Nostalgia & History > OTD: Great Western SW1's, sugar beets & big mountains ('69)

Dec. 6, 1969 @ Longmont, CO ... GW SW1's #62 & 63 working the GW Sugar plant with 14,259 high Longs Peak and 13,911high Mt. Meeker dominating the background.

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Wonderful view of Longs Peak and the Great Western Railway during sugar beet season.  My how the Longmont area has grown.  The Longmont, CO, Great Western Sugar Beet factory continues to cumble away.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/06/18 04:49 by cozephyr.

Great photo Valmont. Yes, the front range has exploded and many of the agriculture areas are now growing homes and strip malls. Recently I was returning from my visit to the German Restaurant in Aurora and I always travel up US 85 to see what's happening on the UP. As I got closer to the Greeley area I noticed a number of beet trucks heading south loaded to the hilt with sugar beets.With Eton and Brighton GW mills closed I presume they were headed to Longmont.
This prompted me to remember chasing the switchers traversing the miles of GW rails gathering beets in the old hoppers and gondolas to come to the mills. And their steam dinky's struggling to shove loads up the beet dump. Aging can produce some good memories.

Bob Krieger
Cheyenne, WY

Excellent view, Vince. I notice there are some C&H tank cars in the background. You showed one of them at Broomfield, last week. I guess it is hard going going home again, but thanks to digital photography, you can do it in this time and age.
Gary

Gosh darn you, Valmont, you're making me miss Colorado more than ever!

Rmosele Wrote:
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> Gosh darn you, Valmont, you're making me miss
> Colorado more than ever!

sorry about that : >)

Worked the governor on one of the three units 1974, just after training at Woodward Governor in Fort Collins. Got it right the first time and Longmont Yard Engineer was so thrilled he bought me a case of Bud. An accomplishment I still remember and cherish.

Don Allender