Sights to See

Cimarron Canyon Rail Exhibit

At the mouth of Cimarron Creek, just upstream from where it spills into the Gunnison River, stands a reminder of bygone days in railroading. Locomotive #278, its coal tender, a boxcar, and caboose stand atop the last remaining railroad trestle along the Black Canyon of the Gunnison route. What can now be seen in this exhibit is an excellent example of rolling stock railroad cars used on this branch of the Denver & Rio Grande (D&RG) Narrow Gauge Railroad in its heyday.

THE TRESTLE
The trestle is called a "steel deck span" bridge. It was constructed in 1895, replacing the original wooden Howe truss design trestle (circa 1882). The "new" trestle's four spans incorporated a metal Pratt truss and three girder sections brought from other locations on the Denver & Rio Grande line. The original stone abutments (no longer visible) and piers date back to the era of the wooden trestle. The west abutment was cut into solid rock, while the east one and the three piers were constructed of stone masonry. As originally designed and constructed, the trestle itself was 288 feet in length. Telegraph lines (reconstructed) can be seen extending from the ties on the south side of the trestle. For many years it was fairly common to see trestles used in this manner for stringing telegraph lines along railroad routes.

THE ENGINE
Locomotive #278 was built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1882. It was constructed as a C16 mainline freight and helper engine. Helper engines were used to assist trains up steep grades. The "C" refers to a consolidated engine type with a "2-8-0" wheel configuration. The numbers "2-8-0" refer to the number and type of wheels. In this case there are 2 "truck-" or "leading-wheels" in the very front of the engine, followed by 8 "driving-wheels" in the middle, and no "trailing-wheels". The "16" refers to the maximum tractive effort of the engine, which is the highest force the train can exert. Locomotive #278 was used on this part of the D&RG's main line, on the Crested Butte Branch, and in the railyards of Gunnison for over 70 years. This locomotive went through several changes in appearance over the years as it was influenced by various railroad standards and safety regulations set forth by the Interstate Commerce Commission.

THE EXHIBIT TODAY
The coal tender (the car that carried water and coal for the locomotive) that you see on the exhibit replaced the original sometime around 1935. It is off another engine and was shortened when it was attached to #278. It was not uncommon for tenders to be interchanged between locomotives.

The boxcar was built in 1904 (rebuilt in 1923) and was large for its time, able to carry 25 tons. In the 1930s and '40s, it was used to ship agricultural products and silica ore.

The caboose was built in 1886 and used on this run of the Denver and Rio Grande Narrow Gauge Railroad.

Nearby Attractions

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE AREAS
(Distances are approximate.)

Colorado National Monument (94 miles)

Curecanti National Recreation Area (0 miles - East Portal; 50 miles - Blue Mesa Reservoir)

Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve (200 miles)

Mesa Verde National Park (160 miles)


OTHER ATTRACTIONS

Crawford State Park (12 miles)

Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests (Grand Mesa 40 miles, Uncompahgre 40 miles, Gunnison 15 miles)

Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area (0 miles - east boundary; 25 miles - west boundary)

Ridgway State Park (40 miles)

LOCAL PARTNERS AND INFORMATION RESOURCES

Montrose Visitor and Convention Bureau

Gunnison Chamber of Commerce

Delta Tourism Council

Gunnison-Crested Butte Tourism Association

Western State College