2022-08-25_PERMIT FILE - C1981012 (13)

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New Elk Mine Bridge Repair and Replacement Project arcadis.com New Elk Mine Cultural Report_TB_Rev030722 NOT FOR PUBLIC DISCLOSURE 13 3.2 Alterations to the Colorado and Wyoming Railroad The southern division of the C&W was initially constructed in 1900, beginning at a connection with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway at Jansen and continuing approximately 12 miles west to Segundo by May 1901. This segment also included a small branch to the mines at Sopris, where the C&W could connect with the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad. From Segundo, a branch line was constructed to the north along Smith Canyon to the Primero Mine by June 1901, while the main line continued west from Segundo to Weston by October 1901. At Weston, the original C&W corridor turned southward toward the CF&I's new coal mine and coke ovens at Tercio, which it reached in March 1902. Due to extensive flooding along the Purgatoire River, modifications were made to the C&W before construction had even been completed. In the summer of 1901, a series of floods severely damaged the track, washing out a mile of track between Jansen and Sopris and damaging other segments of track, as well as bridges and culverts. Most of the original bridges along the C&W corridor between Jansen and Weston were timber trestle bridges, many of which could not withstand the frequent floods of the Purgatoire River. In 1902, 38 of the 75 original bridges constructed between Jansen and Weston were replaced with stronger types of bridges, including concrete box culverts, plate deck girder bridges, or timber stringer bridges supported by concrete abutments and piers. Six of the timber bridges crossing the Purgatoire River were replaced with single- and double-span steel Pratt through-truss bridges. Despite the early modifications, the C&W corridor continued to be plagued by flooding, which destroyed bridges and washed-out sections of track again in 1904 and 1909. In 1951, the C&W was extended westward from Weston to the new Allen Mine near Stonewall, and the old C&W segment between Weston and Tercio was abandoned and removed. Also in 1951 and 1952, the C&W underwent an extensive rehabilitation of the railroad corridor between Jansen and Weston in preparation of switching from steam engines to heavier diesel locomotives. This required the replacement of several of the bridges and culverts along the C&W, as well as the replacement of the old 85-pound rails with 115-pound rails. In the 1970s, the USACE began construction on a dam that would reroute the Purgatoire River and create a large reservoir in the effort to protect the city of Trinidad and the surrounding area from flooding. This project required the C&W to reroute the corridor between Jansen Rail Yard and Madrid to the south. The old railroad grade, as well as most of the mining town of Sopris, was submerged beneath Trinidad Lake in 1976. The railroad continued to operate until circa 1990, after which the tracks were removed during the 1990s and early 2000s.