Art & Inspiration Identify this train wreck

There are lots of historical accounts of train accidents from the mining boom days. You would think this would be a**** them. I have not found the story yet. The newest patent date we found on the pieces was 1897, and the railroad shut down in 1918. So our train wreck happened before the Huppmobile was built.

There were bolts driven into the big rocks near the train wheels. I presume they were used for rigging to salvage the more valuable items from the wreck. They left the rest.

We didn't see the bears again, but we know they were still close by.

 

The coupler.... looks like 3-07
..or not?

I ***ume a date?

 

Yes, the front part of the tender holds the coal on an angle towards the cab of the engine. The rear part and under the coal bunker is a water tank.

 

Yes, water and the fuel source, either coal or most likely oil were stored in the tender. Judging by the terrain I would guess washout or Avalanche took the old girl out. That's pretty cool that you could still make out the lettering.


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After a search of the interwebs, it appears that Number 303 was one of six such locomotives bought by the Colorado Midland from the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1907. They were numbered 301 to 306. Still looking for data on the loss of 303. But after the railroad went bust in 1918, all six of these locomotives were sold to the Central Mexicano Railroad, so it would appear that enough was salvaged to rebuild the 303.

 

Mmmm, boy...for a sky crane! That tender's ch***is looks vaguely like my next frame jig!
Probably buy the steel at list price cheaper than a Sky Crane fire up...

Interesting trek you guys did. Man, that fresh track reminds me of the old saying:
"Some days you get the bear, some days the bear gets you..."

 

I didn't know if that was a date or not. But this one definitely is, and it rules it out from being in the accident recorded at nearby Ivanhoe in 1896.

 

Here's a picture from the Colorado Springs Pioneer's Museum, captioned "Colorado Midland Rail Wreck" but unfortunately undated:


Is this your canyon?

 

I can't quite figure out what's going on there. Could that be during construction and before they blasted the rock cut for the Hell Gate?

Here's a post card featuring the Hell Gate

 

Here's a neat photo of the Colorado Midland terminal in Basalt serving a later purpose.

 

As you can tell from the smoke plumes, our old diesel Scout was having a hard time maintaining heat in the combustion chamber at al***ude and on long slow descents. It was pitiful, but it kept the mosquitoes and the bears away. So... I guess it was worth it.

 

More hunting garnered these two newspaper snips:

Aspen Democrat-Times, November 18, 1910:


Aspen Democrat-Times, May 14, 1914:

 

That matches the month/year on the coupler. That is pretty cool

either that shows a landslide over once existing tracks....or does it show the rail line being built, and an accident at the end of the line?

 

Aspen Daily Times, March 23, 1909:

 

Very cool piece of detective work.

 

Aspen Daily Times, January 16, 1909:

 

that is really cool! thanks for posting.
two guys hunting old car parts find some bear tracks. one of them stops, takes off his boots, reaches into his pack and pulls out a pair of running shoes and starts to put them on. the second guy laughs and says; "you can't out run a bear"
first guys grins " no, but i can out run you"

 

It seems that 303 had more than its fair share of excitement and rebuilds...

Herald Democrat, April 2, 1911:

 

Then there is this....

 

Yup, either coal and water, or wood and water in the tender. Neat arch bar trucks as well... would make great yard art!

 

Ha, ha....check out the young family with the 37-38 chevy pickup..... mom and kid are looking at the train....what is dad doing? Ha, he's stacking his bed pretty high.. lol

 

Thanks for posting those old articles. The geography does not match any of those. The Grand River is what we now call the Colorado along I-70. I'm not sure when the name was changed, but what was called the Colorado in Utah and Wyoming became the Green and the Grand became the Colorado.

It sounds like one of those was in the Roaring Fork River downstream of Basalt-the one where p***engers got wet, but survived.

The one near Taylor creek is closest, but we're looking for something at least 20 miles east of Basalt. It is in Pitkin County. It is east of Meredith and East of Thomasville. It is West of Hagerman p***, west of the continental divide, west of Ivanhoe, west of the two major tunnels that pierced the divide, and east of one small tunnel. It is east of the coke ovens in Sellar Park. The river below is either Ivanhoe Creek or the Frying Pan River.

 

Sent an email to a friend who volunteers at a Denver area Railroad Museum.....I'll post if he knows anything.

 

I'm pretty sure these were coal fired. There are lots of cinders along the old road bed, and the western slope of the Rockies historically had coal mining in this area.

Locomotives didn't use coke, did they? I ***umed coke was used for smelting. There are coke ovens near here in Sellar Park. I wondered why they would build coke ovens so far up the mountain unless there was a local use for it. I saw no evidence of mills or mining in this valley.

 

I have knowledge of the Railroad to the west of Basalt (the Crystal River Railroad)-there are Coke Ovens at Redstone also (Glenwood Springs too), and they were used because the Coal in the area was ideal for making Coke (which was used in making Steel):
http://www.west***briamining.com/what-is-the-plan/what-is-coking-coal/
-I am not far from there, and, while I do venture up to Ruedi, I don't regularly go that way (I like to Fish the Crystal and Roaring Fork)-
Lots of history, and there are many tales of Train wrecks on the way up Hwy 133 to Marble (where they mined the marble for the Tomb of the Unknown Solder)-
Back when I was a kid, there were Train parts (and big pieces of Marble) all along the road from Carbondale to Redstone-(sorry to derail your Thread)-

If you go up to Crystal City, there are a few Car wrecks much the same as you have shown (and the drive is spectacular)-

 

I know it is a little unusual, but I find this thread really interesting.
Thanks to the Contributors....

 

I remember seeing the chunks of white marble along 133 and the Crystal River that fell off of trains coming from the quarry.

 

Yep, that's the Road! Crystal City is less than a mile from the Crystal Mill in this picture-it's a beautiful area wherever you go-

 

**2..

 

Anybody that wants a little more info on the railroad.

http://www.drgw.net/info/ColoradoMidland


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