Leadville, Colorado & Southern - Part 2

From my RailImages Album

 

Thanks for sharing Darren, nice paint scheme, the logo reminds me a bit of one of the ones from Railroad Tycoon 3.

 

Thanks. Here is another angle that shows the logo better.

 

Nope, this is very much operational as a tourist train operating in Leadville. The steam engine I showed earlier is in the parking lot where you catch the train for a day trip.

Just one of many train trips you can take here in my home state of Colorado!!!!!!!

 

The pistons on the brake cylinders are extended out. I don't think they would be that way if the locomotive were on static display.

http://www.leadville-train.com/

My initial guess is that this unit is an ex BN GP-9. The "Stratolite" beacon on the roof is one type that was used by BN. Could it be ex NP 241, nee BN 1714 built in August of 1955? It also has a huge snow plow reminiscent of the BN 6223 (ex C&S 828). The SD-9 assigned to the "Leadville-Climax Branch". But this is just a guess!

[ 26. March 2004, 05:30: Message edited by: doofus ]

 

For those that might not know, the trackage operated by the LC&S was part of the Colorado & Southern's narrow gauge mainline from Denver to Leadville. The C&S, later the BN, converted the 13 or so miles from Leadville to the "moly b" mine at Climax, and ran freight on it until the early 1980's when the mine closed.

The current owners took over in the mid-1980's, and for power they have two ex-BN GP-9's. I don't have the specific heritage of this unit in front of me, but something tells me that it was originally a Northern Pacific unit.

When the LC&S took over they bought the locomotives and the rolling stock in the same deal, and the D&RGW brought the entire rolling stock of the new road into Leadville in a single freight.

The LC&S has always been strictly a tourist hauler, but a few years ago it almost became a freight road when the Climax mine was set to re-open. However, just before the mine was to resume operations mineral prices plunged and the mine stayed closed. Shortly after that the D&RGW branch into Leadville was scrapped, leaving the LC&S isolated.

JDLX
Elko, NV