Gilpin Railroad

The Gilpin Railroad, earlier the Gilpin Tramway Company, was a 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge railway in Gilpin County, Colorado, in operation from 1887 to 1917.

Gilpin Tramway
The Gilpin Tramway locomotives and enginehouse
Overview
LocaleColorado
Termini
  • 1887
  • 1917
Technical
Line length15+1⁄2 miles (24.9 km)
Track gauge2 ft (610 mm)
Route map
Miles from
Denver
35.95
 Black Hawk
 Turn-off of the dual gauge track
35.43
 Iron City Mill
35.44
 Randolph Mill
35.51
 New York Mill
35.78
 Rocky Mt. Concentrator
36.23
 Bobtail Mill
36.35
 Polar Star Mill
36.53
 C & S Transfer
36.53
 Mead Mill
36.73
 Hidden Treasure Mill Spur No. 1
36.88
 Warming House
36.95
 Switch-back No. 1
36.96
 Round House
36.97
 Machine Shop
37.08
 Clear Creek Wye
37.31
 Upper Fullerton Spur
37.31
 Martin Junction
37.77
 Wheeler Mill (on Martin Extension)
37.00
 Hidden Treasure Mill Spur No. 2
38.56
 Chase Gulch
39.02
 Freedom Mine Spur
40.01
 Water Tank, Eureka Gulch
40.02
 Buckley Mine Spur
40.31
 Prosser Gulch
40.44
 Gunnell Mine Spur No. 1
40.49
 East Whiting Spur
40.55
 Gunnell Mine Spur No. 2
40.56
 Gunnell Hill Wye
40.63
 Gunnell Hill Siding
40.74
 Concrete Switch-back No. 1
40.93
 Whiting Mine Spur
40.95
 Grand Army Sidings
40.96
 Concrete Switch Back No. 2
41.01
 Whiting Sidings
41.02
 Grand Army Coal Siding
41.23
 Concrete Switch Back No. 3
41.60
 Concrete Mine
41.69
 End of Concrete Branch
40.92
 Avon Mine Spur
40.99
 Avon Mill Coal Track
41.41
 Pease-Kansas Branch Conn.
41.63
 Euglish Kansas Spur
41.80
 Pease-Kansas Ore Track
41.90
 Pease-Kansas Coal Track
42.05
 Fourth of July Siding
42.09
 End of Pease-Kansas Branch
41.84
 Phoenix-Burroughs Branch Conn.
42.20
 Barnes Mine Spur
42.67
 Phoenix Burroughs Ore Siding
42.74
 Phoenix Burroughs Coal Siding
42.88
 Ophir Mine Spur
42.91
 End of Phoenix Burroughs Branch
42.01
 Gettysburgh Mine (Martin's)
42.13
 Quartz Hill Branch Conn.
42.71
 Quartz Hill Wye
42.92
 Climax Mine Spur
42.92
 San Juan Mine
42.97
 Switch Back No. 1
43.13
 Gardner Mine Spur
43.14
 Switch Back No. 2
43.14
 California Mine Spur
44.14
 Topeka Mine
44.23
 End of Quartz Hill Branch
42.17
 Leavenworth Siding
42.92
 Wautoga Ore Tracks
42.96
 Wautoga Coal Tracks
43.09
 Russell Spur
43.17
 Old Town Spur
43.26
 Saratoga Branch Conn.
43.44
 Old Town Spur No. 2
43.90
 Twoton Spur
43.93
 Searles Spur
44.26
 Waltham Spur
44.45
 Saratoga Siding No. 1
44.52
 Saratoga Siding No. 2
44.52
 Stub Spur
44.54
 End of Saratoga Branch
43.85
 Red Cloud Branch Conn.
44.35
 Frontenac
44.45
 End of track[1]

Gold extraction

In April 1859, John H. Gregory discovered alluvial gold in Clear Creek, near Golden, Colorado. The gold was concentrated in the north branch of Clear Creek, in what is now called Gregory Gulch above Blackhawk.[2] News of the discovery spread, and by September, 900 prospectors had arrived, living in log shanties and tents. By the summer of 1860, sixty ore mills and thirty arrastras were in operation and the population had risen to 15,000. Mining camps, including Black Hawk, Central City, Nevadaville, Russell Gulch and Apex were formed.[2]

But by the mid-1860s, the easily-accessible alluvial gold deposit had been exhausted. A smelter was set up in Black Hawk in 1865, to allow gold to be extracted from hard rock ore. In 1870, the 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge Colorado Central Railroad was formed to provide transportation to this remote region. Construction of the railroad started in September 1871, and the first train arrived at Black Hawk on December 15, 1873. In 1878, a four-mile long switchback extension was built from Black Hawk to Central City, with the first train arriving on May 21, 1878.[3]

Gilpin Tramway Company

The problem still remained on how to economically get the gold bearing quartz ore down to the mills of Central City and Black Hawk. It was a dangerous, slow and expensive process to bring the ore down in horse-drawn wagons. In Summer 1886 five mining men met to solve the problem. The solution was the Gilpin Tramway Company, formed on July 29 in Central City by Henry C. Bolsinger, Bradford H. Locke, Robert A. Campbell, Andrew W. Rogers and Henry J. Hawley. The purpose of the company was to build a 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge railroad to transport ore from the mines above Black Hawk to the mills.[4]

Construction of the tramway

Grading was started in May 1887. A frame barn was purchased above Black Hawk as an engine house. The first rails were laid on July 1, 1887. Shay locomotive #1 arrived on August 26, with its first run on September 1. Trackage worked its way back down Clear Creek climbing the side of the hill and climbing up into Gregory Gulch. The maximum grade was six percent with several curves having a 50-foot (15 m) radius. The trackage continued on above Central City (there was an excursion train for Central City residents from where the tram crossed Eureka Gulch to Black Hawk on September 29, 1887). From there the trackage continued up to Nevadaville, Quartz Hill and Russel Gulch.[5]

Much of the altitude gained by the Gilpin was done by the use of switchbacks. The Tram had more switchbacks than any other American railroad. At one point, seven switchbacks were used to reach a single mine.

Opposition

The railroad was not without its opponents. The Gilpin was in direct competition to the various teamster outfits. An agreement had been made with the Colorado Central to lay a third rail through Black Hawk (creating a dual gauge track) to allow the Gilpin to reach its various mills and smelters. Mayor William Fick, associated with many of the teamsters, fought to stop the Gilpin from coming through 'his' town. The third rail was laid after various legal actions starting in December 1887. But that was not the end of it, in April 1888, the Mayor accompanied by the marshal ordered laborers to stop laying the third rail and to start removing trackage that had already been laid. Fick declared that the tram would throw teamsters out of work, a great calamity for the city. But with a payment from the Gilpin of $450 to the city, the Mayor was advised to quit his losing fight, and none of the trackage was removed.[6]

Tourism

Ore and supplies were not the only cargo carried on the Gilpin. On May 23, 1888, the tram received six new excursion passenger cars. As with many other railroads in the west, tourist traffic created a good supplement to the railroads income. Excursions occurred throughout each summer. A round trip from Black Hawk with lunch was 75 cents. A combined trip on the Colorado Central from Denver was $2.40.[7]

Extensions

Throughout 1888, track was extended to mines and mills leading to 15+1⁄2 miles (24.9 km) of track by winter of that year. Once winter arrived, a new and interesting problem arrived as well. Ore comes from wet ground, and in the winter, it has a tendency to freeze solid in the cars before delivery to the mills. The tram solved this problem with a unique solution. A warming house was built near the engine house with tracks running its entire length. Steam pipes and stoves warmed the building to a high of 120 °F (49 °C), thus keeping the ore warm and dry.[8]

Sale to the Colorado and Southern

Traffic continued to grow throughout the 1890s, with three Shays taking up the load. Accidents did happen on occasion with engines jumping the track and rolling over. By 1900, new shays were replacing the old ones.

In January 1899, the Colorado Central (then owned by the bankrupt Union Pacific Railroad) was taken over by the Colorado and Southern (C&S). The Gilpin had been showing a nice profit in the early 1900s so by 1905, the C&S was looking at the Gilpin as a likely acquisition. On June 27, 1906, the Gilpin was sold to the Colorado and Southern.[9]

Closure of the tramway

1910 saw the Gilpin at its greatest length of 26.46 miles (42.58 km) including spurs and sidings. But unfortunately, the C&S bought the Gilpin at the height of its profitability. The profit margins on mining gold was dropping both due to increased cost to extract the gold, and fixed prices in the gold market due to government. As such, traffic was dropping. Soon the Gilpin was running in the red. The last train ran on January 17, 1917. The railroad was sold for scrap in June 1917.[10]

Locomotives
Number Builder Type Date Works number Notes
1 Lima Locomotive Works 10-ton Shay August 1887 181[11] sold Silver City, Pinos Altos and Mogollon Railroad #1 1905[12]
2 Lima Locomotive Works 12-ton Shay February 1888 199[11] sold Silver City, Pinos Altos and Mogollon Railroad #2 1905[12]
3 Lima Locomotive Works 15-ton Shay December 1889 264[13] scrapped 1938
4 Lima Locomotive Works 17-ton Shay January 1900 594[14] scrapped 1938
5 Lima Locomotive Works 18-ton Shay April 1902 696[15] scrapped 1938

Cars
Number Builder Type Date Length Notes[16]
1-5 flatcars 1888 17 ft (5.2 m) #3 rebuilt to coal car #14
6-13 coal cars 1888 17 ft
14-17 coal cars 17 ft
18-37 Lima Locomotive Works ore cars 1887 17 ft 7 in (5.36 m) originally 1⁄2 cord (1.8 m3) capacity rebuilt to 3⁄4 cord (2.7 m3) capacity
38-87 Lima Locomotive Works ore cars 1888 17 ft 7 in 1 cord (3.6 m3) capacity
88-155 Lima Locomotive Works ore cars 1889 17 ft 7 in 1 cord (3.6 m3) capacity
300 Gilpin water car 23 ft (7.0 m) 2,200 US gallons (8,300 L; 1,800 imp gal) capacity
1st #400 Gilpin caboose 1904 13 ft 2 in (4.01 m) destroyed 1912
2nd #400 Colorado and Southern Railway caboose 1912 14 ft 2 in (4.32 m)
401 Colorado and Southern Railway caboose 1913 14 ft 2 in
500-505 excursion cars 1888 21 ft (6.4 m) one rebuilt to flatcar 2nd #4; one rebuilt to rail & boiler car #01 in 1906; one used as parts for caboose #401 in 1913; last one (#500) renumbered #1 in 1915

References
  • Ericson, Duane (2007). Silver City Narrow Gauge. M2FQ Publications.
  • Ferrell, Mallory Hope (1970). The Gilpin Gold Tram. Pruett Publishing. ISBN 0-87108-045-1.
  • Koch, Michael (1971). The Shay Locomotive Titan of the Timber. The World Press.

Notes
  1. Colorado and Southern list of Stations, 1 January 1905.
  2. Ferrell (1970) p.9
  3. Ferrell (1970) pp.11-19
  4. Ferrell (1970) p.19
  5. Ferrell (1970) p.21
  6. Ferrell (1970) pp.22-25
  7. Ferrell (1970) pp.25-28
  8. Ferrell (1970) p.29
  9. Ferrell (1970) pp.59-64
  10. Ferrell (1970) pp.64-65
  11. Koch (1971) p.388
  12. Ericson (2007) pp.24-25
  13. Koch (1971) p.390
  14. Koch (1971) p.401
  15. Koch (1971) p.407
  16. Ferrell (1970) p.100
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