CLIMBING THE MOUNTAINS ON THE COLORADO MIDLAND Railroad Engineering Design

The goal of this 618 page book was to tell the story of the Colorado Midland/Midland Terminal from the viewpoint of the Chief Engineers. The Book has three main Divisions: (1) 60% dedicated to the "What, When, Where, and Why" it was formed, (2) 15% dedicated to the "Who" - the people who financed, controlled and supported the railroad, and (3) 25% dedicated to the "How" - Engineering aspects of designing and building the railroad. The story presents the viewpoint of Management and how Engineering influenced their decisions. The story includes why the train stopped at the many towns along the way – what the people were doing there and how the stations were named. The book includes 0ver 330 photographs used both within other Colorado Midland historic narratives and several additional photos that were found by the Author, including several maps to further depict the final route and the many alternate survey routes proposed by the Survey Team and Layout Engineers. Nearly all the photos were colorized by the Author to project today's views. Writing the book was a festinating step into the early history of Colorado. The quest was to answer my many questions, including:

•Why the CM started with Palmer and the Kansas Pacific
•Why Colorado City was chosen as a Division point
•Why J.J. Hagerman had a grudge against Palmer and the D&RG
•Why the CM hauled load after load
of coal and ore and how the ore was refined
•Why the D&RG seemed to always get the best route for their roadbed
•Which CM President inadvertently build a haunted house
•Who were the competition
•Why did the CM go to Aspen and took the "hard way"
•What part did Rathbone & Brothers Co. of Liverpool & London play in the routes to Glenwood Springs and
Aspen
•Who was Henry Wigglesworth and what did he do
•What indirect part did the Gould's play in the ownership changes – who was really "pulling the strings"
•How was the route chosen – who said to cross the Continental Divide twice
•How were the locomotives chosen
•What Engineering Design was needed – surveying, layout, railbed & ties, cut & fill, construction management,
etc.
•What was the reasoning behind water tank and coal bin/trestle locations
•Where were helper engines located/ needed

I have no recollection of the final days of the Midland Terminal; I was three years old. What I do remember is that our home in Old Colorado City was less than three blocks from the abandoned railroad bed and five blocks from the abandoned roundhouse and machine shop. As youth, we "toured" the inside of the abandoned buildings and walked the "line" to nearly the town of Cascade, over the "double-dare" Crystal Park Bridge and through the eight tunnels in Ute Pass. The remainder of the "line" was viewed from my parent's car as they where remembering their past. As a Structural Engineer, I have been captivated by the many engineering feats accomplished by the Colorado Midland's Design Engineers. Over the last several months I have studied and visited many of the railroad sites and, in doing so, I recalled things that I knew and many things that I did not know were revealed by my study.

The goal of this 618 page book was to tell the story of the Colorado Midland/Midland Terminal from the viewpoint of the Chief Engineers. The Book has three main Divisions: (1) 60% dedicated to the "What, When, Where, and Why" it was formed, (2) 15% dedicated to the "Who" - the people who financed, controlled and supported the railroad, and (3) 25% dedicated to the "How" - Engineering aspects of designing and building the railroad. The story presents the viewpoint of Management and how Engineering influenced their decisions. The story includes why the train stopped at the many towns along the way – what the people were doing there and how the stations were named. The book includes 0ver 330 photographs used both within other Colorado Midland historic narratives and several additional photos that were found by the Author, including several maps to further depict the final route and the many alternate survey routes proposed by the Survey Team and Layout Engineers. Nearly all the photos were colorized by the Author to project today's views. Writing the book was a festinating step into the early history of Colorado. The quest was to answer my many questions, including:


•Why the CM started with Palmer and the Kansas Pacific
•Why Colorado City was chosen as a Division point
•Why J.J. Hagerman had a grudge against Palmer and the D&RG
•Why the CM hauled load after load
of coal and ore and how the ore was refined
•Why the D&RG seemed to always get the best route for the roadbed
•Which CM President inadvertently build a haunted house
•Who were the competitors
•Why did the CM go to Aspen and took the "hard way"
•What part did Rathbone & Brothers Co. of Liverpool & London play in the routes to Glenwood Springs and Aspen
•Who was Henry Wigglesworth and what did he do
•What indirect part did the Gould's play in the ownership changes – who was really "pulling the strings"
•How was the route chosen – who said to cross the Continental Divide twice
•How were the locomotives chosen
•What Engineering Design was needed – surveying, layout, railbed & ties, cut & fill, construction management, etc.
•What was the reasoning behind water tank and coal bin/trestle locations
•Where were helper engines located/ needed