Friday, April 26, 2013

Monday, April 22, 2013

"Along The Blue" #12 | 0 Comments - Click Here :

Just a normal week on the High Line:

Summit County Journal; Mar 6, 1909
Ice King Reigns in Realm of Boreas
 Here is the week's diary of railroading on the High Line:
    Friday - Train No. 71 arrives here in Breckenridge at midnight in the wake of a crew of shovelers who had performed a hard and long day's work. All put up at Dickey for the night. Four days' blockade is broken.
    Saturday - No. 72, from Dickey, goes through on time, but has only reached Argentine when No. 71 passes it. It then gets through all right. No. 71 but a few minutes late until it leaves Dillon, when the engine leaves track and topples over, Engineer Thady breaking his wrist. With another engine the train proceeds on it's way to Leadville, arriving there at 9 p.m.
    Sunday - Opinions of orthodox people not withstanding, Sunday is the day of days for travel on the South Park. The day was fine, and everything moved nearly on schedule time. No. 72 brought in thirteen mails by way of Leadville, and Breckenridge was in touch with the course of events once more.
    Monday - No.72 on time here, but five hours late in Como. No. 71 had a hard time of it through South Park and did not arrive here till midnight.
    Tuesday - A howling wind creates further havoc on the pass. Two engines put in the afternoon in a vain attempt to push through from this side. No. 72 arrives from Leadville at 6 p.m., and returns to that city.
    Wednesday - Though it was a veritable summer day, so far as sunshine and warmth were concerned, it not only failed to lift the blockade, but added to the treacherous ice which is now the chief difficulty. When 72 had arrived, but a few minutes late, three engines and a gang of section men started for the pass to open the road. No word having been received from them by 4 o'clock, 72 returned to Leadville.
    Thursday - Nothing moved over the pass. No. 72 returned to Leadville on 71's time. Weather fine.
    Friday - No change apparent.

Friday, April 19, 2013

"Along The Blue" #11 | 0 Comments - Click Here :

    A severely sprained ankle has sidelined me for the last week. And as a result, absolutely no progress has been made towards the layout or even my workbench for that matter. I've been doing some reading though, and I thought I'd share a little more of  life in the valley with you:

The Blue Valley Times; Jul 4, 1913;
Small Blaze At Dillon Depot
    Sparks from a locomotive found lodging between the boards of the rather dilapidated platform on the west side of Dillon's railroad depot on Tuesday ignited a stringer near the north end of Agent Kellar's new summer kitchen. The fact was discovered and the incipient blaze put out.
    That is, it was thought to have been put out. But on Wednesday afternoon the platform burst into flames near the south end of the summer kitchen, and it was found that the smoldering fire had eaten its way along the affected stringer underneath the kitchen, for a distance of about 20 feet. With the aid of some section men and others who were handy, the blaze was speedily put out.
    It happened that the Superintendent of bridges and buildings was at the depot at the time, which fact promises to lead to some needed repairs around the place.

The Blue Valley Times; Aug 8, 1913;
Six Cars of Calves
    Six carloads of yearling cattle, consigned to Hamilton & Bach, of the Blue River valley, were unloaded at the corral of the Dillon railroad yard last night. There were 186 head. The cattle were bought in northern Alberta, Canada, and shipped here in charge of Mr. Levine, a former ranch-man of Grand County. They were on the road three weeks and traveled 2,000 miles. Mr. Levine declares as unfounded, the report in a Denver paper that forty-five head of the consignment disappeared at Greeley.
    Though the Dickey section house is only three miles away and a crew of section men had been dilly-dallying in the vicinity of Dillon yard all summer, the late announcement of the six cars of cattle billed for Dillon and would arrive here after dark, found the siding un-repaired and unsafe.
    To put it in shape for a reasonably safe reception of the six cars of cattle, a crew of laborers had to be collected and a special train made up in Leadville to come to Dillon and repair the siding leading to the stock chute. The train arrived with a car of half-rotten ties collected en route for the emergency, and the laborers were kept busy putting the track in shape till 'way after midnight.

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

"Along The Blue" #10 | 1 Comments - Click Here :

Leadville Herald Democrat; Feb 11, 1893;
The White Death
The Crew of a Rotary on the South Park Meet With a Terrible Fate
    Frisco, Colo. Feb, 10 - A snow slide struck a Union Pacific snow plow and two engines at this place at 9 O'clock this morning, and instantly killed Engineer Lynch and Fireman Smith, and seriously injured Engineers Boynton and McGreevey and Brakeman Hawkins. A mountain of snow covered the unfortunate men, and it took several hours to dig out the dead and injured.
Details of the Disaster.
    The terrible accident has caused intense excitement. The accident occurred about a mile west of Frisco, and not far from Dickey, about thirty one miles from Leadville. At this point the road runs along the side of the mountain, which is very steep, and there is a deep gulch below, extending down probably several hundred feet.
    The rotary had been ordered out in the morning to keep the track clear and was standing on the track steaming up. John Lynch, the engineer on the rotary, was engaged in oiling the machine, and J.B. Smith, the fireman on the rotary, was also standing near, as were John Roan, a Fireman, Dan McGreevey, an engineer, and William Boynton, engineer of engine 263.
    There was some snow falling, and all hands were busy preparing for a vigorous campaign against the heavy drifts. Suddenly, against the noise of the escaping steam, could be heard a distant rumble. It grew louder and louder, and suddenly the men realized that an avalanche was upon them. An effort was made to escape from the impending danger, for it was now seen that the awful snow slide was directly above them. It was too late, and with a frightful roar the mass of rock and snow plunged down like lighting, crashing everything beneath it into the gulch below.
    When those who escaped alive were able to realize what had occurred, an awful site met their gaze. The rotary had been knocked off the ledge and was a total wreck. Engine 263 was knocked off the side, and was covered with snow, while beneath a mass of snow and rock 150 feet long and ten feet deep were the bodies of Lynch, the engineer, and J.B. Smith, the Fireman of the Rotary. Roan had his nose broken and head bruised, but not seriously, while William Boynton, of engine 263, has a badly sprained and bruised ankle.
    The officials were at once notified of the accident and a wrecking crew dispatched to the scene. The injured men were all sent to Denver. The remains of Lynch were sent to Breckenridge for burial. The other man, Smith, is from Como, and his remains were taken there.
    The track in the vicinity of the accident has been cleared away, and traffic is moving, another rotary having been dispatched to the scene of the trouble in order to keep everything clear.