looking observation platform. Can you tell me its history and who owns it now?— […]
Virginia & Truckee 2-8-0 No. 29 charges past the depot in Gold Hill, Nev., in March 2010 on a portion of the rebuilt silver hauling railroad, high in the desert near Reno. Photo by Jim Wrinn […]
The activity level of this track belies its once important status as part of D&RGW’s Tennessee Pass. Michael Humphreys Q In December 2010, I noticed a little-used rail line running through Eagle, Colo. What can you tell me about it? The mainline rail dated from the 1950s. — Michael Humphreys, Berryville, Va. A The tracks […]
This landscape view of the Colorado & South Eastern is full of railroad and pictorial interest, hallmarks of Charles Clegg’s work. Typically, both Clegg and Beebe asked the fireman to “turn on the smoke.” California State Railroad Museum Lucius Beebe’s “wedge of pie” view of Virginia & Truckee No. 27 at Steamboat, Nevada. No. 27, […]
Of all the scenic railroads in America, Colorado’s Georgetown Loop ranks near the top for the most audacious three miles of 3-foot-gauge track. The words “twisty,” “curvy,” and “steep” do not even begin to do justice to this Lazarus-like railroad that was built in 1877, dismantled in 1938, and reconstructed in the 1970s and 1980s […]
This is a snapshot of traffic across the Continental Divide in 1980 and 2000 on U.S. transcontinental routes. It’s inherent in map-making that accuracy gets sacrificed on the altar of clarity: traffic density is by no means uniform across the shaded line segments, and a slightly different picture would emerge were the snapshots taken in […]
Bill Metzger This Map of the Month appeared in the December 2008 issue of Trains magazine. Colorado’s snowsheds were grouped on a few passes above the timberline or in avalanche-prone areas. The exact dimensions and locations of most snowsheds are not well documented. Over time they were built, extended, shortened, burned, and removed. Most were […]
A gantry crane moves containers filled with uranium tailings from train to truck outside Moab, Utah, in April. Union Pacific will ship the tailings over a 10-year contract. Sandy Lonsdale After nearly 60 years resting beside the Colorado River near Moab, Utah, the nation’s largest uranium tailings pile began moving by rail in April to […]
Our June 2009 “Fantrip” offered an itinerary for a 10-day Colorado railfan vacation. But you have 11 days to explore! Just in case you find yourself with time to spare, here are more ideas for railfan fun in Rocky Mountain territory. The Forney Transportation Museum The museum features more than 500 transportation exhibits. For the […]
The adobe town of Old Nogales resides on the backside of the Eagle Mountains. A cattle drive is taking place up the main street. Sage-colored brittlebushes will be aflame with golden “daisies” in the spring. Doris and Doug Evans The railroad at a glance Name: Eagle Mountain Railroad Minimum radius: 18″ on logging loop, but […]
Bridges connect different areas. A train on the high line near Ophir passes above a standard-gauge train rolling into Rockwood. The upper train is a mix of scratchbuilt and LGB equipment. Christopher Zider From the outside, Barry Bogs’ house looks similar to most others in a subdivision northwest of Houston. But as soon as you […]
Think “Rio Grande” and one imagines long freights grinding through the tunnels and screeching around the tight curves of the Front Range, or coal drags with multiple helpers creeping up Soldier Summit or winding through the double horseshoe at Gilluly. Not as frequently considered, yet almost entirely accessible end-to-end, is the stretch from Dotsero, at […]
