Telluride & Lizard Head RR? (daydream shattering ahead)
| October 26, 2010 12:27PM |
jhp43hot Wrote:
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> Hank, this one is labeled by the National Historic
> Register and I think it is the last one standing.
Yes, it is the last RGS trestle, over the Lake Fork above Trout Lake. Of course even when I was living in Colorado in the 80's, people have this interesting tendency to rename streams and other such things. Rivers become creeks etc, etc.
> By any chance could we start the Lizard Head Ophir
> and Telluride Short Line?
Sure, if you have several million to spend! Leaving out predictable opposition by people who think the grades best use is as a the road/trail it is currently and those who hate smelly trains, just consider the cost of replacing the bridges! Ignoring the little ones, and just going off the top of my head I count at least 11 major ones (2 on the Telluride branch near mp 42, one at Anderson where the branch crossed the river, Ames, Butterfly, 2 at Ophir, and lets say 4 large ones on the High Line)(+ the lake Fork bridge, since it's listed might have to do a relocation to avoid it...) Now I have no idea how many millions of board feet that comes to, or the cost involved, so lets just assume an average of $3 mil apiece. That comes to $33 million. Now, assuming the Co hwy dept will cheerfully allow us to relocate parts of hwy 145 at Ophir & pay for it themselves, lets assume $1 million/mile for grading, track and purchase of land (where it's in private hands)(oh, and we'll need to deal with providing access to private cabins around Trout Lake & build them a new water supply since at least some of them are using the tank there). That's another $22 million (aprox). So now we need equipment, well we could purchase and rebuild 493 & 498 then get some cars built, say $10 million or so. Almost there, just need to build or repair some tanks/coal docks/depots, etc. Call it $5 million. So, all told a mere $70 million.
Of course, I lowballed the estimates and lived in fantasy land on several thorny questions. I'd guess at least $100-125 million would be more realistic. And then you need a big enough reserve to keep it running until you get enough tourist traffic to start paying the bills, say 5 years to forever?
I day dream about this stuff too, but anytime I try to put numbers on it, well, reality sucks.
sorry,
hank
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> Hank, this one is labeled by the National Historic
> Register and I think it is the last one standing.
Yes, it is the last RGS trestle, over the Lake Fork above Trout Lake. Of course even when I was living in Colorado in the 80's, people have this interesting tendency to rename streams and other such things. Rivers become creeks etc, etc.
> By any chance could we start the Lizard Head Ophir
> and Telluride Short Line?
Sure, if you have several million to spend! Leaving out predictable opposition by people who think the grades best use is as a the road/trail it is currently and those who hate smelly trains, just consider the cost of replacing the bridges! Ignoring the little ones, and just going off the top of my head I count at least 11 major ones (2 on the Telluride branch near mp 42, one at Anderson where the branch crossed the river, Ames, Butterfly, 2 at Ophir, and lets say 4 large ones on the High Line)(+ the lake Fork bridge, since it's listed might have to do a relocation to avoid it...) Now I have no idea how many millions of board feet that comes to, or the cost involved, so lets just assume an average of $3 mil apiece. That comes to $33 million. Now, assuming the Co hwy dept will cheerfully allow us to relocate parts of hwy 145 at Ophir & pay for it themselves, lets assume $1 million/mile for grading, track and purchase of land (where it's in private hands)(oh, and we'll need to deal with providing access to private cabins around Trout Lake & build them a new water supply since at least some of them are using the tank there). That's another $22 million (aprox). So now we need equipment, well we could purchase and rebuild 493 & 498 then get some cars built, say $10 million or so. Almost there, just need to build or repair some tanks/coal docks/depots, etc. Call it $5 million. So, all told a mere $70 million.
Of course, I lowballed the estimates and lived in fantasy land on several thorny questions. I'd guess at least $100-125 million would be more realistic. And then you need a big enough reserve to keep it running until you get enough tourist traffic to start paying the bills, say 5 years to forever?
I day dream about this stuff too, but anytime I try to put numbers on it, well, reality sucks.
sorry,
hank
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488 stops for water at Los Pinos tank on closing day Oct. 1979. Photo courtesy Don Richter
The NGDF was started by Don Richter and is currently operated in his memory by Nathan Holmes and others. Others who have contributed to the upkeep of this board are (in no particular order): Charles McCandless, Everett Lueck, Ted Wilton, Cole Adams, James Bane, John Moellmer, Jon Bentz, Linn Moedinger, lloyd lehrer, Rod Jensen, John Craft, Steven Forney, Herb Kelsey, Bill Ramaley, Russ Sperry (El Russo Loco), Josh McNeal, John West, Jim Armstrong, Bob Bergstrom, Greg Scholl, Blake Forbes Doug van Veelen and Mark Fuller.