Colorado and Southern steam locomotive roster

 This is the master roster list for the C&S I use for modeling purposes. It includes all the narrow gauge locomotives and Standard gauge locomotives that made it to the 1906 system classification. It does not include locomotives that made it to the C&S but were gone by 1906. If you have any information I have missed or would like to contribute some additional information, feel free to comment on this page. Be sure to check out the book "The Colorado Road" by F. Hol Jr. Wagner if you want even more information on this topic.

Reading the C&S Classification system

In 1906, the C&S started using a system used by the ICC (Interstate Commerce Commision) to classify the locomotives. A letter indicated the arrangement of wheels, and a number indicated number of driven axles. A second letter at the end was used to indicate different classes of that type, Eg, C-3E was a Ten Wheeler of the 5th type the railroad had. A number after the 2nd letter indicated a similar class that was added later. Eg. C-3H1 was a batch of locomotives ordered after C-3H that was similar but not identical. 

Letters and their meanings

"A" : No pilot or trailing wheels (Eg 0-4-0 or 0-6-0)

"B": One leading axle (Eg 2-6-0 or 2-8-0)

"C": Two leading axles (Eg 4-6-0, 4-4-0)

"D": One trailing axle (Eg 0-4-2, not used by the C&S)

"E": One leading axle, one trailing axle (Eg 2-8-2, 2-10-2)

"F": 2 leading axles, one trailing axle (Eg 4-6-2)

"G": 2 leading axles, 2 trailing axles (Eg 4-8-4, not used by the C&S)

Narrow Gauge
Eng Numbers	Type	Class	cyl	dri	eng wt.	trac ef	BP	Builder	Built	Notes
1	2-6-6T	-	14x16	38"	75,000	10,806	150	Mason	2/80	Ex-DSP&P 24 "Buena Vista"
2	2-6-0	-	14x18	38"	53,600	13,535	150	Brooks	10/80	Ex-CC #11
3	2-6-0	-	14x18	38"	53,600	13,535	150	Brooks	6/81	Ex-CC #12
4-10	2-6-0	-	14x18	40"	61,300	11,201	150	Cooke	2/84	Rebuilt to class B-3C, Ex DSP&P
4-10	2-6-0	B-3C	15x18	40"	74,700	16,301	190	-	-	Rebuilt class
11-13	2-6-0	B-3A	14x18	40"	59,900	11,201	150	Cooke	2/84	Rebuilt with new cylinders 1900/1902; Ex DSP&P
11-13	2-6-0	B-3A	15x18	40"	59,900	12,909	150	-	-	Rebuilt class
14-16	2-6-0	-	15x18	38"	52,000	13,535	150	Brooks	1880/1881	All sold by 1902, Ex-CC
17-20	2-6-0	-	15x18	38"	60,300	13,535	150	Brooks	1882	Ex-DSP&P all sold by 1902
21-22	2-6-0	B-3B	15x18	38"	60,300	13,535	150	Brooks	1882	Ex-DSP&P, rebuilt 1910
21	2-6-0	B-3B	15x18	41"	60,300	13,770	160	-	-	post rebuild
22	2-6-0	B-3B	15x18	40"	60,300	13,770	160	-	-	post rebuild
30	2-8-0	B-4A	15x18	37"	61,748	13,901	150	Baldwin	1/80	sold 2/21, Ex-DSP&P
31-36	2-8-0	-	15x18	37"	61,748	13,901	150	Baldwin	1/80	All sold by 1902, Ex-DSP&P
37-55	2-8-0	B-4B	15x18	37"	62,900	13,463	145	Cooke	1883	Ex-DSP&P
56	2-8-0	B-4B	15x18	37"	63,250	13,463	145	Cooke	1883	Ex-DSP&P
57-62	2-8-0	B-4C	16x18	37"	71,030	15,816	150	Rh. Is.	1886	Ex-U&N;  #59 @ 73,600 pounds weight, #61 @ 71,200
63-70	2-8-0	B-4D	16x20	37"	76,000	17,574	150	Baldwin	1890	Ex-DL&G
71-73	2-8-0	B-4E	15 1/2 x 20	37"	80,500	19,848	180	Baldwin	1896	Ex-UPD&G
74-76	2-8-0	B-4F	16x20	37"	95,520	21,170	180	Brooks	1898	Ex-C&N
Standard Gauge
Eng Numbers	Type	Class	cyl	dri	eng wt.	trac ef	BP	Builder	Built	Notes
101	4-4-0	C-2G	17x24	62"	83,100	13,982	150	Rogers	12/81	Ex-D&NO #5, Dismantled 10/19
110	4-4-0	C-2B	17x24	64"	77,400	13,330	150	Rogers	1867	Ex-Union Pacific dismantled 1907
134, 135, 138	4-4-0	C-2L	17x24	61"	81,000	13,500	150	Cooke	1888	Ex-DT&FW
143	4-4-0	C-2S	18x26	62"	99,000	17,255	150	Schen.	1/89	Ex-CC
144-145	4-4-0	C-2F	18x24	69"	100,600	13,410	140	H&W	1867/1868	Ex-Union Pacific
200	0-6-0	A-3A	17x24	51"	82,800	17,272	150	Rh. Is.	1888	Ex-C&T/DT&FW
201-204	0-6-0	A-3B	17x24	51"	88,000	17,918	155	Baldwin	1890	Ex-UPD&G
205-211	0-6-0	A-3C	18x24	53"	94,000	18,633	150	Rogers	1887/1888	Ex-C&T/DT&FW
212-216	0-6-0	A-3D	18x24	53"	96,200	18,633	150	Cooke	1888	Ex-DT&G
220-224	0-6-0	A-3E	19x26	51"	133,000	28,200	180	Cooke	1906
223	0-6-0	A-3E	19x26	51"	142,700	31,200	180	-	-	post rebuild
225-231	0-6-0	A-3E1	19x26	51"	138,000	28,158	180	Schen.	1907
227-229/231	0-6-0	A-3E1	19x26	51"	143,000	31,200	180	-	-	Post Rebuild in 1927
232-236	0-6-0	A-3E2	20x26	51"	151,800	31,200	180	Baldwin	1910	232 boiler to rotary 99201
250-251	2-6-0	B-3H	17x24	56"	105,000	16,844	150	Rogers	1888	Ex-DT&G
252-254	2-6-0	B-3J	18x24	53"	96,200	18,633	150	Cooke	1888	Ex-DT&FW
252-254	2-6-0	B-3J	18x24	51"	96,200	19,410	150	-	-	Rebuilt 1907
300	4-6-0	C-3A	18x24	56"	93,400	17,635	150	Rogers	1887	Ex-C&T
309-319	4-6-0	C-3E	20x24	62"	131,200	21,380	180	Rh. Is.	1890	Ex-UPD&G
320-322	4-6-0	C-3G	20x26	63"	155,200	28,063	200	Rh. Is.	1900
323-326	4-6-0	C-3H	20x28	67"	169,500	29,636	210	Schen.	1902/1903
327-329	4-6-0	C-3H	20x28	67"	172,000	29,850	210	Brooks	1906
330-331	4-6-0	C-3H1	20x28	67"	187,450	29,850	210	Baldwin	1907
350-354	4-6-2	F-3A	25x28	69"	197,000	34,500	160	Baldwin	1910
370-372	4-6-2	F-3B	27x28	74"	269,200	42,200	180	Baldwin	1918	Ex-CB&Q, purchased 1919/1920
373-375	4-6-2	F-3C	27x28	69"	293,870	46,450	185	Baldwin	1922
400-401	2-8-0	B-4H	18x24	51"	107,000	19,364	150	Pitts.	1888	Franceville Mine Ex-DT&G power
402-411	2-8-0	B-4J	20x24	51"	122,000	26,350	165	Baldwin	1889	Ex-DT&FW
412-418	2-8-0	B-4K	20x24	51"	132,500	26,350	165	Rh. Is.	1890	Ex-DT&FW
419-421	2-8-0	B-4L	20X24	51"	138,300	26,350	165	Baldwin	1896	Ex-UPD&G
422-428	2-8-0	B-4M	20x26	51"	141,800	31,200	180	Baldwin	1897-1900	Ex-UPD&G
429	2-8-0	B-4N	19x26	51"	144,700	28,189	180	Cooke	1900
451-455	2-8-0	B-4P	21x28	56"	163,360	34,618	185	Rh. Is.	1900
520-531	2-8-0	B-4S	22 1/2 x 32	57"	206,100	45,980	190	Rh. Is.	1903	Built as tandem compounds, rebuilt to simple in 1920s
600-609	2-8-0	B-4R	22x28	57"	194,180	41,369	205	Rh. Is.	1901
610-624	2-8-0	B-4R	22x28	57	191,701	42,320	210	Richmond	1902
625-643	2-8-0	B-4R	22x28	57"	193,400	42,439	210	Brooks	1906
644-649	2-8-0	B-4R1	22x28	57"	194,250	40,400	200	Baldwin	1907
700-708	2-8-0	B-4Q1	21x28	57"	181,950	36,830	200	Baldwin	1907
800-804	2-8-2	E-4A	27x30	57"	266,550	56,550	170	Baldwin	1911
800-804	2-8-2	E-4A	26 1/2 x 30	57"	266,550	53,400	170	-	-	1920's rebuild
804-809	2-8-2	O-4	27x63	63"	320,946	62,950	200	Baldwin	1919	Ex-CB&Q, purchased 1957, last class 1 steam locomotive purchase. 804 is 2nd 804. 808 only used as parts source
900-904	2-10-2	E-5A	30x32	60"	367,850	81,600	200	Baldwin	1915
905-909	2-10-2	E-5B	30x32	63"	380,000	77,710	200	Baldwin	1919	USRA design
910-914	2-10-2	E-5C	30x32	60"	404,070	83,000	200	Baldwin	1922

Pike sized passenger trains; Colorado & Southerns Zephyr Connection

The Zephyr Connection; Pike sized train

So here's an article that's been done just a few times by others over time. Pike sized passenger trains is a popular topic for people wanting to model passenger trains but don't have the space to run the long full length name trains. 

The name originates from an article written by Andy Sperandeo for Model Railroader in 1987, this topic has become a popular topic for modelers as there are quite a few smaller passenger trains out there that are just as interesting as their larger, more well known contemporaries.

While not seen in service on the Falcon branch, I bought a pre-done C&S passenger train from a friend along with my BLi #638, so I decided to pursue modeling this train. Later I would find out about the Pioneer Zephyr and a connection it had to the Falcon branch, so that was a given I'd have to do as well. 

The real Zephyr Connection

The prototype train known as the "Zephyr Connection" started out life as train #31-32, the Denver to Wendover, Wyoming train. In 1929, #31-32 became the Denver-Cheyenne Local. This train operated typically in a basic consist consisting of a baggage, RPO, and coach. In 1936, the CB&Q rebuilt a former SP&S solarium-lounge into a solarium-parlor car and placed it into service with the #31-32. Numbered #220, the solarium was named "Denver" on the right side and "Cheyenne" on the left side. This solarium continued in service until WWII, when it was converted to a chair car and returned to the Q. 

At some point in the 30's, the train received the name "Zephyr Connection" and in October of 1949, the famed Pioneer Zephyr took over the duties of the Denver-Cheyenne run. However this would be short lived as on April 29th, 1950, the Pioneer Zephyr collided with a water truck in Longmont and was heavily damaged. Fireman Dan Grinstead was seriously injured in the collision and never returned to work. The damaged zephyr was returned to the CB&Q shops in Aurora and rebuilt, never to return to the Zephyr Connection. 

Photo from the Longmontian

Afterwards, the train continued on as a standard locomotive hauled train, now using the Burlington's E7's in pool service out of Denver. It was discontinued outright on February 28th, 1951. 

Consists

Here is a small selection of basic consists I've been able to identify from photos

    

        1937, date unknown

        350 class pacific Unk number

        RPO-Baggage

        Steel Combine

        #220 Solarium-Parlor

        1936, date unknown, Otto Perry photo

        CB&Q Pacific #2911

        RPO-Baggage

        Steel Combine

        #220 Solarium-Parlor

    

        1942, date unknown, Otto Perry photo

        Colorado & Southern #350 4-6-2

        RPO-Baggage

        Coach

        Coach

        1941, date unknown, Otto Perry photo

        Colorado & Southern #350 4-6-2

        RPO-Baggage

        Coach

        1939, date unknown, Otto Perry photo

        Colorado & Southern #350 4-6-2

        RPO-Baggage

        Steel Combine

        Coach

        #220 Solarium Parlor

        

        1951, date unknown, Otto Perry photo 

        CB&Q E7 #9936-B

        Baggage

        RPO

        Coach

        1951, date unknown, Otto Perry photo 

        CB&Q E7 #9934-A

        Baggage

        RPO

        Coach

        

In general, it seems the train operated until WWII with an RPO-Baggage, Combine, and the Solarium Parlor. I see occasional photos where an extra coach or two is added, and sometimes even without the combine. 

Post WWII, the train has lost #220 and operates with two head end cars, and whatever coaches are needed. Some photos show the train down to just a baggage-rpo and coach. 

In the last year of operation with the E7, the consist seems pretty consistent from what I've seen, with the 2 head end cars and a coach.

Modeling the Zephyr Connection #31/32

This part is going to seem a little disappointing to those used to the normal passenger car specific listings and options usually associated with modeling passenger trains. To my knowledge, there is no book on Colorado & Southern passenger cars, nor did the CB&Q passenger book I looked at include any information on the fleet of passengers cars. Of course, the Texas Zephyr has quite a bit of information available, and the C&S narrow gauge is well documented. However unless somebody knows another source, I do not have detailed listings of the C&S standard gauge passenger cars, so this is going to be a generalization of what is available and what looks similar to photographs. One might be able to cross reference CB&Q passenger car roster photos to find cars of similar/identical construction. My train was already created by another modeler (Leighton) when I purchased it, but he has done a good job picking cars that are pretty accurate. 

Baggage Cars

For my model of the baggage car, I have a walthers ACF Baggage, which while not a dead on match for the photos I've seen, it is similar to a photo of C&S #220 (not the Solarium, a baggage car). This is the number I've chosen to use for the train (for comical effect too, wait for it)

C&S 220

RPO

My RPO is a model done by a friend of mine, Leighton. He had done up a walthers heavyweight RPO as C&S #254, the RPO preserved today at the Colorado Railroad Museum. I'm keeping this one as is, it's pretty close and has a local connection with the museum. 

C&S 254

Coach

The best match I've been able to find to the Burlington Coaches is the Atlas/Branchline single window coaches. I've seen some people also do a very nice job with the athearn bluebox shorties in dressing them up to be good stand ins!

Atlas/Branchline single window car, to be relettered to C&S

Athearn Bluebox cars done up very nicely.

Solarium

So this car is a LONG stretch to be modeled by the walthers solarium car, but it's about the only option unless you dig into brass or scratchbuilding. I bought the former trainset from Leighton (RPO, Baggage, coach) in March 2022 and was going to roll with just those cars until I found pictures of the solarium. I mean, why not, it's a very cool and unique car! I happened to mention to him again that I was contemplating finding a walthers solarium when he stated he not only had one, it was for sale. So in the end, all 4 passenger cars came from Leighton to start the Zephyr Connection. My end goal with this car is to modify the interior to be more a lounge than the sleeper accommodation it has now. I have a nice photo showing the drumhead on the car with the "zephyr connection" text, so creating the drumhead is on my list. This car will also carry the #220 number, same as the baggage car, just to see how many people notice. I have managed to determine what letters I need to steal from other car names on the decal sheet to do Denver and Cheyenne on each side as well. 

Solarium #220, to be relettered at this point

Motive Power

Motive power for the train is going to be a bit of a mixed bag of trying to find models. Primarily in the steam era, the C&S's Pacifics did most of the hauling of the train, I have one photo that seems to show one of the large ten wheelers (class C-3H?) on point. In the diesel era the E7's seemed to be the predominate power.

LMB Models S2 Pacific    

LMB models has done a model of a CB&Q S2 pacific that would be a good C&S 370 class pacific. These aren't expensive but are fairly rare to come across. One photo of #31/32 does show CB&Q #2911 on the point of the train, which is an actual S-2 class pacific. One caveat to kitbashing one of these from another pacific is the oddball high speed trucks under the tender, more at home in headend equipment than tenders!  

        

LMB models S-2 pacific, Brasstrains.com photo

Varney/Bowser Casey Jones ten wheeler

As mentioned in the above text, in one photo, it does look like one of the C&S's large ten wheelers (C-3H) was on point of the train, however I cannot confirm this. If one was wanting to make a C-3H in HO scale, a Varney/Bower ten wheeler would be a good starting point to build one of these larger ten wheelers. A new headlight, some tender tweaks, and it would be a good stand in. 

EMD E7

There are several options to do the E7 in HO scale. Broadway Limited, Proto 2000, Walthers, Bachmann (if you're really desperate), and several varieties of brass. My choice in this particular case would be one of the walthers proto 2000 models, they're decently detailed, available cheap and easily, and can be really good runners. The BLi is a good choice as well, the mechanism is quite nice, and while the electronics can be a real let down, that's a pretty easy fix. This particular choice in motive power technically eliminates the solarium from the options list. 

Proto 2000 E7

Pioneer Zephyr

Ok, this was the part everyone was waiting for. Con-cor has done an excellent Pioneer Zephyr in HO scale and N scale. The lights are nuclear out of the box and will need to be toned down, but you need to get in there to put figures in the coaches anyway! I installed a loksound select micro decoder in mine. For the time period the Pioneer Zephyr ran on the zephyr connection it had the dual headlight arrangement (anyone want to trade a dual headlight for a single headlight train?) with the gyralight up top. This one is probably the easiest C&S passenger train to create as you can really just take it out of the box and it's correct, the C&S did not reletter anything during it's time in service. The train did by that point have the 4th car added into the consist as well. 

My Pioneer Zephyr

Interesting side note here. While my modeling primarily focuses on the Falcon Branch, I did spur out a bit to do #31/32. However the Pioneer Zephyr does have a connection with the Falcon branch, sorta. When the Pioneer Zephyr was performing its tour of the US, it was run to Connors and displayed there in 1936 for the opening of Buchtel Blvd. So the Pioneer Zephyr does have a small connection to the Falcon Branch, however brief. 

Modeling the Colorado and Southern C-3E class part 1

To model the Falcon branch at any point past the early 1920's, one must have the class C-3E Ten-wheelers that plied up and down the line. These were the heaviest locomotives allowed on the Falcon branch by that point in history, and outside of gas railcar #9526, were ubiquitous in photos of the era. Numbers 312 and 309 were the regulars in the last years of service. It was a given that I would have to at the least model these 2 locomotives for the branchline. However, where to find these in model form, nobody has made a UPD&G/C&S Ten wheeler in HO to my knowledge.

History of the C-3E class of locomotives

Under the C&S classification system, C-3E indicated a locomotive with 4 pilot wheels (C), 3 drive axles (3) and the 5th type of this locomotive in the roster (E). The C-3E's were built by Rhode Island in 1890, 11 were delivered to the Union Pacific, Denver & Gulf. These were identical to Ten Wheelers being built by Rhode Island for parent Union Pacific. Numbered 1405-1415, they had 19x24" cylinders and 62" drivers. The locomotives were rebuilt several times between delivery and the formation of the C&S, some receiving 51" drivers for a time. Union Pacific transferred some of these locomotives to its Wyoming division in 1893, however they were back by 1896. At the time of the C&S's formation in 1899 they became #309-319 and were all equipped with cylinders bored out to 20" and 62" drivers. In 1906, they received the class C-3E designation. By this point in history, the locomotives were being bumped to local service by larger, faster locomotives as they entered the fleet.

These locomotives were routinely assigned to Falcon Branch and Denver-Fort Collins-Greeley runs in the 1910's and 1920's. 312 was badly wrecked in December of 1917 and was rebuilt in 1920 along with 309. Both locomotives received new boilers, tires, and complete overhauls. As gas railcars and other locomotives replaced the aging fleet, most of the class was scrapped in the 1920's. 312 and 309 remained on hand all the way until the end of the Falcon branch in 1935, with 309 being scrapped in 1936, and 312 finding a new owner in 1938. 312 would go on to work for the Hayden Coal Company of Haybro, Colorado until being scrapped in 1944. 

Finding a suitable model

I knew I wasn't going to be able to find an exact match. Even if I took a model of a UP ten wheeler, the C&S had made so many changes over time that they wouldn't be 100% anyway. I also wanted something reliable, nothing more frustrating that trying to switch trains (or watch them run for that matter) when they cough, sputter, and trip their way down the track. 

Sunset 4-6-0

Sunset did import a brass 4-6-0 of a similar class to the Rhode Island locomotives. However it comes with a vanderbuilt tender and lacks the modifications that C&S performed to the locomotives. While some of the detail is as accurate as it will get for a C-3E, it would require a lot of other details to be modified to work. The availability and price also dropped this one off my list pretty quickly. I would need 2, maybe 3 of them to get what I needed. 

Sunset 4-6-0 1242. Photo from Brass Trains.com

Bachmann 4-6-0

Bachmann did a 4-6-0 based off a baldwin ten wheeler under their spectrum brand a while back. This one had 63" drivers. Recently bachmann has re-introduced a ten wheeler with 52" drivers under their standard line. Looking at this one, the modern reintroduction was intriguing as it was a good runner, available, and looked like a good stand in. the 10" difference in driver size was a stumbling block until I realized that at some point, the C&S has re-equipped several locomotives with some interesting counterweighted drivers (see the photo of 309 at the top). It would be an interesting project to cast these drivers and replace the bachmann drivers at some point, with that being said, I think I can live with the small drivers until then. The other big difference came down to the valve gear. The bachmann model has walscharts, the C-3E had stephenson. Easy enough to remove I guess. The tender the new model comes with looked like a good starting point to kitbash from, as each tender seemed to be different looking at photos, but started life similar. I did also find a video on youtube of somebody swapping the drivers from the 52" to the 63" and put that idea in my head for future use. 

Bachmann 4-6-0 from the new production

Varney/Bowser Casey Jones 4-6-0

The varney 4-6-0 came to mind very briefly, but the locomotive is much too large and modern to fit the bill here. It would however make a nice stand in for the C&S C-3H #327-329 built by Schenectady. 

Varney Casey Jones 4-6-0

AHM/Rivarossi Casey Jones 4-6-0

So what I learned during all this research is, there's a bunch of 4-6-0's on the market labeled as Casey Jones. The AHM/Rivarossi model has uh..... well it has stephenson valve gear, and it's a ten wheeler. That's the only similarities I was able to find. 

AHM/Rivarossi 4-6-0

Mantua/Tyco 4-6-0

A model of a very different ten wheeler. This one has drivers that have very different spacing and a boiler not at all similar to the C-3E. The lack of detail here is also apparent

Mantua/Tyco 4-6-0

MDC/Roundhouse 4-6-0

The MDC/Roundhouse 4-6-0 is a Southern Pacific prototype and is much too large/modern of a locomotive to model a C-3E. It is a good harriman ten wheeler though, if that's what you're after!

MDC-Roundhouse 4-6-0, model by Thomas of the Redwood and Pacific

Aristocraft 4-6-0

Yeah, this one was a surprise to me too, Aristocraft did HO scale 4-6-0's at one point, I see a bunch of them online as B&O royal blue locomotives. It has drivers that are far too large for a C-3E. The drive on this one is questionable for my use case as well. 

Aristocraft 4-6-0

Verdict: the choice

After looking around online for my options, I ended up going with the bachmann 4-6-0 as my starting point. It was actually a pretty close looking model, plentily available, and a great runner. I purchased a New York Central model from the new run, and proceeded to remove the lettering and contemplate how to achieve what I wanted to do. I picked 312 to be the model I would create, as I had a nice photo side view of it, it looked fairly straightforward, build a wooden coal bunker extension, change the headlight, and move the bell. However I realized after I started down this path, that the photo I was using was of 312 on the deadline some time after the 1917 wreck. I found photos of 312 from after the 1920 rebuild and it had received quite a few changes, including a new cab, different tender, and one of the oddball tire weight drivers on an axle (no really, go look at the photo of 312 and tell me that doesn't look like they stuck tire weights to a spoked driver). Ok, so still not too difficult. 

Bachmann 4-6-0 sitting on the rolling track, N scale bachmann 4-6-0 in front.

My model of 312 so far has been equipped with a loksound V5 Nano and a soundtraxx Mega Bass speaker in the tender. I found a headlight bracket to pattern a new one after is the Precision scale Mason Bogie bracket. I'll eventually 3d print a version correct for 312. I also ordered a spoked pilot wheel pilot from bachmann and swapped one axle out from the smooth sided pilot wheels. Some photos of 312 show it with one smooth and one spoked pilot wheel, as does 309, so each will have correct pilot trucks. 312 had a pretty basic headlight, the bachmann one is correct, just needs a shade. 

I tried just removing the valve gear from the get go on the locomotive, but alas, the screw when placed back in the center driver did not have a large enough head to prevent the main rod from just falling off. The eccentric acted like a large washer and without it, the rod would not stay. I ended up ordered driver bolts from bachmann for the 4-4-0, these threaded right into the holes and were designed to retain the main rod from the beginning. Thus I was able to cut the rivets and drop away the valve gear entirely. What remains is to add the handful of Stephenson components and trim the lower portion of the Union Link.

I've also been working on creating 3d components based off photos of 312, Ie the cab and tender bunker. The cab is pretty unique to 312 as I've never seen one exactly like it on anything else (the old cab was probably written off in the 1917 wreck). It has a single large window that goes across the center of the front of the cab. The dimensions of the bachmann cab were measured and a new cab based on the photo and those dimensions was created. 

First rough render of the cab for 312. Some changes to be expected.

Likewise, I used a photo of the tender to create a bunker model. Looking at the photo it looks like I can just trim off the flared lip that runs around the entire tender to get the flat top tender, and then add the bunker. 

While examining the bunker I also realized that 312 has a backup light that peaks up just barely behind the bunker. I cannot find it in any other photo of 312 (because who takes a picture of the back of the locomotive?). In the shot of 312 being sold to the Hayden mining company, there is a conduit box and tubing that runs back along the engineers side of the tender and up on top of the rear deck. Of course, there is nothing to see up top here, the C&S removed all the fancy jewelry from the locomotive by this point in the sale (it even has a box headlight again). However in photos of sister 309, there is a U shaped tower on the engineers side with a headlight mounted on top of it. 309's is just more visible as it did not have an extended coal bunker. I'm pretty sure both locomotives had this setup and will recreate it on the model. 

Electronically still left on the plate for 312 is to install a cab light, potentially a firebox flicker (because why not?), wire in the headlight and backup light, and one thought I've had while inside the locomotive is to add another speaker in the void up in the smokebox. 

Mini-me, the N scale 312

Don't worry, I wasn't going to forget about this little guy! Bachmann also produces a ten wheeler in N scale that's pretty nice. Unfortunately, the tender they provide with it is massive! It would look more at home with a mountain or a pacific than a little ten wheeler. Outside of that little bit though, the model is virtually identical to the larger HO cousin. A nice coreless motor inside provides for a smooth running model. 

I purchased an undec bachmann 4-6-0 and started brainstorming ideas for the little fellow. Later I found a bachmann USRA short tender that was a much more reasonable tender! I use this ten wheeler on my micro layout inside the house, so I did have to remove the front coupler (the pilot wheels would hit the screws). I used HOn3 C&S lettering to letter the tender and cab, this model of 312 is done as the pre-wreck and pre-burlington lettering version. I haven't changed near as much on this particular model. I would like to equip it with one of the large C&S plows to move the pilot forward to give myself even more room up there. Right now the model is equipped with a Lokpilot V5, I would like to swap it with a loksound nano and put a small speaker in the tender of this little guy. Maybe even a firebox flicker. 

Engineers side of the N scale 312

Firemans Side of 312

End of part 1

Well, that's everything I have for part 1 of modeling the C&S Class C-3E. I'll be back with additional parts as we wrap up HO 312 and N 312, as well as start on 309. 

Introductions

 Hello, and welcome to the Colorado & Southern Falcon Branch blog

This blog will cover my adventures in modeling the former Denver & New Orleans trackage that later became the Colorado & Southern Falcon Branch, otherwise known as the "Pollywog" by the locals along the route. The modeling will cover both N and HO scale 

I have lived in Falcon, Colorado for most of my life. Being a train nut from the beginning, of course I was drawn to the railroad history of the area. The Rock Island was of course easy to find information on, and a lot of the roadbed is still visible to this day, having lasted into the 1990s. I also knew a little of another railroad that came from the north and crossed the Rock Island at Falcon. Outside of knowing this, and seeing a bit of roadbed along highway 24, I never actually found out much about this railroad. Later on I would find out it was the mainline of the Denver and New Orleans railroad. 

In the beginning of 2022, I was in a bit of a modeling quandary. Our large local club the Pikemasters had lost their large home in Colorado Springs, and I had a lot of equipment intended for operating a large layout. This was coupled with my job really taking off in the last year, I work for the Pikes Peak Cog Railway and we had just reopened after our large rebuilding project. No longer did I have the free time I once had. I was a big Santa Fe modeler, and had dozens of locomotives to model the 60's. Without a concrete place to run all this accumulated stuff, I contemplated switching 100% over to N scale. Purchasing some kato unitrack and locomotives and rolling stock was a start in that direction. 

The big change came in January of 2022 when I saw a book by Jim Jones "Denver and New Orleans; In the shadow of the rockies". Having known the railroad came through Falcon, but not much else, I purchased the book. The book provided some very interesting insight into the railroad I had not known, and set my desires to model this oft forgotten railroad. This railroad is even left out of most historic railroad maps I've seen. 

The book that started it all. 

The Denver and New Orleans was a railroad formed to build from Denver to the Gulf of Mexico by John Evans, Second Territorial Governor of Colorado and also the man behind the Denver, South Park, and Pacific railroad as well. Construction began in 1881 and the railroad reached Pueblo by way of Elbert in 1882. Creating the first Denver to Pueblo standard gauge railroad (the D&RG had completed a narrow gauge route 10 years prior). Unfortunately that is where the D&NO ended, a lack of finances resulted in the railroad reorganising as the Denver, Texas and Gulf in 1885 and changing the goal from building to the Gulf, to connecting to the Fort Worth and Denver City building north from Texas. Eventually this connection would be made via a subsidiary company financed by General Grenville Dodge of Union Pacific fame. The railroad would come under control of the Union Pacific, Denver & Gulf in 1890 before being reorganised as part of the Colorado & Southern railroad in 1898 following the 1893 bankruptcy of the Union Pacific. 

The line from Denver to Pueblo was not ideal, having sharp curves and steep grades. So following the formation of the C&S, the railroad signed an agreement to use the Santa Fe trackage from Pueblo to Denver on August 10th, 1899. This created a "Joint line" between the two railroads and demoted the D&NO trackage to secondary usage. By 1906, all the trackage south of Franceville Junction had been Abandoned. The branchline from Colorado Springs to Manitou Junction (surprisingly nowhere near Manitou Springs) continued to operate, forming a U from Colorado Springs to Denver that paralleled the ATSF trackage.  In 1913, this Branch from Falcon to Colorado Springs was removed, leaving the former mainline as a mere Branchline to the town of Falcon and all trackage south of Falcon was removed by the time WWI had ended. The line became known at the "Pollywog" by the locals as the trains twisted and turned like a Tadpole as they ambled down the track. A flood in 1935 and competition from road operations spelled the end for the branchline, and the rails were pulled up to Conners near Denver. This 8.5 mile stretch continued to operate as a branchline until the 1980's and even hosted the Pioneer Zephyr for publicity shots. Today, a small amount of abandoned trackage still exists to the northwest of Evans and Holly Street in Denver. RTD still uses a portion of the right of way where the Colorado station on the light rail is located. The former South Denver yard of the C&S is now the location of the I25 & Broadway station as well.  Click here to see a map of the D&NO trackage as it was at its peak. 

The railroad intrigued me the more I learned about it, and I had some connection to it. I went to Falcon High School, located off Eastonville road. Eastonville Road was built on top of the former roadbed. I turned right at Judge Orr and Eastonville road, the location of the Water stop of Granger. The railroad after being truncated to a branchline to Falcon checks about every box I've ever seen on a model railroad branchline, and is the most "narrow gauge" of standard gauge branches I've ever seen. A handful of ten-wheelers plodded the trackage with short trains and combines on mixed trains a few days a week. There was even the obligatory doodlebug that came into play to cut down costs on the branchline. Throw in stock trains seasonally and it adds a bit of fun operation. This to me, was a very cool opportunity to model something nobody else had. 

I've built a micro-layout in N scale representing the town of Hilltop and plan to build some T-trak modules to take to shows featuring the C&S Falcon Branch. A bachmann 4-6-0 has been kitbashed to be a good C&S C-3E stand in and performs the duties of the primary N scale power. I plan to continue building small modules to take to shows in this scale. 

The micro layout as of July 2022. 

In HO, I have a 12x12 space, the modelshop, to build a layout in. I plan on modeling the branch terminus of Falcon, along with Eastonville, in this space. The end goal here is to create the "experience" of the branchline, not necessarily an exact replica. 

Two SD7's, either I left one in the dryer too long, or gave the other miracle grow......

While 638 was a little big for the branch, it did operate the Conner section quite often at the end of it's life. 638 is a BLi model.

Keep checking this blog for the modeling progress as I continue building layouts.