Conceptual History

C&N No. 32 (2-8-0) in 1907 - Painting by Howard Fogg (1)

History
The D&L railroad started life in 1883 as the Greeley, Salt Lake & Pacific Railroad. The GSL&P was a three foot narrow gauge railroad established to serve the gold mines between Boulder and Sunset Colorado. In the spring of 1894, the GSL&P was destroyed by flooding in Boulder Creek. In 1898, it was rebuilt on higher ground as the Colorado and Northwestern Railway (C&N or C&NW) running again from Boulder to Sunset, but expanding on to Ward. The C&N had great plans to shorten the route from Sunset to Ward by boring a tunnel under the Dew Drop and Columbia Veins for a nearly straight shot to Ward. This would shorten the trip to 3 miles instead of 12.8 miles. However, in 1909 the C&N became the Denver, Boulder and Western (DB&W) expanding from Sunset to Eldora, with new branches from Boulder to Fort Collins and Boulder to Denver over Colorado and Southern (C&S) right-of-way. The tunnel was not to be. More tungsten was now being hauled than gold. The DB&W ran primarily 2-8-0 Consolidations (No.s 30,31,32,33), built by Brooks Locomotive Works (Click here for more info), on 56 pound per yard rail. The C&N also had a Shay (No. 25), a Climax (No. 2), and a 2-6-0 Mogul (No. 1). By 1919, new roads for automobiles and trucks had been constucted in the canyons. Mines were failing and there was stiff competition from the nearby Moffat Railroad. The DB&W was forced out of business and the entire line was sold for parts in 1920.

Colorado & Northwestern Railway Heralds & Pass

Map of the C&N (1)

C&N No. 30 (2-8-0) has been on display in Central Park, Boulder, CO since 1952.

The D&L Garden Railroad Concept
Luckily, through advances in technology, the D&L Garden Railroad, some 100 years later, was able to step back in time and change history. The C&N found investors to finance the now famous Columbia tunnel which saved the mines and the C&N railway enough money to stay in business a little bit longer. Then, amazingly enough, new rich deposits were found, and the gold rush was on again!

The year is 1898 and the C&N lives through the D&L Garden Railroad. Headquarters for the D&L are in Fort Collins, Colorado, but daily operations are conducted in the mountains between Sunset and Ward on the Ward branch. The D&L hauls coal, machinery, and supplies up to the mines, and comes back down with gold and silver ore. Two routes now serve Sunset and Ward; the original 12.8 mile line, and the Columbia tunnel route that the C&N had on the drawing board of only 3 miles. Mines and passengers are served on both branches. Average grades on the D&L, as on the C&N, are 3 %. Passenger day trips from Boulder to Mont Alto Park, a resort area are in high demand. All of the original locomotives are still in service, but the 2-8-0s do the bulk of the work.

References:
(1) The Switzerland Trail of America by Forest Crossen, second printing 1978. Note: Book number 49 of 10,000 is signed "Linda, Please to remember this book and its author, who gave you an Old West Salute. Forest Crossen". Linda, worked for the publisher, Robinson Press, in Fort Collins at that time. We didn't realize the value of the book until some eleven years later when we became interested in railroading.

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Last Updated: 12 December 2002
Music: Maple Leaf Rag, 1899, Scott Joplin