11: Tracing A Railroad Legend | Historic & Beautiful Rio Grande Southern Revisited
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- Опубліковано 4 тра 2024
- The Grande Tour Episode 11.
Day 6: 14th July 2023
Trains haven't run since 1951, but let's take the journey again.
An AMAZING journey tracing a true legend of railroad history. I follow the 160+ mile long path of the Rio Grande Southern from Ridgway to Durango through the stunningly beautiful San Juan Mountains. I see remnants along the way such and depot station buildings, trestles and water towers. This was a very special day.
The Rio Grande Southern was a 3-foot narrow gauge railroad built by Otto Mears, who had a reputation for building highways and railroads where no-one else dared to go. The railroad operated from 1891, to access the lucrative silver mines up in the mountains, mainly Rico and Telluride. As mining dried up around 1893, the railroad struggled financially. The Denver & Rio Grande took control of the RGS and kept the line running until 1951.
As a way of saving money, a fleet of seven iconic motor vehicles or rail buses were built which later were affectionately named "Galloping Geese". These could carry the mail, small amounts of freight and a handful of passengers without the need for an expensive to run steam train. In the latter years, some of these were converted to be entirely for passengers as there was a call for tourist trips along the stunningly beautiful line. However, this was not enough to keep the line open, and the tracks were torn up over 1952 and 1953.
But the story of this railroad lives on in the hearts of many, which is why I made the pilgrimage to visit the sites. I urge you to do the same if you have the chance.
A big thank you to RGSrr.com for permission to use the route map. See the map and other RGS resources at www.rgsrr.info
A big thank you to the "Railroads of the San Juan Mountains" Facebook group, especially admin Richard Crabtree for all the beautifully colourised old images.
See the group at / 297689325334513
Galloping Goose Historical Society at Dolores: www.gallopinggoose5.org/
Ridgway Railroad Museum: ridgwayrailroadmuseum.org/
If you'd like to support me after this very expensive trip and for the future, there is a "Super Thanks" function near the 'Like' button. Not expected, but would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
This is part of my amazing SOLO historic railroad-based trip between Salt Lake City and Denver, filled with interest, fun and adventure.
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This is fantastic. A great view into a piece of railroading history I would not know existed. Thank you.
Brilliant. I'm so glad I could share.
Thank you.
The GOLDEN SPIKE award for best railroad documentaries....(If there was such a thing). You have done a excellent job with your travels, always look forward to your next videos.
Haha! Well, thank you very much for that accolade.
I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thank you!
When I was younger I always wanted to do something like that, BUT the boss lady wasn't keen to the idea. Now I disabled and can't physically travel no more. I now get to see it though your videos. I really appreciate you taking the time to film and edit these videos so we can enjoy seeing them... Be blessed my young friend in Jesus name. Much love... BBE...
Oh Mate. I'm really glad I can do this for you. Good to have you with me. Bless you my friend.
Epic! Plan, drive, find, explore, explain, move, move, move, hotel, rest, food, beer, soak it all in, sleep, eat, repeat, cool! Stunning scenery a very enjoyable and informative watch, thanks.
Yep! Very busy. But I loved it.
I'm very glad. Thanks Steve!
Sigh. Now we need to get in the car and get back there. Wow. ❤❤❤. 🚂🚂🚂🚀🚀🐇😁😁😁😁🚀🚀🙀
Me too.
Well,... a car, then a plane, then another car. But yeah. It's such a special place. ❤🥰🚂
Toy Man Television- The best train related stuff on UA-cam!! Wow, we are watching the same videos, and a compliment from the Toy Man is high praise....much deserved!! I loved this video!
@@johnjornod6429 Thank you John, and I agree with you!
By the way, - please go and see my video on the Nevada Northern Railway (episode 3) and see who else is in it 😉
Simon
Awesome video and thanks for sharing your experiences. You know a video is good when you really want to be there.
Watching it, I want to be there! 😂
Thank you Luke. I appreciate that.
Thank you for sharing this. Watched every video and this one twice.
This pleases me greatly. Thank you!
There's lots more to come!
With this video you have officially become "that BIG Train Guy"! I especially liked the look on your face at Durango and the Diesels. Well done.
Haha!!! Thank you so much.
Very nice and thorough video of this great railroad (RGS that is).
I haven't seen anyone else do anything quite like this (which shocks me!), so this British guy stepped in 😂.
I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thank you.
Simon
As a native Durangatan, I commend your video, and I shared your disappointment at missing the arrival of a steamie. Even better would have been this week when a Goose has been rambling up and down the Animas Valley. I cherish my memories of the actual clatter, the horn, the sway and the bell from my childhood. My grandparents sold their Pierce Arrow to the RGS about 1938. This year I rarely hear the diesel as the oil burning steamies have come on line - I will think of you in the UK when the afternoon train comes by in about an hour.....Thanks for the video.
"Durangatan". Brilliant!
Wow, you have a real history with the area. Amazing! So your grandparents sold a car: Could that have become Galloping Goose?
Durango is one of my favourite places in the World, and I've been to some places! I've visited four times. 1998 (aged 11), 2006, 2016 and 2023. I tell people that if I had the chance to move to another country, Durango is where I'd love to live. It suits my personality.
Anyway, thank you for the thought! I envy you.
Simon
@@ThatBIGTRAINGuy My Aunt by marriage was daughter to an engineer with RGS - I didn't think to ask if she knew exactly how it was utelized. I recently found the VIN info and plan to have it along when I visit the Colo Rail Museum in Golden CO this summer. One great grandad was a freight agent here in the early 1890s - I think he left for Montana Pacific with the financial crisis in 1893. Most of my travel memories involve great train experiences as well. While I was as student in Costa Rica we used to ride from the central highlands to the beach and back on a wonderful rail day trip, since ruined by an earthquake. My daughter worked for a stretch in London and her tours were train based - Scotland, Paris. I was a grandmother before I fully realized the charm of rail travel, first in line for the Polar Express on Christmas eve for years.
@@patriciajemmett559 Wow. Well you have a connection with the history of the RGS at least in some form. That's quite something.
I actually did a little rail-based trip to Scotland a couple of weeks ago. I think we may have a brief interlude on my channel while I show that trip before I continue from Durango.
Thank you so much for your comments. Very interesting!
That was a really nice show, thanks so much for sharing your journey and experiences with us all. Was fun
, relaxing and educational. Thanks Simon, really great show...
Fantastic, I'm very pleased. Thank you John.
As a fan of the WP&Y Railroad, I love those diesel locomotives.
Yeeeaah, they're alright. They're nice diesels. Just,... not on the D&S. 😞
Hey Simon, I thoroughly enjoyed this latest video and IMO its probably the best one you’ve produced so far. Stunning scenery, coupled with a really informative narrative, and superb graphics - what an adventure you had
Well, it was a lot of work.
Brilliant. Thanks Rick!
The planning , execution , seeing and touching history ( sometimes I grab some dirt/pebble or trash splinter /paper - a connection with history ) so well done on your amazing odyssey , spiritual . . . 👍 👍
Spiritual. I do think of this area as my spiritual home! I love it and it fits my personality. I'd live in Durango if I was able.
A note on taking dirt: If you look on the map I was using, there is actually a marker on the approach towards Telluride Airport. It warns for people wanting to take samples of the earth for modelling purposes, etc, that the ground is radio active! I mean, they did secretly mine yellowcake ore from these parts for the atomic bomb!
Thanks CCS! 👍
Very inspiring! I’m going to amend my next trip to Colorado to attempt the same thing. I hope the D&S ran steam the day you rode!
Yes, do it! I hope you get as nice weather as I got. It was gorgeous.
Ha! Yes, I rode behind steam. The D&S tend to run two trains a day as they have done for a long time, just one is now a diesel and the other steam.
Great work.
Thanks Nick!
It’s all set. Our reservations are made. We aren’t making all the same stops as you; not on an RGS quest. We do have reservations for the Durango & Silverton. Going to check out Cross Orchards in Grand Junction; they have a garden railroad. Changed our itinerary just to be there when they are open. Thanks for the very inspiring videos.
Wow, this pleases me very much. Fantastic! I believe anyone with an interest in trains should ride the Durango & Silverton. Well done.
I didn't know about Cross Orchards. I just looked it up! Looks a nice attraction. Shame I didn't know about it, but then I didn't have any spare time there anyway.
Funny thing with Grand Junction; I couldn't get any phone signal. Everywhere else I went, all out in the middle of nowhere, I had reception pretty much everywhere. Just not in GJ.
I am excited for your trip. Excellent!
Fantastic. I made this trip in the opposite direction a few years ago. It was great to see the route again. Kudos to you for all the work you put into this video. I look forward to seeing the rest. We lives about 3 miles east of the D&RGW Chili line as it passed over the Rio Grande River at Black Mesa New Mexico.
Oh wow! I actually have a spike from the Chili Line. A friend sent it to me.
Thanks so much! I'm really glad you enjoyed.
Simon
Hi, Simon. Wonderful work on this video but more importantly, I know you had fun. In August 2018, I was traversing (in a rental car) a lot of the Colorado mountains and tracking down several of the narrow gauge tracks but, I took a different route than you ending in Durango to Silverton before heading back to Denver. I did not get to see what you have traveled and presented here. I traveled to southern California and finally took the 3-day Amtrack train ride back east.
Born in 1947, I sometimes wish I was alive & old enough in the 1930s to early 1950s to travel all of the railroads we had in this country. At least I can travel and see more today than I could have rode in those old days. Like you, I have traced parts of what is left. We still have quite a few remnants of the past railroads in the eastern part of the US. Many are still running on parts of the old lines with excursion trains. Thank you for sharing your travels as I thoroughly enjoy them. Dennis.
Hi Dennis.
Oh, there's so much to see in that area. I was right there, but didn't get to drive the Million Dollar Highway, - another of Otto Mears' achievements.
The Amtrak trip, would that have been the Southwest Chief? I really want to do the California Zephyr next time. I've been to the US six times now, and not yet been on a regular train!
It's common to have interest in things before your time. Yes I similarly wish I could have seen the heyday of steam, and then my music taste is around the 70s-80s. Oh well.
I'm glad you enjoy my videos. Thank you so much.
Simon
GREAT video! Thank you for putting it all together and all of the work! Thoroughly enjoyed watching.
I'm very pleased. Thanks very much Daniel.
Simon
Hello Simon, this video from your trip through Colorado on the trail of the old Rio Grande railways and the comparison with pictures from then and now was also very interesting. Thanks for taking us with you and best regards. Wolfgang PS (I now have a K37 Electric from Accu Craft)
Hi Wolfgang.
I'm glad that you enjoyed the ride.
I will look to see your new locomotive. I am jealous!
Cheers. Simon.
Thank you for sharing your journey, it was like getting to take this amazing trip but still being able to sleep in my own bed! :)
That is exactly what I was going for. I'm very glad.
Thank you so much!
Splendid trip report man! I am bedridden after surgery and videos like this prevent me from getting bored.
Oh wow, well I'm very glad to help.
Rest up and recover well.
Thank you!
Super cool Simon! It is amazing how we humans can change the landscape. Ophir was interesting especially for that reason. And about the diesels… I’ve seen them decades ago when they were on the White Pass and Yukon Route. And the rumbling sounds of those old Alcos. Classic in their way too. Anyway, so glad you got to do this. The emotion said it all.
It is indeed amazing, and the traces can remain for many decades.
Those diesels are alright, in their own right.
The WP&Y is on my list to do,.. one day.
Thanks Terry!
@@ThatBIGTRAINGuy the WP&Y is an awesome trip. They now have brand new narrow gauge diesels so sadly the rumbly old ones are no more there. But things can’t last forever. As long as there is welding and blacksmithing knowledge a steam loco can be repaired. The problem with the diesels is the exponential cost of repairing them long after parts sources have dried up. The locos where they are now won’t be worked as hard and the conditions are easier.
Magnificent video, I like it 5 stars.
Thumbs up.
Keep up the perfect work, Simon, just liked and subscribed, Greetings from Portugal to the UK.
Ah fantastic. Thank you very much! Glad to have you with me.
(I need to visit Portugal sometime!).
Simon
@@ThatBIGTRAINGuy no problem, mate, in Portugal, we have some history of trains.
@@LisbonRailProductionsandF1 I'll have to look into that sometime. (Plus, I love port!)
@@ThatBIGTRAINGuy indeed
@@ThatBIGTRAINGuy it would be nice to have you as my new subscriber.
Absolutely stunning video. Great to see such emotion, I can really appreciate how much it meant to you. God bless America.
Brilliant. Thank you so much!
Very interesting video, but I have a hard time taking my eyes off the spectacular scenery! Hope you had a good time and the weather cooperated!
I just have to ask btw....aren't you nervous at all driving in the US because of left hand drive? I used to live in Ireland and was always terrified I'd accidentally drive on the wrong side of the road lol. You seem to be totally comfortable!
@@dpelpal Haha! Actually, I got used to driving pretty quickly. Just after I arrived, it was a short drive from the airport to Salt Lake City. I was greeted with six lane ONE WAY roads! At one point I was on the left lane, and I needed to turn left onto a two-way street (which was four lanes with barriers in the middle). Well, I turned and stayed on the left. An old guy was approaching from the other way and frantically pointed the direction I SHOULD have been going. I quickly did a 3 point turn, and all was fine after that. 🤣
But from day 2, I felt fine.
Oh the scenery is just stunning. I was so lucky to have such good weather on my trip, I got to see everything in it's shining glory.
Thank you!
Excellent documentary. Great scenery. Superb!!!
Thanks so much!
Well done Simon a fantastic accomplishment. Thanks for taking us with you.
The southern is gone and such a loss. But you gave us the feeling that in many ways its still there in spirit and always will be.
Thanks for sharing this and your emotions with us.
A wonderful video about a wonderful railroad.
Awesome Simon👍
The legacy remains and will do for a long time.
Thanks very much David! 👍
Great video, it was epic, and you came a long way to see almost nothing, but loved every moment of it
Ha! Yep! That just about sums it up.
It just shows the weight of the history and legend of the railroad, just to touch those small remaining pieces to feel connected to what once was.
It was amazing.
@@ThatBIGTRAINGuy it always amazes me how much of the RGS right of way exists, and how good of condition it is in. But zero track has been laid back down for excursions. The Goose 5 group was talking about doing that, but it definitely hasn't happened
@@timothyboles6457 Yeah, a little something would nice!
Great work ,well done . We took a pair of motorbikes and rode the route a
Few years ago choosing this route in stead of the million dollar highway, glad we did. Loved the galloping goose rail cars. Thanks for all your work.
Oh bikes! That's sounds fun. Brilliant.
Thanks very much!
Another great video ! ...a twix ! Im in.........At least the diesels were Alcos !!
Haha! One Twix for Merv, noted,..... for whenever we may meet.
Yes, I mean, they're nice diesels.... just..... not on the D&S please.
I just can't imagine the highline without the soundtrack being that cautious chuff of the steam engine. And the whistling echoeing through the Animas Canyon, it's magical.
@@ThatBIGTRAINGuy so true would love to hear that whistle in person someday ! looks like you had a superb trip tho ,! got my first intro to the RGS via a steam powered video on modelling the RGS been a fan ever since !!
You can still ride portions of the old route on old narrow gage trains, The Durango/Silverton and the Antonito/Chama routes. It is a must do trip for those that love the old narrow gage trains!
Yep, my next video in this series is riding the D&S, then a couple of videos later will be the Cumbres & Toltec. This was my fourth time on the D&S, and my third on the C&T.
I spent a whole day exploring the yard at Chama, then explored points along the line (such as Cumbres Pass) and also the yard at Antonito. I think I took about 1000 photos that day!
Fantastic job.
Thank you very much!
Amazing video Simon, very professional! I've had an interest in this railroad, and other western railroads, since the 1960s. I never did make it to Colorado, so this video was like I was there with you. I did manage to make it out to Nevada years ago and was able to trace the Virginia & Truckee railroad, similar to what you did in this video. Unfortunately, all I have of that trip are photos and memories. Thanks so much for posting this!
Oh that's really great. That was my intention. Some people have asked about me traveling on my own. But honestly, I didn't feel I was on my own. Wherever I went, I turned to my camera and I had you guys with me,... only of course there's a delay in you seeing it.
I love the V&T. I do have a video on my channel from 1996 when my Dad and I (then aged 9!) were invited to ride in the cab! The line only went to Gold Hill then. I'd love to visit again.
Thank you John!
@ThatBIGTRAINGuy You're welcome Simon. My daughter travels all over the world by herself. Tonight she's in London and then on to Portugal. I also traveled a lot by myself, in my younger days.
@@johnlazar7582 Ooh wow! Nice. I've not made it to Portugal yet, but my parent's have been several times in recent years. Sounds great!
Another great episode, my wife even wanted to watch it with me (rare). She commented that we must have spoken with the same women in the Doloris museum a couple of years ago, she is a wealth of information for sure.
It is sad to see the diesels at Durango, although understand why. Since the fire the Forest Service (if I remember correctly) accused the D&S of starting, they were required to convert all the steam engines to oil burners to eliminate the cinders. That takes time, so these Alaskan White Pass engines were purchased by the D&S to fill in while that was being completed. A lot of equipment has gone both directions between these lines over the years.
For anyone going on this route there is something else very nearby that is worth checking out. The Escalante Pueblo just to the West of Doloris is the site where some of the the peoples from the NM Chaco Canyon ended up after climate change forced them to follow the drying out river north into Colorado. Quite the viewpoint. Lots of history, distant and closer in this area.
Well I'm glad your wife enjoyed it. It may well have been the same lady at Dolores. She was very passionate about all things RGS.
Yeah, the D&S dodged a bullet with that fire. I know the authorities were pretty heavy on them, and of course they borrowed the Southern Pacific engine for a season while they started work on their own engines.
I've not heard of that place near Durango. I'll have to look next time!
Thank you!
Simon
This is simply brilliant. I’ve often wanted to take this journey but having the time to do western Colorado justice has been difficult to come by. Thanks for this excellent journal of your journey!
I'm so pleased I managed it. I wonder how many non-US citizens have done it, as when visiting and exploring America time is a premium.
I'm glad to share it with you. Thank you!
Hi Simon ... Dr. Ric back to you, long time in coming for Eps. 11. Fully appreciate your effort and know how much involved to put all your filming into a coherent story. I am also keenly interested in the RGSRR, having an Accucraft K27 RGS engine (Mudhen) with sound and a bevy of passenger and freight cars. Your filming emphasized the extensive pathway and engineering involved in establishing the RGSRR line. Nicely done, cudos to you. Looking forward to your Durango episode; interested to see if any changes are recognizeable to me since my last visit to ride the Durango-Silverton line now more than a decade ago. Cheers to you. My best medical advice: Stay young, remain vertical!
Hi Dr Ric.
Thanks so much, appreciated.
Yes, this was actually my fourth visit to the D&S. First was in 1998! I can't say I've noticed significant changes,.... apart from the diesels!
I know that I'd always remembered the Shady Lady Saloon, next to where the trains stop in Silverton from my first visit. I finally managed to go in for lunch and a beer this time.
Cheers!
A few years back a cinder from the Durango and Silverton steam train is believed to have ignited a large wildfire. Needless to say, some changes were implemented to their power units.
Yes, they've had a hard time in recent years. Diesels added, and steam engines changed to oil. We're lucky we still have the railroad at all.
The last time I was in telluride the depot was a brewery and restaurant!
Oh really? Wow. I'd love if it still was. My actual job is brewer so that would have been great!
(This is also why I was so keen to visit Ouray Brewery in my previous video, so I was sad it was closed).
Thanks!
I'm with you, i'd rather see steam power than diesel. I have a truck that runs on that... but you got to see something that i've have not seen. I've lived in Alaska closing in on 56 years and those locomotives as noted above are from the White Pass in Skagway, Alaska. Something after all my years in Alaska i never got to see. Living in Anchorage, its not easy to get to Skagway. But i get it, you came a long ways to see steam.
I'm doing the long drive to Skagway in just over a month with my travel trailer in tow. Hopefully i'll find some of the remenants of the original line which used to go further into Canada. These days the line only goes a short way into Canada and is maintained. Its doubtfull i'll see their steam locomotive in operation. But at least i'll get to ride the narrrowgage line.
But great video! You did a great job tracing the line!
Yeah, I mean the diesels are nice for what they are. It's the to me the soundtrack to the Animas Canyon is steam, with whistles echoing hauntingly through.
Oh well.
I do hope to ride White Pass sometime. As you say, it's quite a trek to get there.
Thank you! I'm really glad you enjoyed the video.
Left so much out....omega tram near Sawpit, Placerville depot in two sections still in Placerville. Where was Vance Junction ? Didnt even show it. That place is an easy drive to get to.
I grew up in Denver and was a Rio Grande fan. So obviously I researched the Rio Grande Southern, but not until the last couple of years, and now I live in Florida. I have always wanted to drive the line and see what was there. So you did it and allowed me to see the whole thing. Plus you added great reference photos. I tried to pause the videos on the info boards, I love reading those. But on video they are too fuzzy to read.s Maybe if you take pictures of them and add them in. Not sure, just wish I could have read them. On the Bauer lake, I would pronounce it just like we did with Bauer Ice Skates. BOW as if the bend at the waist and then "er". It is cool you came all the way from England. When you called Semi's Lauries, I guessed you were from England. I visited there a couple of years for the first time, and Loved London and the Cottswolds. Especially Bourton-on-the'water.
Hi John.
Thank you. I'm glad to take you on the trip.
Baeur Lake; yes, someone else tried explaining how it's most likely pronounced. Thanks for seconding that, - it's helpful!
Yes, Lorries to us are any large freight vehicle. They'd be either a "rigid" where it's one chassis, or an "artic" (articulated) when it's a tractor unit and trailer. I'm pretty trans-Atlantic with my terminology, but I do like to leave in the odd British term as I know someone will pick up on it. 😂 (Someone had quite a go at me on how I pronounced "gondola" once. Haha!)
Nice you visited England. You saw some varied corners there! I'm in the South West, a town called Weston-super-Mare in Somerset.
The information boards, I took photos of most that I saw. UA-cam makes private communication quite difficult, but if you can find me on Facebook ("That BIG TRAIN Guy", same name as my channel), message me and I'll send you what photos I have.
Thanks
Simon
If UA-cam allows this to be seen, try contacting me at:
thatbigtrainguy 'at' hotmail dot com
Awesome video and adventure! RE: Telluride: based on comparison with historical photos, it would appear that the Telluride depot has also been relocated, or the course of the river has been changed. The new raised concrete foundation and timbers are a giveaway.
Hello! Thank you so much!
Yes, I seen nothing to say the building has been moved, but the river has been altered. On the map, it shows where the river has changed a little before the depot but not up next to it. But, the map is an ongoing project by the contributors. So, something has been altered slightly since back in the day, one way or another.
Thank you!
Simon
Loving this trip so much! Scenery is absolutely amazing! Mind you the trees can be annoying... bane of my life when filming! Oh gosh just imagine seeing steam trains in that valley by Ophir! Would love to see the old trestle bridges still in situ - thank you for sharing the old images - absolutely fascinating stuff! I'm about halfway through the vid now so will watch the rest over the next few days. I've said it before but I'll say it again... EPIC!
(I shall look forward to that Twix when you come visit the Ffestiniog ;) )
Ohhhh trees. You'll see I have a worse case of trees later on. 🤦🏻♂️
It's such beautiful scenery, which is a huge part of what made this little railroad story so legendary. I was just in awe when I was there.
Ha! OK, that's another added to my Twix List 😂
@@ThatBIGTRAINGuy finally finished the vid! Aww I can imagine it was super emotional to have done it - massive amount of research and effort. It's a dream come true thing isn't it? Fabulous stuff!
Other comments.... amazing to see that Trout Lake water tower still in situ. And then that trestle bridge! 😍 I'd be the same as you with wanting a photo with the bridge... do love a trestle bridge! I firmly blame that Around the World with Willy Fog cartoon! 😄 And yup, see your point about the tree problem!
Really wonderful video Simon - loving this series! Am I wrong to assume there'll be another video coming of your trip on the train? 🤔
@@BecsterDotCom Brilliant. Yes, this was really special.
Yep! Ep.12 is riding the Durango & Silverton,... with steam. Not only that; it's DOUBLE steam!!! 😁
Thanks Becs 😊
@@ThatBIGTRAINGuy Ooo fab! Look forward to that one!
I discovered the RGS in 1968 through Lucius Beebe's "Narrow Gauge in the Rockies." In 1971, I headed west with a friend in my 1954 CJ3B Jeep. We forded the San Miguel River near Ames, working up to the roadbed. Walking past the Ames water tank, we left the jeep and walked south. Light rain was falling when the Ames trestle, bridge 43A appeared before us. There were no rails or ties, only the stringer timbers holding the bents together. I walked, one foot in front of the other, from one end to the other and back, not contemplating the danger. My friend wisely held back. But I have the memory of that day, lo these 53 years later. The Lord takes care of children and fools!
Wow, what an amazing thing to do! Walking on a wet wooded trestle is risky, but I think I'd have done the same.
I'd never come across Beebe & Clegg before I visited the Colorado Railroad Museum. They're really keen on what they did and their story in there, and I was shown lots about them. Interesting!
Thanks for sharing that, Mark.
Simon.
Fun fact the Knotts berry farm engines #340 and #41 are both from the Rio Grande Southern dame with the galloping goose.
Yep! Cool huh?
That Goose at Knotts is the only one out of the seven I haven't seen. I'll have to do California next time 😉
Great videos of your journey ! I have a H O scale Rico Station.Had no idea it was based on a prototype in Colorado . And I don’t live that faraway in New Mexico shame on me ! 😂
Oh really? Haha! Well now you know.
Thank you!
@ 33:37: Did you mean a truck with smoke pouring out from under its hood? I love language!
Haha!
Hood = Bonnet.
It's tricky for me with all my videos. I'm British with an interest in American stuff. My audience is both. So often I have to say words for both side of the Atlantic.
Hood = Bonnet
Tie = Sleeper
Truck = Boogie
Trolly = Tram
Cart = Trolly
Car = Wagon
Boxcar = Box van
Gondola = Cable car / Open wagon
Engineer = Driver
Traffic circle = Roundabout
Intersection = Junction
...the list goes on 🤣
Name of spoke used for narrow gauge railroads
Name of type some to build narrow gauge railroad.
The name is a Jeffery Spike. Narrow gauge railroads were so economical that they would reuse their railroad spikes. They are getting scarce.
@@kenshores9900 Ah yes! Interesting pieces. I actually have one. A friend sent me one, along with a regular spike he'd picked up from the Chili Line,
It's a shame the Rico depot is no more as it has to be the most modeled depot in HO. The easy to build plastic model kit of the depot has to have been the starting point of many a kit bashed train depot. I think that at one time or another every model railroader in the US has built that model and had it on their layout.
Yeah, it is a shame. It's not like the space is needed for something else, it would sit quite happily there still. I don't know the story of it's deterioration/demolition.
@ 46:37: Pronounced "BAW-er" in Amerikaanish.
Ha!!! Thank you.
Usually I'm pretty good, but this one had me stumped.
Thank you.
@@ThatBIGTRAINGuy It's actually German for "farmer". But we should really defer to your pronunciation since it is ENGLISH after all! BTW - Great stuff on the RGS, especially your map overlay of the actual railroad grade location.
Well... I had to pause at the joke at 16:40... Ugh... LOL....
Haha!!! At last, someone laughed at my joke! 🤣
I enjoyed your video, but not your appearance.
I am glad for anyone to enjoy my videos. However, I'm sad for whatever has happened to you to damage your self esteem to the point of completely needlessly commenting negativity. I hope something happens to make a better you.
Come back then when that's happened.
Have a better one. 👍