The Q did indeed survey a line all the way from Denver west to San Francisco in 1883-87 before calling an end to its plans for further westward expansion at that time. Initially, looking for sources of coal in Colorado, since its nearest supply was 700 miles east near Ottumwa, Iowa, the Q bought the surveys of the narrow gauge Denver, Utah & Pacific into and over the Rockies west of Denver, including the two partially bored tunnels near the summit of what became Rollins Pass on the Moffat Road. In 1883 the Q incorporated the Colorado Railway to inprove on the DU&P route for a standard gauge railroad and to continue on west. And continue west they did, completing the first survey through Gore and Glenwood canyons, up the Roaring Fork River to Aspen, and on down the Colorado River from Glenwood Springs to Rifle and beyond. The original hand-drawn maps of these surveys exist today in the library of the Colorado Railroad Museum! A preliminary survey was then run all the way to San Francisco, and the documentation of this is in the files of the Newberry Library in Chicago. In 1887 Q President Charles Elliot Perkins and UP President Charles Francis Adams, whose roads were battling to reach Aspen and Grand Junction, agreed that any construction they did should be for joint use by both roads. The Q then abandoned further efforts for a time, and when the Rio Grande built to Aspen, it did so largely over the route surveyed by the Burlington. And west of Glenwood Springs, the Rio Grande purchased a completed grade as far as New Castle from the Burlington. Sections of grade were completed in Glenwood Canyon by the Burlington -- on the north side, where the wagon road/automobile highway was subsequently built -- before the Rio Grande ever surveyed its route through the canyon on the south side. And a stretch of completed Burlington grade still exists today south of Carbondale in what was then known as Rock Creek Canyon (today the Crystal River), immediately above the grade of the Crystal River & San Juan Railroad.
And then there were the Q's plans in Alaska (including the purchase of at least one locomotive).
Hol
BTW -- I've completed another manuscript that details the history of the Denver, Utah & Pacific, which eventually metamorphosed into the Q's Lyons Branch out of Denver, as well as full information on the Burlington attempts to build on west from Denver. It may see the light of day as a Colorado Railroad Museum Annual some day.
To: CBQ@yahoogroups.com From: gamlenz@ihug.co.nz Date: Thu, 29 Dec 2011 12:38:38 +1300 Subject: Re: [CBQ] The Q was planning on going further west
Chuck
On the subject of the CB&Q's westward expansion, I found the following notes published in Railroad Gazette 1887
"A statement - which has been denied by the road's representatives – has been made to the effect that the South Pacific Coast road has been bought by the above company. The coast road is a narrow gauge line from San Francisco to Santa Cruz, Cal., and is controlled by Senator James G. Fair."
"It is rumored that Chicago, Burlington & Quincy will build the proposed line from Salt Lake to Los Angeles, receiving aid from a Western syndicate. This is nothing more than a rumor."
If these had been more than rumours, what effect would they have had on the CB&Q history? Obviously, the California Zephyr would have been a one company train. Would the company have grown enough to buy out GN and NP?
Rupert Gamlen
Auckland NZ
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, December 27, 2011 9:41 AM
Subject: [CBQ] The Q was planning on going further west
Friends of the Q:
That the CB&Q planned to build further west is not too surprising. Every railroad that looked to protect itself planned to build further west. But from a June 16, 1890 edition of the Anaconda, Montana, Standard comes this article about plans of the day.
It is thought that a move looking very much as if the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy were preparing to extend its line to Butte and the coast has been inaugurated.
Yesterday articles of incorporation of the Butte City, National Park & Southeastern railway company were filed for record with the county recorder. According to these articles the object of the company is to construct and operate a railway, the termini of which are to be in Silver Bow, Jefferson, Beaverhead, Madison, Gallatin and Lewis and Clarke counties. The general route of the road is set out as follows: From Butte southeasterly by way of Blacktail, Deer creek, the Pipestone pass and Little Pipestone creek to the Jefferson river valley in Jefferson county; thence by way of Jefferson and Ruby valleys and Alder gulch or some other practicable route to the Madison river valley near the town of Ennis; thence in a southerly direction through the Madison river valley to the summit of the Rocky mountains at or near Reynold's Pass on the southerly boundary of Montana. Branches are to be built from a point on the above line in the Madison valley southeasterly through the Madison basin to the western boundary of Yellowstone Park; also from a point in the Jefferson valley northerly by way of the Three Forks in Gallatin county to Helena in Lewis and Clarke county; also from Three Forks to Bozeman; also from some point in the Jefferson valley southerly to Dillon in Beaverhead county. The capital stock of this corporation is to be $1,000,000 divided into 10,000 shares. The principal place of business is to be in Butte where most of the directors will reside. The incorporators are Charles S. Warren, Wallace M. C. White, H. L. Frank, Lee Mantel, N. C. Ray, George W. Irvine, E. J. Carter, L. C. Trent and Joseph R. Clark. It is understood that the C. B. & Q. system is backing these gentlemen in their enterprise, that corporation having long been desirous of securing direct connection with Butte and surrounding country. It is being pushed at this time in order to secure the Pipestone pass which is now the only one leading into this city that is unoccupied. Mr. M. C. White was for a number of years among the leading officials of the Q system and his presence at this time is especially significant. A plat of the promised route has been filed with the secretary of the
interior at Washington.
The fact that the Burlington is now extending its Northwestern line into the region southeast of here, being already engaged in grading a line across the Black Hills, gives some color to the suggestion that the new company is backed by that powerful corporation. [There is one more sentence in the article, but it not readable.]
Chuck Hatler
KC MO
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