Re:C&S Tie length

Rick, et al,
My information based on:
C&S Ry Tie and Timber Specifications
Compiled in the Chief Engineer's Office
Denver, Colorado. July 1st, 1913
This calls out for a tie in either Red Spruce or Yellow pine.
The minimum dimensions are 6" x 6" x 6 1/2'
Treated ties have a different dimension, that being:
8" x 6" x 6 1/2'
Thesea re Common Standard Specification No. C.S.6.
Adopted January 22, 1912.
Original is Hol Wagner's collection.
The DSP&P in a published "Call for bid" in a Denver paper called for 8" x 7' ties. These would have been the rounded ties with the tapered ends that were used early on. This bid was for original construction on the Platte Canyon line.
As an aside, the Colorado and North-Western / Denver, Boulder and Western also used 6'6" ties on their railroad. This was also for original construction and not because of any perceived deferred maintenance on the roadbed.
It's just the old "different strokes". I also would like to believe that is was because John Evans, when building the South Park, opted to use a higher grade of construction techniques than William J. Palmer. This is why the South Park generally lost any race to any disputed town in joint South Park/Rio Grande areas. Goes to show that more expensive wass not necessarily better, especially in the early days of the Freight and Passenger business. It seems that the successful building technique was to slapdash the line together and then go back and fix it up when it started paying for itself.
Rick Steele