Colorado Central Standard Gauge Timeline

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This page was last updated on May 14, 2010.

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(see also: Colorado Central History Page)

Standard Gauge Timeline

February 9, 1865
Colorado & Clear Creek Railroad created by Colorado Territorial legislature; Colorado's first railroad

January 20, 1866
The name of Colorado & Clear Creek Railroad was changed to Colorado Central & Pacific Railroad

May 1867
Ground was broken at Denver for the construction of the Colorado Central & Pacific Railroad (The Colorado Road, page 9)

January 14, 1868
The name of the Colorado Central & Pacific Railroad was changed to Colorado Central Railroad.

1868
UP sold its number 3 to Colorado Central as CC's first locomotive.

June 22, 1870
Denver Pacific Railway & Telegraph Company (controlled by Kansas Pacific interests) completed its line between Denver and and a connection with Union Pacific at Cheyenne.

September 1, 1870
Kansas Pacific Railway reached Denver from Kansas City.

1870
UP sold a locomotive to Colorado Central, numbered as CC 2 (1st), ex UPRR 56. (The former UPRR number 3 had been on CC since 1868 as CC number 1.)

March 1870
As competition to Kansas Pacific and Denver Pacific, in March 1870 Union Pacific agreed to finance the extension of Colorado Central's line north from Golden to a connection with Union Pacific near Cheyenne. (Klein, page 345)

September 23, 1870
Completed construction of standard gauge Colorado Central Railroad between Denver and Golden (17 miles). This line was built by Union Pacific interests as the start of a competing route to the locally-owned Denver Pacific's line between Denver and Cheyenne. (Wagner, page 9)

(CC 2 was apparently wrecked or damaged beyond repair at sometime during 1870-1871; check Denver newspapers for news report)

1871-1872
UP sold two locomotives to Colorado Central, numbered as CC 2 (2nd) (ex UPRR 2) and CC 3 (ex UPRR 6).

October 11, 1872
The line between Denver and Arapahoe (14 miles) was converted from standard gauge to dual gauge to allow narrow gauge trains to travel from Denver, west to the mines in Clear Creek Canyon.

April 1873
Completed construction of standard gauge line north from Arapahoe (three miles east of Golden) north to Longmont (47 miles). (Klein, page 346)

1874
UP sold one locomotive to Colorado Central, numbered as CC 4 (ex UPRR 60).

July 1877
Construction started of standard gauge line between Longmont, Colorado and a connection with UP's line in Wyoming, just west of Cheyenne. (Wagner, page 9)

November 7, 1877
Completed construction of standard gauge line between Longmont and Hazard, Wyoming, a connection with UP just west of Cheyenne (65 miles). (Wagner, page 10)

1878
UP sold four locomotives to Colorado Central, numbered as CC 5, 6, 91 and 92.

December 1878
Colorado Central 7 was delivered new to CC; purchased by Union Pacific for the benefit of CC.

March 1, 1879
Colorado Central Railroad was leased to Union Pacific Railroad for 50 years, and the name was changed to Union Pacific Railroad, Colorado Division. (Athearn, page 224; New York Times , February 28, 1879)

March 7, 1879
Jay Gould, Sidney Dillon, and their associates agreed to purchase controlling interest in the Kansas Pacific Railway, which had been in receivership since November 1876. (New York Times, March 7, 1879) The control took the form of Gould making a deal with the road's bondholders to settle all their claims and guarantee payment on the bonds. (New York Times, March 9, 1879) This action came after Union Pacific and Kansas Pacific had tried several times since 1875 when Gould had controlled UP, to reach agreeable terms for rate and traffic sharing.

Kansas Pacific controlled Denver Pacific, meaning that UP through its control of Kansas Pacific and Denver Pacific, had a direct route from Denver to Cheyenne, making their interest in Colorado Central much less important.

July 1880
Construction started of Colorado Central Julesburg Branch, between Julesburg on the UP mainline, and La Salle on the Denver Pacific; construction by UP crews with UP financing. Colorado Central Julesburg Branch did not connect with Colorado Central.

January 1, 1882
Operation began from Julesburg, Colorado to La Salle (intermediate points completed and placed in service in July and November 1881)

At La Salle, the Colorado Central Julesburg Branch connected with Denver Pacific Railway (completed in 1870 and controlled by Union Pacific after 1880).

Union Pacific sold ten locomotives to Colorado Central for use on the Julesburg District, numbered as CCJB 8-17

May 1882
Burlington & Colorado Railroad completed to Denver, building from the Nebraska-Colorado line; controlled by Chicago Burlington & Quincy Railroad from July 1880 (along with Burlington & Missouri River Railroad); remained as a separate corporation until merged with CB&Q in February 1908.

1882
Greeley Salt Lake & Pacific Railway (controlled by UP) was completed as an east-west connection between Greeley (on Denver Pacific) and Fort Collins (on Colorado Central)

May 14, 1885
Denver Marshall & Boulder Railway completed its direct Denver-Boulder route; controlled by UP after 1882, giving UP a direct route that bypassed the Colorado Central's longer Denver-Golden-Boulder route

1885
All 18 Colorado Central Railroad standard gauge locomotives were renumbered into UP's system-wide numbering pattern; included were eight Colorado Central Railroad "broad gauge" locomotives, numbered 2-7, 91, and 92, along with ten "Colorado Central Julesburg Branch" locomotives, numbered 8-17.

1889
Colorado Central Railroad between Fort Collins and UP connection just west of Cheyenne was abandoned (45 miles). UP's Denver Pacific line was shorter between Denver and Cheyenne, with most UP traffic moving by that connection.

1889
The portion of the original Colorado Central line between Golden and Louisville was abandoned in favor of operations over Denver Marshall & Boulder Railway's Denver-Boulder line (Colorado Central and DM&B were both controlled by UP at the time). This DM&B line later became the C&S mainline north from Denver to Boulder, Longmont, and Fort Collins.

A new line was built in 1911 by the C&S to directly connect Fort Collins with Cheyenne, allowing C&S to stop operating its trains over the tracks of UP's former Greeley Salt Lake & Pacific from Fort Collins to Greeley, and over UP's former Denver Pacific between Greeley and Cheyenne. (Wagner, pages 19, 28)

April 1, 1890
Colorado Central Railroad (standard gauge and narrow gauge) became part of Union Pacific Denver & Gulf Railway, along with 11 other UP-controlled railroads in Colorado and New Mexico (Texas lines not included due to Texas corporation laws) (Wagner, page 19)

November 25, 1893
UPD&G Ry was sold under foreclosure to its creditors and bondholders.

January 11, 1899
All of the standard gauge UPD&G (including the former Colorado Central Julesburg Branch) and narrow gauge Denver Leadville & Gunnison were reorganized as the newly organized Colorado & Southern Railway. The tracks of the new C&S extended from Orin Junction, Wyoming (connection with CB&Q) in the north, to Texline, Texas (connection with Forth Worth & Denver) in the south. (Wagner, page 21)

February 6, 1899
As part of the settlement of the UPRy 1893 bankruptcy, UPD&G's former Colorado Central Julesburg Branch, from La Salle to Julesburg, also known as the Julesburg District, was sold to the new Union Pacific Railroad; CCJB had been financed and built by Union Pacific.

The settlement gave the tracks of the Julesburg District to UP, but the 18 locomotives (eight former CC and ten former CCJB) remained with UPD&G and many became C&S locomotives.

Narrow Gauge Timeline

October 11, 1872
The Colorado Central line between Denver and Arapahoe (14 miles) was converted from standard gauge to dual gauge to allow narrow gauge trains to travel from Denver, west to the mines in Clear Creek Canyon.

December 15, 1872
Completed construction of narrow gauge line from Golden to Black Hawk, by way of Clear Creek Canyon and North Clear Creek Canyon.

August 14, 1877
There was a "last spike" ceremony for Colorado Central's narrow gauge line in Clear Creek Canyon to Georgetown. (Wagner, page 9)

May 16, 1878
Colorado Central's narrow gauge line was extended from Black Hawk to Central City. (Wagner, page 9)

February 23, 1881
Union Pacific organized the Georgetown, Breckenridge & Leadville Railway to extend the Colorado Central narrow gauge west from Georgetown to Leadville. Construction was only completed to Bakerville (later Graymont), four miles west of Georgetown, but included the well-known Georgetown Loop between Georgetown and Silver Plume. (Wagner, page 11)

February 1884
The line to Silver Plume and Graymont was put into service. Passenger service started on March 31, 1884. (Wagner, page 13)

April 1, 1890
Colorado Central Railroad (narrow gauge and standard gauge) became part of Union Pacific Denver & Gulf Railway, along with 11 other UP-controlled railroads in Colorado and New Mexico (Texas lines not included due to Texas corporation laws) (Wagner, page 19)

November 25, 1893
UPD&G Ry was sold under foreclosure to its creditors and bondholders.

Locomotives

Colorado Central Railroad Standard Gauge Locomotives

Colorado Central Railroad Narrow Gauge Locomotives

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