LOCATED IN THE RIDGWAY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE VISITOR CENTER HWYS 550 & 62, PO Box 588, Ridgway, CO 81432 www.ridgwayrailroadmuseum.org November 2015 All articles in this newsletter with a listed author are copyrighted either by the author or by the Ridgway Railroad Museum. The Museum Board must grant permission before any reprinting or electronic transmission of these articles that have an author s byline. The Museum welcomes the reproduction of any subject matter that relates to the Museum s activities or events. Dear Friends, President s Message I am getting tired of telling you we have projects x, y, and z almost done, but that is where we are. We have not yet finalized our lease agreement with the town or the agreement with Ridgway Area Chamber of Commerce. We are still working on a new insurance agreement. I hope to have some of this stuff completed by my next report. We are closing the indoor portion of the museum for the winter on Friday. We are still about $100,000 short on fundraising for the Train Shed. We had a small electrical fire outside the SE corner of the building. Fortunately the Visitor Center volunteer saw the smoke, called 911 and doused the fire. There was very little damage and we arranging to repair it. We have tried 3 different tools for driving spikes on the new RGS36 track, but not much success so far. We can get a large air compressor, but have not found a suitable spike driver. We are planning a winter trip on the D&S as a fundraiser. More info to follow. Last minute I found out we completed our Train Sheet project. Jim P got a grant and we had a local shop scan all of our 1100 or so RGS Train Sheets. With some having info on the back, it came out at 1465 total scans. I hope to get them available on our web site. It is a very good research tool. Progress on RGS 36 per John Braun: The tender tank has most of its rivets in. Have been welding on it when the rain would abate. Going to flip it over tomorrow for another side. Got our big lathe set up for some of the larger parts. We finished the crosshead guide bars, are a 1
few hours away from finished shoes and wedges, will have the crankpins done by Friday, boring the crown brass tonight, machined the pilot lamp sockets, handrail stations and have the material for the pistons, front and rear cylinder heads which we will start machining next. Cut up the steel for the front frame piece and the lead truck frames. The boiler front tube sheet is complete. The main air tank is welded. Started working on the rear tube sheet holes. Well back to boring the crown brasses. Karl Museum Musings By Don Paulson 1. If you have not yet paid your 2016 dues this would be a great time to do it. You can send us a check for $20 or more to PO Box 588, Ridgeway, CO 81432 or pay via Paypal on our web site: www.ridgwayrailroadmuseum.org. As most of you know there will be an accurate, full scale, working replica of RGS Engine 36 delivered to Ridgway in the summer of 2017. Next summer we plan to build a train shed to cover the display track and the operational track for the steam engine. It is estimated that this will cost $150,000. We have raised so far about $40,000 but we still have a long way to go. Please consider an extra gift to go to the train shed. Also, any Lifetime Memberships ($1,000 or more) between now and next summer will go to the train shed construction. Thanks 2. This month I m back to the Dr. Chione photos. The first photo shows Engine 456. Note the brakeman decorating the tops. Second photo shows what might be the Butterfly Trestle, Bridge No. 44A. The third photo shows RGS stock car 7301, one of the 45 stock cars Victor Miller bought from the C&S in 1938. The fourth photo shows an RGS freight crossing one of the many small trestles on the RGS. 2
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3. Collecting bills was always a problem for the RGS. 5
4. D&RG timetable to Ouray from the July 11, 1890 Solid Muldoon newspaper. 5. Total RGS locomotive mileages for Jan 1 to June 20, 1916. 6
6. Individual RGS locomotive mileages for Jan 1 to May 27, 1927. 7
7. Maintenance of old worn out engines was always a problem. 8
8. List of money paid to the D&RGW for supplied services for February 1933. 9. Thanks to Jim Ehrenberger for forwarding the following newspaper articles republished in the Silverton Standard. July 24, 1880, Dolores News: LABORERS WANTED - 1,000 men to work on the construction of the Denver and Rio Grande railway from Alamosa to Silverton and from Conejos to Albuquerque. Apply for further information to J. A. McMurtrie, chief engineer, General Manager, Denver, or to the undersigned. R. F. Wietbrec, Treasurer, Colorado Springs. 9
July 3, 1915, Silverton Standard: SEVERAL INJURED AS TRAIN CAPSIZES ON MANCOS GRADE At about 11 O clock in the forenoon of Friday last week, the Durango Passenger train, while gliding down the Mancos grade about six miles east of Mancos, left the track and the entire train excepting the engine and tender, capsized in the ditch. The train carried about twenty-five passengers, several of who were quite seriously injured but not fatally. June 27, 1896, Silverton Standard: RAILROAD BRINGS NEW LIFE TO HOWARDSVILLE The little town of Howardsville is showing signs of activity. Several houses and a number of tents have been put up. The side track is filled with cars and loading ore is now going on. The upper part of the country is already feeling the effects of the new road [Silverton Northern Railroad]. June 23, 1900, Silverton Standard: RAIL TO BE EXTENDED TO ANIMAS FORKS. Ties and rails were shipped to Eureka the past week for the purpose of extending the Silverton Northern Railway to the Tom Moore Mill, a distance of two miles. The road will probably be extended to Animas Forks this summer to transport ore from the many mines in that district to the new smelter at this place [Silverton]. RGS Logo Hats The Museum now sells RGS logo hats (made in America) for $20 at the museum or $25 postpaid. You can order one by sending a check for $25 to the museum or by making a Paypal payment of $25 (be sure and include Hat in the message line). 10
2016 ANNUAL DUES SCHEDULE INDIVIDUAL $20 FAMILY $40 SILVER $100 GOLD $200 PLATINUM $300 LIFE MEMBER $1,000 (one-time donation) BUSINESS $100 Dues paid between July 1, 2014 and June 30, 2015 will be for the year 2015. Dues paid between July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016 will be for the year 2016. You may now pay your dues or make a cash donation to the Museum using Pay Pal. See the Museum website at www.ridgwayrailroadmuseum.org for details. Information is found on the membership page of the website. Newsletter Archive Now Available on CD The Ridgway Railroad Museum is now selling a CD containing pdf files of all of the monthly Museum Newsletters from April 2001 through December 2010 (117 separate newsletters). Here is your chance to get all of the great stories that have been printed in our newsletters over the past decade. You can buy the CDs at the Museum for $25 each or you can order them via our PayPal account at $30 each, which includes shipping. If you order them using PayPal, please be sure and indicate that the payment is for the Newsletter CD. See Membership on the Museum s website for details on how to order by PayPal. MONTHLY NEWSLETTERS AND COMMENTS Each months Museum Newsletter is now available to museum members as a pdf file by e- mail only. For past newsletters please see above. If you have a question or comment, contact Don Paulson, PO Box 1168, Ouray, CO 81427 (970-325-0931), drpaulson@ouraynet.com Please use Museum in the subject box. RIDGWAY RAILROAD MUSEUM WISH LIST FOR 2014 400 feet of 30# rail with joint bars and bolts and 4 spikes, $2,500 for operating insurance for Motor #1, Brake shoes for narrow gauge cars, a Mears silver filigree pass, Re-railing Frogs, more painters and carpenters, Mannequin to use in Motor No 1, 1880 s Era Cook Stove for business car C, A pair of D&RG narrow gauge passenger trucks or parts and 30 wheels for business car C, Narrow gauge flat car for display of our RD-4 Caterpillar dozer, Wanted: Authors of short history articles many subjects available. 11
Please Support our Business Members: ANDERSON & ASSOCIATE ARCHITECTS, INC. THE ASPEN MODELING COMPANY 11855 Craig View Dr., St. Louis, MO 63146 www.theaspenmodelingcompany.com BUFFALO MACHINE WORKS Box 187 18073 Jeffco Hwy 126, Buffalo Creek, CO 80425 http://www.buffalomachineworks.com CHAMA STEAM EXCURSIONS http://www.chamasteam.com/chamasteam/excursions-current.html 675 Terrace, PO Box 291, Chama, NM 87520 CITIZEN S STATE BANK 600 Main St. Ouray, Co 81427 970-325-4478 COLORADO RAILROAD MUSEUM Golden, Colorado 1-800-365-6263 www.crrm.org THE COLORADO TIME-TABLE Box 1035, Chama, NM 87520 FUN AND GAMES (scale figures) Allen Pollock, PO Box 243, Jefferson City, MO 65102 573-635-6163 ext. 216 www.scalefigures.com GALLOPING GOOSE HISTORICAL SOCIETY 421 Railroad Ave., Dolores, CO 81323 www.gallopinggoose5.com HIGH COUNTRY MFG, INC. 103 N. 4 th St., Montrose, CO 81401 970-252-8755 email: hcm@montrose.net MOUNTAINS AND PLAINS INSTITUTE 430 Peterson St., Ft Collins, CO 80524 McKENZIE BROTHERS TIMBER CO 118 Suisun Ct, Vacaville, CA 95688 H-707-447-7386 Cell-707-689-7579 email: captmacrgs40@yahoo.com www.railwayeng.com/mckenziebrostimberco/index.htm THE PARLOR CAR BED & BREAKFAST 12
311 Terrace Ave., Box 967 Chama, NM 87520 (888) 849-7800 www.parlorcar.com PHILLIP NILSSON PHOTOGRAPHY 970-759-9833 Phillipdana2@msn.com POCO LOCO MGT. LLC POB 409 Erie, CO 80516 SALIDA ROUNDHOUSE MODEL TRAINS 249 W.US 50, Salida, CO 81201 719-530-1496 RoundBell@aol.com SOUTHWEST SPIRIT ANTIQUES & APPRAISALS 631 Sherman St., Ridgway, CO81432 970-626-5629 www.southwestspiritantiques.com 13