I remember getting this on DVD when I visited the Cog Railway in 2004. The DVD also had programs about the Georgetown Loop Railroad, White Pass and Yukon Route, and Eureka Springs and North Arkansas Railway.
42 years I lived in Colorado Springs. 5 months I have lived in Texas. I found this and about said I am heading home. I took this all for granted when I lived there. Such a beauty unlike anywhere else in the country. I can't tell how old this is, but I am thinking late 90's - early 2000's. I saw someone I went to high school with in the video! lol
The program was shot in 1990 and released in 1991. This version has the most recent revisions made in 1998. Great that you saw someone you knew from High School.
14:28 The original version used different footage, and shows that while this looks just like two passenger trains passing, it was actually a three train meet between two passenger trains and a work train. And what actually went on is that the work train traveled uphill of the siding. Then the uphill passenger train entered the mainline track. Then the work train used the siding to circle around the uphill train, then backed all the way up to the uphill train on the main track. Then the downhill passenger train went through the siding, and then once it cleared, the uphill train resumed its journey and the work train went back downhill. That version also used different footage for the downhill meet at 26:35.
I shot that. We called it Waltz of the Cog Trains. There was one cameraman, me, Fortunately there were a lot of trains and time to move my position. Finally, I used "match action" editing to have it look like there were multiple cameramen. It was great fun. Some years later, they lengthened the siding at Windy Point so both sections of a train would fit simultaneously. So this complex maneuver was no longer necessary and the railroad asked me to replace it with the simple passing of trains, not nearly as interesting.
As a teen, I climbed Bar Trail....twice. The second time was because I had forgotten how hard the first time was. Now in my 60's, the cog railway seems a much better choice.
Thank you for uploading this. This was very interesting. Since living in Colorado, I’ve always been fascinated by its history, especially with the cog. Especially since the entire line is being rebuilt, along with having new rail cars.
You are welcome. I too have enjoyed the Cog for a long time. I'm glad I produced this program on the old cog since there are major changes happening. It will not look the same in 2021 when it opens.
This gets another big fat thumbs up. Very cool vintage quality. Yep, I'm another Coloradan living elsewhere (Vegas) I still consider Colorado home, family still there. It's getting overcrowded and that concerns me.
Correct. My memory fades but there were 3 versions that kept up with changes to the railroad. The version I recently posted here was the most recent version.
@@KCWanderlust And it was fun to film. I spent most of a day filming since I was the entire crew. Fortunately, they were running 8 trains that day. Then, the edit required lots of planning. I was disappointed when the railroad lengthened the passing siding and wanted the scenes removed.
I understand that years ago, oxygen was carried on the train. I heard they stopped when changes in the law would require that each train have nurse on board to administer the oxygen. I do not know if this is true or not.
Agreed. Steam loco No. 4 last ran in scheduled revenue service in 1959. It was used as a steam source for melting ice in 1964. It was put back into service for excursions in the mid-1980s which is when I shot this video. It is out of service now because the complete $100 million rebuild of the railroad in 2017-2019 included a change in the the type of rack rail along the entire line. The steam loco cog gear would have to change to match the new rack rail as well as its mounting (probably). The railroad has talked about doing this but it is very low priority. Last I heard, the loco is on display at Williams, Arizona, the southern end of the Grand Canyon Railroad. The matching steam coach was in Pueblo, Colorado. The other problem would be schedule. The newly rebuilt railroad will carry twice as many passengers as the old railroad so track time will be tighter. When I rode steam excursions in the 1980s and 1990s, they were always on an Autumn weekday when track time was plentiful. I remember one trip when we just stopped on the mainline, got out and had a picnic in a meadow next to the railroad! I doubt that will ever happen again.
Hello Mr. Wiatrowski. We spoke briefly by phone and you gave me your email address to contact you further. The email seems not to work- I am at a .edu domain which is often picky about who I can email. Below is the email message as well as my contact information. Hello Mr. Wiatrowski, I am part of the Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College. We are a non- profit, professional theatre company semi attached to the College. As we cannot be producing live theatre right now, we have been forced to find other ways to engage our community. We are in the midst of creating and producing a series of original radio plays based on people and happenings of the Pikes Peak region. They are being offered both as audio programs and as an online/streaming version with images and video accompanying the audio. It will be first offered to our season subscribers and then released online for a nominal watch fee. It will never be offered for sale as a permanent download, but may eventually be released on our theatre company website for free viewing.
We are currently working on a play that touches on people who worked on the Cog Railway. I was hoping to integrate a few snippets from your 1991 video about the railway. I would not be using any of the audio, as we are using the audio from the radio play. The sections depicting the workers on the railway itself along with the shots of the passengers would work well with the action and the era our play describes.
We currently have an arrangement with Pikes Peak Library District and Colorado College Tutt Library to use photo elements from their Special Collections in our plays with the agreement that their name will be featured prominently in the credits section. We made a similar arrangement with Pikes Peak International Hillclimb for a play earlier this year, and would do the same with any person or institution that allowed us to use their images. Here is a link to a video we made for a radio play that touched on the Pikes Peak Hill Climb if you would like to see an example of how we are using our source’s video. th-cam.com/video/t8SO6v7IAP0/w-d-xo.html
I would be happy to answer any additional questions you might have. Thank you for your help, Holly ---- HOLLY A. RAWLS she/her/hers Lighting Director/ Resident Lighting Designer CSFAC Theater Company @ CC COLORADO SPRINGS FINE ARTS CENTER AT COLORADO COLLEGE hrawls@coloradocollege.edu o (719) 477-4364
How do we know they called it "son of a gun " hill? Seems like a cleaned up politically correct version of what an 1891 fireman would've have called it....
When the conductors tell this story, they are talking to a train full of families so they cleaned up the phrase. This video was primarily sold by the conductors on the train. You are absolutely correct, the original phrase was more "colorful."
I figured. I received this video after my trip in 1993. As I've grown I've become more interested in local history as a native born Coloradoan. The caliber of many people who were here in 1891 is fascinating. Most of whom were not wealthy vacationing Easterners and European but the people who had the mettle to survive beyond the Mississippi in the worst conditions imaginable.
I remember getting this on DVD when I visited the Cog Railway in 2004. The DVD also had programs about the Georgetown Loop Railroad, White Pass and Yukon Route, and Eureka Springs and North Arkansas Railway.
The background music is right out if the 70's.
The music is from a Hollywood composer and he created the music track in the late 1980s so you are very close!
42 years I lived in Colorado Springs. 5 months I have lived in Texas. I found this and about said I am heading home. I took this all for granted when I lived there. Such a beauty unlike anywhere else in the country. I can't tell how old this is, but I am thinking late 90's - early 2000's. I saw someone I went to high school with in the video! lol
The program was shot in 1990 and released in 1991. This version has the most recent revisions made in 1998. Great that you saw someone you knew from High School.
@@trainclaude Made me a bit nostalgic and homesick, not gonna lie. Again, thanks for posting it!
Looked like the track crew was wearing 1978 shorts and tube socks.
14:28 The original version used different footage, and shows that while this looks just like two passenger trains passing, it was actually a three train meet between two passenger trains and a work train. And what actually went on is that the work train traveled uphill of the siding. Then the uphill passenger train entered the mainline track. Then the work train used the siding to circle around the uphill train, then backed all the way up to the uphill train on the main track. Then the downhill passenger train went through the siding, and then once it cleared, the uphill train resumed its journey and the work train went back downhill.
That version also used different footage for the downhill meet at 26:35.
I shot that. We called it Waltz of the Cog Trains. There was one cameraman, me, Fortunately there were a lot of trains and time to move my position. Finally, I used "match action" editing to have it look like there were multiple cameramen. It was great fun. Some years later, they lengthened the siding at Windy Point so both sections of a train would fit simultaneously. So this complex maneuver was no longer necessary and the railroad asked me to replace it with the simple passing of trains, not nearly as interesting.
As a teen, I climbed Bar Trail....twice. The second time was because I had forgotten how hard the first time was. Now in my 60's, the cog railway seems a much better choice.
Fantastic video!
Thanks, Mike.
Wow great info. Thank you for your time on this 📹
Thank you for uploading this. This was very interesting. Since living in Colorado, I’ve always been fascinated by its history, especially with the cog. Especially since the entire line is being rebuilt, along with having new rail cars.
You are welcome. I too have enjoyed the Cog for a long time. I'm glad I produced this program on the old cog since there are major changes happening. It will not look the same in 2021 when it opens.
@@trainclaude indeed. It’s a shame the steam locomotives won’t be used anymore though. But those machines are very old so they need to be retired.
This gets another big fat thumbs up. Very cool vintage quality.
Yep, I'm another Coloradan living elsewhere (Vegas) I still consider Colorado home, family still there. It's getting overcrowded and that concerns me.
Thanks for uploading these videos!
You are welcome.
33:43 My favorite scene is the steam locomotive. Do you think I’ll build live steam replicas of that engine & coach someday?
Wow, this is slightly different from the original VHS I've been watching all these years!
Correct. My memory fades but there were 3 versions that kept up with changes to the railroad. The version I recently posted here was the most recent version.
@@trainclaude I really like the "3 trains need to pass" scene in the original(?). Superbly filmed.
@@KCWanderlust And it was fun to film. I spent most of a day filming since I was the entire crew. Fortunately, they were running 8 trains that day. Then, the edit required lots of planning. I was disappointed when the railroad lengthened the passing siding and wanted the scenes removed.
someone should open an Oxygen Bar on the peak, I have never felt that sick from lack of oxygen.
I understand that years ago, oxygen was carried on the train. I heard they stopped when changes in the law would require that each train have nurse on board to administer the oxygen. I do not know if this is true or not.
They should put a steam engine back in service
Agreed. Steam loco No. 4 last ran in scheduled revenue service in 1959. It was used as a steam source for melting ice in 1964. It was put back into service for excursions in the mid-1980s which is when I shot this video. It is out of service now because the complete $100 million rebuild of the railroad in 2017-2019 included a change in the the type of rack rail along the entire line. The steam loco cog gear would have to change to match the new rack rail as well as its mounting (probably). The railroad has talked about doing this but it is very low priority. Last I heard, the loco is on display at Williams, Arizona, the southern end of the Grand Canyon Railroad. The matching steam coach was in Pueblo, Colorado. The other problem would be schedule. The newly rebuilt railroad will carry twice as many passengers as the old railroad so track time will be tighter. When I rode steam excursions in the 1980s and 1990s, they were always on an Autumn weekday when track time was plentiful. I remember one trip when we just stopped on the mainline, got out and had a picnic in a meadow next to the railroad! I doubt that will ever happen again.
Is this in Afrika?
Hello Mr. Wiatrowski. We spoke briefly by phone and you gave me your email address to contact you further. The email seems not to work- I am at a .edu domain which is often picky about who I can email. Below is the email message as well as my contact information.
Hello Mr. Wiatrowski,
I am part of the Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College. We are a non- profit, professional theatre company semi attached to the College. As we cannot be producing live theatre right now, we have been forced to find other ways to engage our community. We are in the midst of creating and producing a series of original radio plays based on people and happenings of the Pikes Peak region. They are being offered both as audio programs and as an online/streaming version with images and video accompanying the audio. It will be first offered to our season subscribers and then released online for a nominal watch fee. It will never be offered for sale as a permanent download, but may eventually be released on our theatre company website for free viewing.
We are currently working on a play that touches on people who worked on the Cog Railway. I was hoping to integrate a few snippets from your 1991 video about the railway. I would not be using any of the audio, as we are using the audio from the radio play. The sections depicting the workers on the railway itself along with the shots of the passengers would work well with the action and the era our play describes.
We currently have an arrangement with Pikes Peak Library District and Colorado College Tutt Library to use photo elements from their Special Collections in our plays with the agreement that their name will be featured prominently in the credits section. We made a similar arrangement with Pikes Peak International Hillclimb for a play earlier this year, and would do the same with any person or institution that allowed us to use their images.
Here is a link to a video we made for a radio play that touched on the Pikes Peak Hill Climb if you would like to see an example of how we are using our source’s video.
th-cam.com/video/t8SO6v7IAP0/w-d-xo.html
I would be happy to answer any additional questions you might have.
Thank you for your help,
Holly
----
HOLLY A. RAWLS
she/her/hers
Lighting Director/ Resident Lighting Designer
CSFAC Theater Company @ CC
COLORADO SPRINGS FINE ARTS CENTER
AT COLORADO COLLEGE
hrawls@coloradocollege.edu
o (719) 477-4364
How do we know they called it "son of a gun " hill? Seems like a cleaned up politically correct version of what an 1891 fireman would've have called it....
When the conductors tell this story, they are talking to a train full of families so they cleaned up the phrase. This video was primarily sold by the conductors on the train. You are absolutely correct, the original phrase was more "colorful."
I figured. I received this video after my trip in 1993. As I've grown I've become more interested in local history as a native born Coloradoan. The caliber of many people who were here in 1891 is fascinating. Most of whom were not wealthy vacationing Easterners and European but the people who had the mettle to survive beyond the Mississippi in the worst conditions imaginable.
hi @trainclaude, i live in switzerland and i am very interested by this film. Is there a way to contact you directly ?