The service was just sort of stopped quietly to avoid abandonment proceedings. The Alpine Tunnel line was a money pit.
The deal after that was that the C&S took over the D&RG's Blue River Branch while the D&RG took over the trips up to Pitkin from Gunnison.
Since a few in the thread have stated general questions about the tunnel, here are a few details about it:
IIRC, the new turntable at the summit was never completed. It was built after the engine house burned (1906), but the one in the engine house was not needed and so the new one was never completed.
The reason that Alpine Tunnel had so much trouble with cave ins was that it wasn't constructed through solid rock, but rather through debris. By the time the geologists were called in, it was too late to pick another site. That's why much of the tunnel was lined with redwood timbers.
The major operational difficulties, aside from snow on the approach tracks, were the high elevation and the steep grades in the tunnel. The crews would have to run the triple and quadruple headed 2-8-0s quite hard to reach the summit, and then hit the brakes once they passed the red lantern. A damp handkerchief was essential gear for a trip through the tunnel. For the first year or so of the tunnel's life, the trains were equipped with Eames Vacuum Brakes. Then Westinghouse automatic air brakes were installed. Alpine Tunnel was the only tunnel anywhere in the C&S system.
Basic DSP&P/C&Sng timeline:
Colorado Central, Golden - Black Hawk via Forks Creek 1873?
DSP&P, Denver - Morrison 1874
Colorado Central, Black Hawk - Central City 1878
Colorado Central, Forks Creek - Georgetown 1879?
DSP&P, Denver - Como 1879
Jay Gould takes control of the DSP&P, 1879
DSP&P, Como - Buena Vista 1880 (had joint operating agreement with D&RG to reach Leadville)
DSP&P, Buena Vista - Gunnison 1882
Colorado Central, Georgetown - Graymont 1884
DSP&P, Como - Leadville 1884 (end joint operating agreement, financial troubles begin thanks to UP's mismanagement)
1885 general renumbering...all locomotives lose their colorful paint for black and receive large numbers on their tenders. Freight cars receive the unique D. South Park lettering...Colorado Central cars have full name spelled out instead of CCRR.
1889, DSP&P becomes DL&G.
1890, CC merged into UPD&G
1893, DL&G and UPD&G free of UP, under control of Frank Trumbull
1898, DL&G and UPD&G become C&S.
1906, passenger cars and waycars renumbered
1908, CB&Q acquires C&S for the standard gauge lines.
1910, Alpine Tunnel service ceases. The ng is slowly dismantled over the next 33 years ending with the Climax operation converted to Std gauge in 1943.
I have been slowly building up a fleet of DSP&P cars in On3 for a future GUnnison to Hancock (or whatever I have space for) layout set in 1884. I hope to also have 1:48 scale people based on Curly Cooligan, Charles Squires, and Conductor Land.
Michael
