|
Colorado & Southern A personal memory of the standard gauge Grenard Soft Cover
Colorado & Southern A personal memory of the standard gauge by Grenard Soft Cover 1987 64 pages
This is not intended to serve as a definitive work on the Colorado and Southern, but rather a personal reminiscence of a relatively short period of time in its existence.
It was easy at first glance to dismiss its standard gauge operations as but a mirror image of those carried on by the Burlington. For many, they were but an appendage to those carried on by its narrow guage trains. Both arguments are partially true, for the C&S was a subsidiary of the CB&Q and in turn the Burlington Northern during most of its corporate existence, and the heritage brought to it by such legendary properties as the Denver South Park and Pacific is a most compelling one. Yet they are not totally correct.
For the C&S was formed in 1898 from a group of railroads whose purposes were disparate, and which had been severed from the Union Pacific during its reorganization in the 1890s. What emerged, other than the narrrow gauge lines, was a basic north-south railroad operating not through the Rockies, but parallel to them, and linking the high plains of Colorado with the ports of the Gulf of Mexico in one direction and the Pacific Northwest in the other. It was this quality which at. tracted James J. Hill and resulted in its acquisition for his railroad empire in 1908. Despite the Burlington control, it maintained a degree of independence, remaining to the end the only Class I carrier incorporated under the laws of Colorado, and in many ways posessed its own identity and corporate culture.
Properly defining the attraction of the C&S during the years recalled here is a difficult one. For it posessed few of the attractions of its neighbors. Its traffic density was lean in comparison with some, its locomotives ranged from elderly to middle-aged, and yet there was an indefinable quality felt by many which drew them to it, particularly in the latter days of steam.
Let us then return to that more innocent era, when the C&S, shaped by its heredity and its environment, existed as both a corporate and operating entity to move passengers and freight, and to leave an indelible impression on those of us who were present.
All pictures are of the actual item. If this is a railroad item, this material is obsolete and no longer in use by the railroad. Please email with questions. Publishers of Train Shed Cyclopedias and Stephans Railroad Directories. Large inventory of railroad books and magazines. Thank you for buying from us.
Shipping charges
Postage rates quoted are for shipments to the US only. Ebay Global shipping charges are shown. These items are shipped to Kentucky and then ebay ships them to you. Ebay collects the shipping and customs / import fees. For direct postage rates to these countries, send me an email. Shipping to Canada and other countries varies by weight.
Payment options
Payment must be received within 10 days. Paypal is accepted.
Terms and conditions
All sales are final. Returns accepted if item is not as described. Contact us first. No warranty is stated or implied. Please e-mail us with any questions before bidding.
Thanks for looking at our items.
| 
