Does anyone have a date handy, for when the Cadillac & Lake City stopped operating the ex-RI Colorado and Kansas lines? And when Kyle took over? Same date? Or different? Boxcab E50
I think it was the same date. Here's all I could find. In 1980 after a bankruptcy and foreclosure, the Rock Island was sold in portions. The portion from Limon east to Colby was operated by the Cadillac and Lake City until 1984 when the Kyle Railroad took over operations. (Kyle Railroad's Fifth Subdivision).
IIRC, the Cadillac & Lake City ran between Limon and Colorado Springs. Sadly, the track is gone from Limon west, the ROW returned to prairie. Kyle, on the other hand, is still very much alive from Limon east. I'm sure there's more to the story on the CLK being gone, but for the life of me I can't remember. Perhaps some "Rockhead" can offer more info.
I'd like to find that date for my notes. Hope someone will have it. Am sitting here wondering- If still intact, would that line be viable today? A route for container traffic? Coal? Boxcab E50
I've done a little research on Colorado Springs from a layout-planning perspective, I'm not sure it would be viable as a through route to anywhere, when it was built there was a line across the Rockies from Colorado Springs, but anything now would have to go to Denver or Pueblo (if the line there was re-opened) and head West. By the time the Rock Island went away, most of the traffic seems to have been running to Denver via the rights on UP from Limon CO, rather than to Colorado Springs. I'd planned to justify Kyle running to CS in our modern period running sessions, to hand over unit grain trains to the Santa Fe for the west coast, it would come in with a set of ex-BN U30C's, and leave southbound with Santa Fe power.
