Well fellas, I really ought to start a new thread with this one, but I won't. I'll just answer as well as I remember the situation.
First off, the 71 was put on display by the C&S at the request of the City of Central and the Central City Opera House Association. When the locomotive and cars were put on display, the agreement was a triparte agreement, basically 1/3 being that of the Opera House Association, 1/3 being the City of Central and 1/3 being the Colorado and Southern Railway. How do I know this? Simple. At the time I was attending the University of Denver and a copy of the agreement, plus the land that the CCOHA owned was on file at the DU library. The Central City Opera House Association was a part of the University of Denver and all of the agreements and Real Estate were on file in the Library.
When The Ashbys were operating the line in Central City, I was told by them that they had inquired with the C&S as to whether the 71 could be restored to operation. The C&S replied that if the 71 was restored to operate, they would scrap it on the spot. This had something to do with the back boiler taxes that they would have to pay going back from 1970 to 1941.
About 5 years later, when the Loop got under way, the Colorado Historical Society purchased the Central City Opera House Associations (aka DU) 1/3 interest in the 71. Mistakenly thinking (much benefit of the doubt given here) that they were the sole owners of C&S 71, the CHS sent a flatbed up to Central City to remove the 71 to the Loop. I have no information on how involved the Ashby's were in this move, but Lindsey knew about the 3-way arrangement years before the deed was attempted.
With this move Central City went ballistic. They prevented the tender from being removed to the Loop, although the locomotive all ready was. The City of Central took the CHS to court and prevailed, not only exercising their 1/3 ownership, but rights of adverse posession and every other thing that they could think of. The leader of this crusade was a local artist by the name of Angelo DiBenidetto. The ironic part of this being that Angelo was one of the most voiciferous opponents of the Colorado Central Narrow Gauge when the rails were first being relaid toward Black Hawk in 1969. One of the Local Papers, the Little Kingdom Come decried in the Headlines about the "Great Train Robbery". Yup, somebody tried to steal the train itself. That's how the locals saw it.
After the smoke cleared, ownership of the display equipment ended up in the hands of the Gilpin County Historical Society. The Ashbys ripped up their tracks with the exception of about three rail lengths that contained the 71, the Gondola and the combine No. 20. They even had John Bush and Fred Oster give the equipment a new paint job as a parting gift to Central City.
No, Mr. Dowty, the rail that the second operation ran on did not belong to the Ashby's. The Ashby's rail and ties were long gone by that time. So let's kill that myth right now. I remember going up there one time and the right-of-way was bare. A guy walked up what was once a busy platform (the Ashbys had left their bulding improvements there), looked at me and said "What happened to the train?". "They Scrapped it", I replied. "Why" he countered. I answered "Not enough Freight".
Then the saddest part of the tale begins. A former employee of the Ashby's, a Mr. Court Hammond (nee Karmen) came along and, with all of the bravado of an old time snake oil salesman, convinced the residents of Central City that he, with their Locomotive and cars, could revive the railroad and attain the dream to rebuild the switchback. By that time the C&S as part of the BN (post 1981) and the BN was eager to get rid of a liability like the 71.
He enlisted the aid of a legitimate Railroader, Floyd Cothran, to rebuild the 71 and get her into operating condition. They did this under a tarp erected to keep the snow off of them during the restoration process. The line was relaid in a most haphazard manner as far as ties, rails, spikes were concerned. Rail weights were not matched and compromise joints were not used. As Bette Davis said "It's gonna be a bumpy night". Bumpy it was. There were individuals from the Boulder Model Railroad Club, a fine organization who would actually volunteer to do trackwork in return for train rides, who tried to convince Mr. Hammond to allow them to straighten things out, but they were refused.
Mr. Hammond was allowed to operate the 71 for six months Maximum owing to the fact that there were minimal or no hub liners on the #4 axles of the 71. He stretched the 6 months into about 10. During this time he wore a groove into the firebox end of the 71 that will necessitate the rebuilding of the 71's outer boiler wrapper on the firebox end before it it cleared for any service again.
The Company, naturally, failed. Those residents who had rented easments to the Second incarnation of the Railroad lost whatever monies that they were promised or that thought they would get. The Gilpin County Historical Society basically reposessed the equipment for non-payment of the agreed to lease.
With the failure of the Hammond Company, the 71 and its two attendant cars were moved across the valley to the Coeur d'Alene mine site. It stayed there for a number of years. It was the subject of a headlight theft, vandalism, etc. etc. The locomotive was mounted on its current display track when the casino, then "Harvey's Wagon Wheel" was built and provided a place for its display. There it rests. The display stand was only built long enough for the 71 and combine No. 20. The Gondola which was part of this set is now in a park at the head of Eureka Street, alone and forlorn.
As for the C&S 60, it has always been a mystery to me as to why it was never chosen to run or to be restored.
I have never checked out the rumors that the crownsheet was rippled by burning tires in the firebox to make smoke during a "Steam Up". Perhaps there is a major mechanical condition that I am unaware of that would prevent it from operating.
Why do I question this? Because the 60 was given to Clear Creek County in Lieu of Back taxes. The County owns the locomotive, there is no display agreement that I have found with 1/2 ownership belonging to the C&S. Also, to save those of you from running to a map, the Georgetown Loop in located in Clear Creek County. What City is the County Seat of Clear Creek COunty? Why Georgetown, of course....
So there you have it, my discourse on the 71 as honestly as I can remember it. But... I was at one time an employee of the Ashbys and I still think very highly of them. This immediately makes me suspect by anyone involved with the State Historical Society of Colorado, or the Colorado Historical Society or whatever they are calling themselves now...
Rick Steele
Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 12/05/2010 10:28PM by Rick Steele.
