I am a model railroader. Some people think of this as a disease. I chose to look at model railroading as my escape from the pressures of the everyday life. It is a hobby that offers relaxation to counter the stresses associated with normal work and living.
When I decided to return to model railroading after many years of absence, I followed the path of many who had gone before me. I picked up copies of the latest model railroading magazines to see where the hobby had gone since I left it for college. This lead to many enjoyable nights perusing these magazines and marveling at the wonders that they displayed. The hobby had come a long way in such a short time. The names I remembered as a child had been replaced by new ones, yet some familiar ones remained. Armed with this new knowledge I struggled to decide just what to model. My eye fell on a railroad, that by all the tenets of good railroad practices, should never have been built. I was hooked by the Colorado Midland Railway.
I managed to obtain a copy of the book Colorado Midland by Morris Cafky from the local library through inter-library loan. I devoured this epic and decided that this was a railroad that had to be modeled. As I searched for additional information I soon discovered that it was very difficult to find. Thus one of the purposes of this website. I am attempting here to provide a summary of the life and death of the Colorado Midland Railway, a short history. It is as of today incomplete, but I continue to work towards its completion.
As I stated initially, I am a model railroader, so what about the model? An addition was constructed on my house and track planning begun on what I hoped would be a faithful reproduction of the branch that ran from Basalt, Colorado to Aspen, Colorado, just 19 miles of prototype railroad. Benchwork was constructed, code 55 rail installed and stub switches built. In a very short time trains were again moving on the Colorado Midland. But even with the best laid plans, change is inevitable. We decided to move! The layout was torn down and all the material saved. But the move was not to happen and the Colorado Midland was given a rebirth.
I learned a lot from this first attempt and decide that a faithful reproduction of the prototype was not what I really desired. I wanted a railroad that had the flavor of the prototype, following its practices, utilizing its equipment, but on a free-lanced trackplan. As I had spare time while we awaited the completion of the house we would never move into, I stumbled upon a book about the Gorre and Daphetid railroad of John Allen. In this book he makes mention of the Colorado Midland and said if the Gorre and Daphetid had a prototype, it would have been the Colorado Midland. Thus with some scaling and minor modifications to the trackplan, the new Colorado Midland Railway started to take shape around the trackplan of the Gorre and Daphetid.
I plan to add a track plan of the railroad I am building to this homepage at a later date . All major tracks are currently in place with scenery work progressing nicely on the towns of Colorado Springs
(Divide) and Leadville (Port). You will find displayed pictures that are being taken as the railroad progresses. I will endeavor to update them as time permits. Its nice to let other see what you have accomplished. Take a look, your comments are always welcome.
As with all homepages there will be the customary links to my favorite sites, mostly railroad related, and to the friends I have met, both in and out of the hobby. This is a great hobby. It offers you a variety of tasks and allow you to develop many new skills. If you don't want to build it, then you can usually buy it or find someone to do it for you. Model Railroading allows you to do as much or as little as you wish. The choice is your.
So relax, put up your feet, and return with me to the year 1905 and ride the standard gauge tracks of the Colorado Midland as it assaults the Continental Divide.
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