Nostalgia & History > What N. Colorado narrow gauge ROW did I see?

Today drove from Laramie Wy to Steamboat Springs. From the Wy/Co state line on
CO road 125 to Cowdrey Co we followed an old narrow gauge right-of-way. Anyone
Possibly have a history of this line? Seems to be a very remote place to build a rr.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/27/14 19:56 by WrongWayMurphy.

I did a search on the Denver Public Library website for Railroad Cowdrey and got picture 1.

Picture 1, “Call Number: OP-12456. Title: LNP&W train, engine number 8, engine type 2-8-2. Title-Alternative: Other title: Laramie, North Park & Western train, engine number 8, engine type 2-8-2. Creator(s): Perry, Otto, 1894-1970. Summary: Train #1, mixed train; 5 MPH. Photographed: near Cowdrey, Colo., September 7, 1942. Date: 1942. Physical Description: 1 photonegative ; 9 x 14 cm.; 1 photoprint : silver gelatin, b&w ; 9 x 14 cm. Is Part Of Otto C. Perry memorial collection of railroad photographs.”

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It was a Union Pacific branch that came out of Wyoming.

Here's a shot I posted back on 2/10/14 taken on what is likely the line you saw.

Photo was taken by Jim Sandrin on 3/18/78 he wrote on the mount "UP x-163East Walden, CO Coalmont Br."

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Yes that was at one time the Laramie, North Park and Hahn's Peak Railroad. Then it became the Laramie, North Park and Western. Then the UP changed it to the Encampment Branch. As track was taken up it became the Coalmont Branch. when the UP gave it up Durbano Steel and Iron established this line and the Saratoga Lint out of Walcott Junction as the Wyoming and Colorado Railroad. After that they ripped up the rails and that was the old right of way you saw. It was a neat branch line to run on as it climbed up from the Centennial valley to Fox Park going through Albany, Wyoming 3 times around the switchbacks. The line Dropped down from Camp through the Northgate Canyon and on into Walden.

Bob Krieger
Cheyenne, WY

Bob3985 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yes that was at one time the Laramie, North Park
> and Hahn's Peak Railroad. Then it became the
> Laramie, North Park and Western. Then the UP
> changed it to the Encampment Branch. As track was
> taken up it became the Coalmont Branch. when the
> UP gave it up Durbano Steel and Iron established
> this line and the Saratoga Lint out of Walcott
> Junction as the Wyoming and Colorado Railroad.
> After that they ripped up the rails and that was
> the old right of way you saw. It was a neat branch
> line to run on as it climbed up from the
> Centennial valley to Fox Park going through
> Albany, Wyoming 3 times around the switchbacks.
> The line Dropped down from Camp through the
> Northgate Canyon and on into Walden.


Bob, we're the Coalmont and Encampment Branches different lines? I think they were.

The Saratoga branch ran South out of Walcott, and the Coalmont branch ran West and South out of
Laramie. They were very separate operations. The L-P mill at Walden (after the pullback from
Coalmont account the closing of the coal mines) supported the branch up until the end. This was
the WYCO branch that ran Dale Sander's F units. The Saratoga branch also served a mill, I believe
that L-P had in interest in it as well and once that closed the line was pulled.

Out