Engine No. 74 - Back Home Again (1952 - Present)
Mike Trent
COPYRIGHT -- ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Mike Trent
COPYRIGHT -- ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
One of the "Rocky" club members who was on both the 1949 and 1951 trips was Dr. John B. Schoolland. Schoolland was a psychology professor at the University of Colorado in Boulder, and an avid rail buff and historian. He had done some research on the Colorado & Northwestern and was quite surprised to learn on the 1949 trip that engine No.74 was the C&N's old No.30.
Alarmed that the engine could be sold for scrap within the next year or so, Schoolland set out to see what could be done to bring her back "home," to Boulder, where she could serve as a monument to the old mining times and days of the narrow gauge. He organized a community-wide effort to raise money for the project, and his excitement and enthusiasm caught on. Empty mayonnaise and fruit jars with signs soliciting donations were placed in grocery stores and banks. Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, and Girl Scouts did whatever they could to raise money. One bank, and then all the others, made contributions to the effort, as did other businesses. In order to assure himself that the engine would not be scrapped due to insufficient funds from the campaign, Schoolland "guaranteed" the railroad that he would personally cover the costs. Eventually, however, enough money was raised from donations that not only the locomotive could be purchased at scrap value from the RGS, but caboose 0401, as well. Schoolland returned to Ridgway in July 1952 to settle the deal and inspect the engine, which had been sitting idle while the line was being scrapped. Once the deal was done, he drove home with the bell in his trunk, and set about to make arrangements for "No.30's" return home.
Soon after, the 74 was loaded on a flatcar and shipped to Boulder, where it arrived on August 26, 1952. The journey back home had taken the engine through the Moffat Tunnel, where the stack had cleared by only one inch.
Schoolland prevailed upon Alfred Pearlman, President of the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad, to donate transportation of the engine and caboose to Boulder. He also got Pearlman to agree to sell one of the D&RGW's coaches, if they could raise the money, so the display could be complete to Dr. Schoolland's way of thinking.
With the fund raising drive for the engine and caboose so successful, Schoolland kept the momentum going, and an additional $1500 was raised to purchase a coach from the D&RGW's "Silverton" train. Pearlman was expecting the entire D&RGW narrow gauge operation to fold within the next couple of years, and looked favorably on Schoolland's request to purchase a coach at what was no more than salvage cost for Boulder's display. Tourism on the Silverton Branch north of Durango was beginning to show signs of popularity, a dangerous threat to Pearlman's plans to finally be done with the narrow gauge, so Schoolland's request came at the right time. Later requests of a similar nature by other cities, individuals, and groups were denied.
Coaches, #280, 284, and 306, along with Combination car #212 were painted in the new "Grande Gold" paint scheme for the 1951 filming of the movie "Denver & Rio Grande". All of this equipment was still in gold livery in 1952, and used on the increasingly popular "Silverton Mixed". When Pearlman asked Schoolland if he had a particular coach in mind, Schoolland, who, as usual, had done his homework, said, "As a matter of fact, yes. Coach 280."
Pearlman said, "But that's the best one we've got!"
To which Schoolland replied, "I know. That's why I asked for it. Will you let us have it?"
Coach #280 arrived in Boulder right after the 74 and caboose were delivered. When orders arrived in Durango to put the coach on the next available eastbound freight to Alamosa, it was actually sitting at the Durango depot loaded with passengers for the train to Silverton. The car was unloaded, switched into the freight and on its way to Boulder. At Alamosa, the coach was loaded onto a standard gauge flat car, and the journey continued. Schoolland had been impressed with the fact that of all available cars for the display in Boulder, Coach 280 was the only one equipped to carry three lamps. Only two were in the coach at the time, and Schoolland asked Pearlman to ship the missing lamp to Boulder. It arrived about two months later.
The train was assembled for display facing the mountains, beside a ditch near the north bank of Boulder Creek in Central Park. Volunteers came forward, and the engine was once again painted in her old Colorado & Northwestern livery. A machine shop operator made new brass numerals for the numberplate to replace the ones chipped off by the C&S in 1921. Several old timers enjoyed a tearful reunion with the old engine, and the whole community welcomed her home at a dedication on August 6,1953.
The train then endured years of neglect and vandalism. During the first few years, a local house painter would paint or touch up the display each year. In 1958, vandals destroyed the body of the RGS caboose with dynamite. In the late sixties and well into the seventies, the engine was occasionally painted by well-meaning volunteers, but only when it got so bad somebody could just take no more. In 1978, a student, John Sternig, painted the engine.
In 1975, the body of D&RGW caboose No.04990 was located in a field near Alamosa, Colorado, purchased, and brought to the Boulder display, where it was placed on the trucks of the RGS 0401. All hardware, including truss rods, had been removed from under the body. The 0401's floor, plus all hardware, was taken to the City of Boulder Parks Dept. yard for storage. Later attempts to locate these pieces failed, and they remain lost. Caboose 04990 is somewhat unique, in that it has a peaked roof over the body of the car and a rounded roof over the cupola. It was built from a 24-foot boxcar, 4990, before the turn of the century, and by 1906 was listed on the roster as a "work caboose."
In June 1979, a group of volunteers emerged from the Boulder Model Railroad Club to work on preserving the display and slow down its deterioration. As the volunteers got into the process of working on scraping, painting, and lubricating some of the parts and pieces of the engine, a lot of revelations were made. One of the stanchions holding the handrail outside the engineer side cab door was literally held together with bailing wire. Green paint was still visible on some of the engine's jacketing, under the sand pipes, and by the steam dome cover. There were welds, dents, dings, and other signs of wear everywhere imaginable. Cast parts had broken free in many places. Even to the untrained eye, there did not appear to be anything other than the bell that was not completely worn out on the engine. The whistle was stamped "67," probably meaning that it had been placed there out of a C&S supply. The 9 ½ " air pump was too small for its bracket, was misaligned from its plumbing, and clearly inappropriate for the engine.
In February 1982, the train was moved about 40 feet north of its original location to allow improvements to be made in the park and because the track under the train had deteriorated badly. Almost all ties under the engine were completely rotted away, and the weight of the locomotive had caused her to settle about three to four inches. The BMRC volunteers were called upon to help, and they did, in a big way. Rail was located and donated with the help of the Georgetown Loop Railroad and State Historical Society. The City of Boulder bought brand new ties, and the volunteers, along with some willing professional help, laid a curved section of track for the train's new home. Dr. Schoolland was present to help drive the "Golden Spike." Later that spring, the mis-fit 9 ½" air pump, which had been on the engine since it's arrival in Boulder, was replaced with a correct 11" air pump. This was accomplished with the help of, and volunteers from, the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden. Bob Richardson at the museum was present during some of the RGS scrapping operations west of Durango and remembered that on one occasion, engine 42 was having problems with it's air pump. When he saw the 42 a few days later, there were no problems with the air pump. This took place at the same time the 74 was ready for shipment to Boulder, so it would seem that an "emergency" raid was made on the 74's pump in Ridgway, before she got out of town. Apparently, the "bad order" pump hers was to be switched with (probably from the 42) was not delivered in time, and a quick "replacement" was pulled from available stock, probably the scrap pile.
 (Photo 33) #74/30 in Boulder's Central Park just before the 1982 move. She is painted in Colorado & Northwestern Livery. |
 (Photo 34) The tender front just prior to moveing. Note the the coal doors that were added to the tender by the Rio Grande Southern. |
 (Photo 35) Dr. J.B. Schoolland drives the golden spike, finishing the track that will be the new home of locomotive #74/30. Also shown are some of the folks from the Boulder Model Railroad Club who helped make the move possible. |
 (Photo 36) After the move, the locomotive sported Colorado & Southern livery for a few months. The C&S cinder catcher was fabricated by Sam Schreiner, one of the BMRC volunteers. That's Ken Gilpin, another volunteer, in the firemans seat. |
Colorado & Southern engine 74 made a brief appearance in Boulder in August that same year, 1982, complete with a newly fabricated Ridgway Spark Arrestor which was made from sheet metal by one of the volunteers. The engine returned to Colorado & Northwestern livery in January 1983, and sat again for several years. The new spark arrestor was loaned to the Colorado Railroad Museum for a while, and installed on former leased engine D&RGW 346. Today, it sits atop the stack of C&S 2-6-0 number 9, "on loan" to the Colorado State Historical Society at Silver Plume, Colorado.
The "Present"
July, 1999
This part of the story of No.74 will be updated as things happen which affect the current status of the display at Boulder's Central Park.
In recent years, efforts to conduct "cosmetic stabilization" on the display have gone as far as possible. No longer can paint alone cover up and conceal what needs to be done. Wood parts must be replaced, and many of the metal parts require attention as well. The City of Boulder, which never had a plan to provide for the ongoing maintenance of the display has formed a "Train Committee" which is to provide background and a degree of expertise to help identify and prioritize efforts. The current City Parks Department Manager and "Train Committee" have secured grant money, which is to be used to fund restoration of Coach #280. This is an excellent start toward serious restoration of the display.
· A contract will be awarded to in July 1999 for coach restoration.
· A second grant has been secured to pay for asbestos lagging removal in October 1999. While the boiler is exposed, both a visual and ultrasonic inspection of the boiler will be made. If the boiler seems sound, a hydrostatic test will be made to further determine the boiler's condition. Asbestos removal will be done by a certified asbestos removal contractor with volunteer labor to help remove and then reinstall parts and jacketing with a minimum of damage.
· The purpose of the boiler inspection is to determine feasibility of an operational restoration of the locomotive. The inspection will also help decide the degree of restoration that may be practical to consider for the old engine.
· Vandals had damaged the engine's headlight, which has now been repaired by the Ulrich Company, and will be permanently reinstalled in the near future.
The Volunteers
Following is a list of all known volunteers who have donated time and labor to work on Boulder's train in the park. There are others, no doubt, who we have inadvertently omitted. Please notify us of any additions to the list, as all who have contributed to the preservation of this display should be recognized.
Locomotive No. 74 / 30's Volunteers
John Schoolland, Alan Hayes, Hayes Painting, Larson Machine Shop, Mike Trent, Todd Hackett, Bruce Griffing, Dave Hodge, Rob Smith, Erick Nelson, Ken Gilpin, Sam Schreiner (Built the reproduction Ridgway Cinder Catcher), Tim Schreiner, Don Peterson, John Sternig, Paul Schenk, Norm Scheaffer, Pat Scheaffer, Ron Letz, Bill Lund, Neal Miller, Steve Matthews. Don Dobravolski, Scott Dobravolski, Mike Rowe, Rich Farewell, Jeff Smith, Carl Babb, Joe Crea, Ed Keane, Jere Eggleston, Max Piasack, Doug Geiger, Bill Farquhar, Phil Johnson, Rick Steele, Ted Langowski, Dirk Ramsey, Wally Maxwell, Ron Haverstock, Bob Uhr, Carl Schneider, Fred Maine, John Templeton, Chris Komloski, Marcia Komloski, Cliff Korlaski, Al Lawrence, Roger Olson, Henry Lansford, Ken Ramsey, Bill Kazel, Joe Lemmo, Kevin Taberski, Duane Deyoe, Jason Midyette, Ed Gerlitz, Betty Chronic.
Here are the volunteers who have been involved in the recent efforts to evaluate and perhaps restore the locomotive.
Stuart Anderson, Matt Armitage, Jerome Cress, Ed Gerlitz, Gary Greenhut, Todd Hackett, Joe Lemmo, Dan Kuckes, Jason Midyette, Jim Siegwarth, Karol Stoker, Dave Waltrip, Elmer Zessin
References
Books:
The Colorado Road, F. Hol Wagner
Goin' Railroading, Speas/Coel
The Denver, South Park & Pacific, M.C. Poor
Pictorial Supplement, DSP&P, Haley, Poor, Kindig
Locomotives of the South Park R.R., R&LHS Bulletin No.74, Poor
Western Yesterdays, Vol. XI, Crossen
Western Yesterdays, Vol. IV, Crossen
Silver San Juan, Ferrell
Switzerland Trail of America, Crossen
Colorado Rail Annual No.12, Hauk, Colorado Railroad Museum
Boulder Then & Now, Schoolland
Colorado Rail Annual No.10, Hauk, Colorado Railroad Museum
Colorado Memories of the Narrow Gauge Circle, Krause, Grenard
History of the Denver, Boulder & Western Railroad Co., R&LHS Bulletin No. 65, Poor
Mineral Belt Volume I
Mineral Belt Volume II
The Rio Grande Southern - An Ultimate Pictorial Study 1990, Dorman
The Rio Grande Southern II - An Ultimate Pictorial Study 1994, Dorman
The Southern - A Narrow Gauge Oddesy
Interviews:
George Theide, Doug Schnurbush, Clinton Eshe, Ed Haley, JB Schoolland
Resources:
Narrow Gauge & Shortline Gazette Jan/Feb 1992, p.82 (33 standard gauge in Alabama)
Narrow Gauge & Shortline Gazette Jan/Feb 1995, p. 62-67, "Tale of a Wandering 2-8-0". Mal Ferrell
Colorado Railroad Museum Archives
University of Colorado Archives, Clint Dumm Drawings
The Carnegie Branch of the Boulder Public Library. Online at www.bldr.net/carnegie
Engine No. 74 (30) herself.
Assistance and additional information:
Ed Haley, JB Schoolland, Doug Schnurbush, George Thiede, Clinton
Eshe, John V. Dietz, F. Hol Wagner, Jr., Bob Richardson, Rob Smith, Todd
Hackett, Erick Nelson, John Coker, Paul Schenk, AC "Woody" Woodward,
Marge Oshier Garcia, Clark Lane, Steve Swansen, Forrest Crossen, Bill White.
This story wouldn't be complete without a photo
of our author. Mike was born and raised in Boulder and has been a rail
fan, modeler, and friend of the 74 since he could walk. The 74 has no better
champion.
This concludes the 74's story. To return to the previous section, click on the "Early Years" button, or continue on the the final comments...
