Photo Where Is It? (SOLVED)

[diningcar]

Can't get the exact spot but I think this is the Great Western which was owned by the Great Westen Sugar Co. before being sold to Kyle(?).

[CopCarSS]

Not Great Western.

Hint: What other places have you seen this particular type of steel RR bridge on?

[mudchicken]

 

....Have no clue....but I am interested in abandoned railroad locations....Milwaukee ROW....?  Where....have no idea.  Sure is flat country....

 

Quentin: You live in flat country. The problem is you folks have the moisture to grow lotsa trees to hide the fact. We're out in the high desert.

[Modelcar]

.....Don't have a clue not being a western person and not too much data on such but bet I know what is behind that "bowtie"  avatare.

[Modelcar]

 

.....Yes, Mud...that's pretty true....But sometimes they don't last.  Have an evergreen in our back yard that will have to come down as the wind has it leaning to the east....Wind this past Winter derooted it somewhat on it's west side and it's strength to stand has been diminished.  Lucky those awlful winds west of us a few days ago decide to go almost due north...and miss us.  What a blessing...for us.

[Murphy Siding]

Not Great Western.

Hint: What other places have you seen this particular type of steel RR bridge on?

I'm tempted to say it's a UP standard bridge of some sort.  So, perhaps we're talking about a line that UP took over from Rock Island, somewhere west of I-76 in Colorado?

[CopCarSS]

Not an RI line. I'm pretty sure the RI never got very far north in CO. IIRC, they actually only made it into Denver w/ trackage rights. MC?

P.S. Quentin, the bowtie might surprise you. It's actually a picture I took of the bowtie on the new (slated for 2009 model year) Camaro on display at the Denver Auto Show.

[mudchicken]

Not an RI line. I'm pretty sure the RI never got very far north in CO. IIRC, they actually only made it into Denver w/ trackage rights. MC?

P.S. Quentin, the bowtie might surprise you. It's actually a picture I took of the bowtie on the new (slated for 2009 model year) Camaro on display at the Denver Auto Show.

Rock Island surveyors were in this area, but they never built here.

Rock Island was only into Denver on trackage rights 1888 until the end and by two different ways. They did build 4.2 miles in Denver in 1952 (Sandown to Belt, UPRR to NWT/DRGW) as a bypass to the new North Yard.

They did get into Colorado Springs from Limon (now mostly removed and ceased being a through route due to a 1979 washout/ the failed bridge remains, the track is gone)

Ironically - UP bought the bypass from GNTC/COE/DRIR last year to use it again as a bypass to the KP/Salina Sub. and wil rebuild it soon. (Am I ever having fun with the twisted CRIP historical fiction stories!)

[PBenham]

This professional easterner thinks this is an ex-MOP span. Don't ax me why. But why not add to the confusion?

[nordique72]

I'm going to guess that this particular bridge is on the section of the UP's Julesburg-La Salle secondary main that has been abandoned- I wouldn't know the exact spot but I would have to guess somewhere in the vicinity west of Fort Morgan? I know the UP still has a little used stub out of Julesburg- and another chunk east of La Salle.

[mudchicken]

[CopCarSS]

Excellent job Nordique. The actual location is just a little west of "downtown" Goodrich, CO. MC sent me a little info about the line:

Built 1881 by W.A.H. Loveland's Colorado Central RR (Ed Berthoud survey in 1872, dirtwork in 1874-1876, final route did deviate from original into Boulder) ...1st train 9-30-1881 Union-LaSalle (Julesburg-Union which still exists built in 1880)   This was a piece of the Union Pacific, Denver & Gulf RR not rolled into what became Colorado & Southern between 1890 and 1903 during the bancruptcies and consolidation, which is now BNSF.   Appears you are on the Morgan County end of the line where the E-70 steel bridges built by the Nebraska Division were. (West end of the line that survived, La Salle to Kersey is now the Monfort Industrial Lead and is all E-80 timber bridges  built by Wyoming Division)... Union to Sterling is in the process of being traded from UP to BNSF in a line swap.   The line abandoned in 2 pieces between 1974 and 1978

[Modelcar]

....No surprise Chis.....I've been following that car {new, not yet in production, Camaro}, since it was rolled out at another auto show by Mr. Lutz.....

Have followed Chevy's since {and before}, our 1949 Fleetline 4-door sedan.  Have an Xtreme now....as my plaything.  Have had a line of SS's in the past....Including a 427.

I really do like the pictures of abandoned RR ROW's....Just happens to be a part of railroading that intrigues me....I can track them all around my home area in Pennsylvania....Some abandoned about 60 years ago and still very visible.

[Murphy Siding]

I really do like the pictures of abandoned RR ROW's....Just happens to be a part of railroading that intrigues me....I can track them all around my home area in Pennsylvania....Some abandoned about 60 years ago and still very visible.

  I can relate to that, having *tracked down* more than a few abandoned raillines through cornfields in my area.

[Modelcar]

....Murphy Siding:  One of the more well known abandoned RR's back in my part of Pennsylvania is the long ago {1885}, effort to build the South Penn RR....which the ROW roughly became the route of the original part of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, built....{1938 to 1940}.

[Murphy Siding]

     Quentin:  I too, followed the thread, lsat summer I believe, on here about someone *tracking* the SouthPenn Railroad.  I thought that was quite fascinating.

[diningcar]

mudchicken, I see that you i.d. yourself as a railroad surveyor. well I was also in my younger days; for the Santa Fe in CO. KS. NM. and AZ which is why I have some history of RR's in those areas.

You also indicate the Denver-La Junta area. Me too, but now in AZ. Perhaps we should have more communication or meet. I will be in CO for a week prior to Memorial Day weekend so let me know if you are interested, and perhaps an opportunity to meet.

Diningcar

[Modelcar]

M S:  Yes, that was I and a real expert on that subject...In fact he has a book out on it.  {Russ Love}.

Southpennrailroad.com....{Russ Love}, if I remember the name correctly is the real expert on that effort of Vanderbuilt to build that RR from Harrisburg to the Pittsburgh area back in 1883 to 1885 before it was stopped.  He and I had a very extensive discussion of it on here last year and then all of a sudden he didn't appear anymore.....Have no idea what happened to him.....The ROW was 60 or so % graded before the project was stopped way back then and it lay dormant until officials in Pennsylvania {more or less on a work project}, got the idea to use it for an all weather highway which became the original Pa. Turnpike, opened in 1940 with 7 tunnels and modern interchanges for exit and entry.  When opened, it was about 1 cent / mile toll.

[mudchicken]

diningcar:

Yep - I'm another of Chico's Children. Holler if you get close. There is another of our tribe in the PHX area with a similar CO-AZ pedigree plus there are 3-4 on this forum who pay visits periodically who either worked in the Chief's office or were out on the divisions...

Mud

[nordique72]

Wow- I  guess my memory is better than I thought! The last time I was out there was in 1997- me and my father did a little "inspecting" of the old route of the City of Denver to see what was left. I recall stopping in at Julesburg and La Salle to see what was left before heading south to Denver- part of me would like to get back out there again someday, especially further south along the old MP out of Pueblo to see what's become of the old main line there now.

[mudchicken]

-part of me would like to get back out there again someday, especially further south along the old MP out of Pueblo to see what's become of the old main line there now.

Nord- It's sitting in the weeds (NA Jcn-Ks. Line) with the meter running. The lowlifes at A&K have a scam going that will see this picked-up as soon as the statutory two years are up.

[nordique72]

MC-

 Thanks for the update on the old Mopac- I'm glad I got my shots of the SP trains running on it when I did!