Colorado Midland Railway Engineering Report

[Dave V]

The first train arrives Aspen under its own power...

[Dave V]

[Dave V]

I came across this product called "id Backscenes" (http://www.howardscenicsupplies.co.uk/categories/Backscenes/ID-Backscenes/) at Caboose Hobbies today.

They're self-adhesive, but I have them temporarily installed using rolled painter's tape.  There's also a visible seam that will need to be trimmed when final installation happens.





The gentleman at Caboose said that the mountains in the photo are actually the Alps (although the product is labeled "Rockies") but they look a little bit like the Seven Castles formation on the Colorado Midland mainline east of Basalt (which is the lower of the two depots on my layout).  There are also a smattering of yellow trees on the backdrop that will look right with the aspen trees I plan to make.

By the way, @Ed Kapuscinski and @davefoxx, that's lightweight spackle in the front corner!

[Dave V]

Did some work on the Midland, primarily equipment.  2-8-0 #50 was binding, so I completely disassembled, lubricated, and reassembled her and now she runs like a fine watch.  I also weathered some rolling stock:

[Dave V]

Let me first start by saying I am not a fan of what Google did to Picasa.  In the meantime, on Sunday I got to do some field research along the Colorado Midland right-of-way on the side of Midland Hill above the town of Buena Vista, CO.

North of Buena Vista we drove the Midland tunnels, first heading northbound toward Leadville.  There are four of them in the space of much less than a mile.  These are rock shoulders that stick out from the mountain to the east.  The Denver & Rio Grande narrow gauge took the land between the Arkansas River and the rock shoulders first, so the Midland was forced to tunnel.  Very model-railroady!





You can see what would have been the fifth tunnel, but the rock was not stable enough:



Turning around and heading back toward Buena Vista:





The former D&RGW Tennessee Pass line is still in place, albeit railbanked by UP for almost two decades.

[Dave V]

We then hiked across the Arkansas River up Midland Hill to the site of the former Hop Gulch trestle and the Buena Vista CMRy depot.

There's a marker showing the Hop Gulch trestle:



For comparison, here's my model of the same:



The trail markers even pay homage to the Midland:



Here's the view halfway between the town of Buena Vista and the Midland grade looking west toward the 14,000' peaks of the Collegiate Range.



Here's a look at the textures I'm trying to reproduce along the Midland right-of-way:



Looking south toward Trout Creek Pass on the Midland grade on Midland Hill.



Looking north toward Leadville on the Midland grade.

[C855B]

Let me first start by saying I am not a fan of what Google did to Picasa. ...

As you shouldn't be. Pics not visible.

[Dave V]

There was quite a bit of cinder still along the ROW.  It's amazing to think that it came from Colorado Midland steam locomotives a hundred years before.  I brought a little home with me!



More of the view along the right of way looking west-southwest toward Buena Vista and the Collegiate Peaks.



ROW soil color and texture...  Note patches of cinder along the shoulder:



We hiked to the south abutment of the Hop Gulch trestle.  Here's the marker that's there:



Looking across Hop Gulch.  Note the stone footings which I tried to replicate on the model.  Also note the timbers...those were added to reinforce the bridge in 1907.  I model 1905.

[Dave V]

As you shouldn't be. Pics not visible.

Try now.

[Dave V]

One last shot of the westward view from the site of Hop Gulch Trestle:



More detail of the bridge footings.



Site of the former CMRy Buena Vista depot looking south



A railroad tie marker.  Might be from the Midland, although the Midland didn't start using tie plates until the very end of its life:



Cinder pile beneath the depot site:



More history:



The former Colorado Midland ticket office in Buena Vista is now (in true Colorado form) a pot shop:



Lastly, Buena Vista has restored its former Denver, South Park & Pacific RR depot, and next to it is parked a former CB&Q caboose lettered for the Colorado Midland.

[eric220]

Try now.

Nope

[C855B]

Try now.

Also nope. Did you by chance follow the latest developments in this thread? There's now some sort of special magic to getting ex-Picasa albums to show externally.

[Dave V]

Alright, I'm going to go back and link to the public Facebook photos I put on my Colorado Midland Facebook page.  I know that means the photos will not be visible after a while, but they will be for a little while at least.

[GaryHinshaw]

Many of us suffered the same fate this weekend, and yes it does suck!

If you reconsider, the solution is pretty simple though, and it does get you back to Picasa-like functionality pretty quickly.  Create a brand new shared album, and make sure that under "sharing options" you set "anyone with link can see photos", then link your photos to that album.  Once they are in that album, right click on the image, copy it's address and paste in here between the usual img tags. 

Based on the captions, it's a tantalizing collection of photos!

[Dave V]

Many of us suffered the same fate this weekend, and yes it does suck!

If you reconsider, the solution is pretty simple though, and it does get you back to Picasa-like functionality pretty quickly.  Create a brand new shared album, and make sure that under "sharing options" you set "anyone with link can see photos", then link your photos to that album.  Once they are in that album, right click on the image, copy it's address and paste in here between the usual img tags. 

Based on the captions, it's a tantalizing collection of photos!

I'll have to do that in the future.  For now you should be able to see the public Facebook photos embedded.