What’s in your backyard? T
he ghosts of Colorado’s railroad past are nearly inescapable. Travel along any of the state’s ma- jor highway corridors or pass through any of its popular tourist destinations and chances are there used to be a railroad somewhere nearby. Around the same time that railroad construc-
tion was taking off across the United States in the late 1800’s, new discoveries of gold and silver throughout Colorado drove a seemingly mad dash to build rail lines to even the most remote spots in the state. The railroads hauled in heavy supplies that made new methods of mining possible, and hauled out vast quantities of natural resources to markets around the world. These boom times would be relatively short lived for the majority of these remote lines, and as silver and gold mining played out through the early-1900’s many of these mountain lines were abandoned and taken up. Much of the history is still accessible though, as numerous former rail- road rights-of-way are drivable as roads or four-wheel drive trails. Where narrow gauge 2-8-0’s once hauled wooden coaches, Jeeps and SUVs now roam. The settlements that quickly grew from tent cities into established towns along these now-abandoned lines were frequently lost to history, but there are a few examples of railroad towns that survive today and still retain much of their original character. The town of Como, southwest of Denver, is one of those places. Nestled at the edge of the South Park valley, in the shadows of Mt. Silverheels and Boreas Mountain,
Como is easy to miss as you pass by on Highway 285, but if you make the turnoff you’ll find plenty of railroad history along the three or four blocks that comprise the town. The wood depot is still standing, and next door a bed and breakfast is housed in the former railroad hotel. Most notable, though, is the six-bay stone roundhouse on the southeast edge of town that was completed in 1881 by the narrow gauge Denver South Park & Pacific Railroad. As a division point on the railroad, Como was a bustling location with multiple yard tracks, a coaling tower, and a water tank. Some of the old wooden structures have long since disappeared, but the original stone roundhouse remains and is being restored. From Como, the DSP&P, which eventually became part of the Colorado & Southern in 1898, struck out northwest over Boreas Pass to Breckenridge and Dillon, on the way to the rich mining area of Leadville. This route over Boreas Pass is still passable as a county-maintained dirt road. At 11,488 feet, the summit of Boreas Pass is a remote and nearly silent location today. With its proximity to the popu- lar resort town of Breckenridge, the dirt road that traverses the pass sees some traffic, especially during the fall season when aspens turn the hillsides into shimmering seas of gold. But even on a weekend morning during the height of the fall season, solitude and quiet are easily found atop the summit. However, at the turn of the 20th century Boreas Pass was, almost unbelievably, home to around 150 people. A mission-style stone enginehouse, a turntable and water tank, a snowshed nearly 1,000 feet long, a two-room telegraph office, a two-story section house, and a station which boasted the highest post office location in the country all occupied this scenic but inhospitable location. The section house was home to railroad employees charged with keeping the pass open for travel– an epic task during winter at more than two miles above sea level. Snow sheds and fences were placed along the route to keep drifting down as much as possible, and rotary snowplows saw frequent use across the pass. With the steep grades and tight curves, as many as five locomotives were used with the rotaries in an attempt to keep the line open. Sometimes, however, even this wasn’t enough– during the winter of 1898-1899 an impenetrable buildup of snow halted rail service for nearly 80 days. Horse-drawn sleigh or skis were the only way to reach Summit County during that period. While most of the structures that once stood at Boreas Pass are long since lost to the harsh climate, the section house has been restored and is now available as primitive winter lodging for backcountry skiers. A nicely-restored narrow gauge C&S boxcar is on display on a short section of track, along with a number of historical displays recounting the history and operations of the Boreas Pass line. On the opposite side of the pass there is a preserved water tank, Baker’s Tank, and at the bottom of the pass in Breckenridge rest C&S locomotive No. 9, another C&S boxcar, and a former White Pass & Yukon rotary snowplow similar to those used on Boreas Pass. It’s quite remarkable in this age of cli- mate-controlled diesel locomotive cabs and 80-foot freight cars to imagine this diminutive equipment operating in such difficult conditions.
Colorado is a great place to find inspiration from the past, but you don’t have to travel here to look for remnants of interesting rail operations. With a bit of research and a sharp eye, you can probably find interesting ideas for modeling close to your home. Your discoveries may not have run on narrow gauge rails with dramatic 14,000-foot mountain peaks in the background, but they can still make for interesting modeling subjects. Old industries, abandoned branchlines, long forgotten railroad struc- tures and rolling stock... what’s in your backyard? NICHOLAS DAMATO
40 OCTOBER 2013
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