Podcast Episode 75 - The Colorado Midland's Mighty 300 Series Engines

When the Colorado Midland Midway began operations, it did to with an impressive collection of locomotives. Chief among these were the powerful engines identified by the CM as the 300 Series.

Colorado Midland Engine 303, at Basalt preparing for helper duties. The tender pictured here would be lost as the result of a derailment and be replaced with the one from 301 after its accident. Photo from the Leo Heller Collection as published in Colorado Midland by Morris Cafky.

The recovery of the boiler of Engine 301 which, upon explosion, flew forward over 200 feet to land on a livestock car. Photo by B. Y. Shire, from the Leo Heller Collection as published in Colorado Midland by Morris Cafky.

The road wheels of Engine 301 after its explosion, being prepared for transport to the CM’s Colorado City Shops. The 301 would be rebuilt and outlast the Colorado Midland Railway. Photo by B. Y. Shire, from the Leo Heller Collection as published in Colorado Midland by Morris Cafky.

CM Engine 14 as the road engine for Train Number 5, with Engine 302 cut in as helper engine just behind 14. The train is just starting to make its run up Ute Pass.. Photo from the Clyde H. Prosser collection as published in Colorado Midland by Morris Cafky.

A sad end to a once proud beast. Formerly the Colorado Midland’s Engine 304, the Nacional de Mexico 1437 was scrapped in 1953. Photo Arnelmo Salas as published in Colorado Midland by Morris Cafky.

Measurements and specifications for the 300 Series locomotives and their tenders. Folio sheet from the E. J. Haley Collection as published in Colorado Midland by Morris Cafky.

The original Consolidation 2-8-0 from the Baldwin Locomotive Works, designed by Alexander Mitchell and built for the Lehigh Valley Railroad. Photo from the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania as published in The Baldwin Locomotive Works: 1831-1915 by John K. Brown.

This is an excellent video for gaining knowledge on how a steam locomotive works, and it is designed around a 2-8-0 Consolidation engine, similar to the 300 Series of the Colorado Midland. One difference, though, is that the engine in this video is oil-fired while the engines of the Colorado Midland were coal-fired.

Related Podcast Episodes:

The Two Types of Railroads into the Gold District: https://www.storiesfromthemidland.com/podcast/the-two-types-of-railroads-into-the-gold-district

References:

Llanso, S. (n. d.). Delaware, Susquehanna & Schuylkill / Lehigh & Mahanoy / Lehigh Valley / Ligonier Valley 2-8-0 "Consolidation" Locomotives in the USA. Steam Locomotive dot Com. https://www.steamlocomotive.com/locobase.php?country=USA&wheel=2-8-0&railroad=lv. Retrieved July 23, 2023 

Llano, S. (n. d.). Colorado Midland 2-8-0 "Consolidation" Locomotives in the USA. Steam Locomotive dot Com. https://www.steamlocomotive.com/locobase.php?country=USA&wheel=2-8-0&railroad=cm#16006. Retrieved July 23, 2023.

Llano, S. (n. d.). NDEM: Central Mexicano / Fundidora de Fierro y Acero de Monterey / Internacional Mexicano / Interoceanico / Interoceanico Mexicano / Mexicano del Sur / Mexico del Norte / Michoacan & Pacific Railway / Nacional Mexicano / Nacional de Mexico / Nacional de Tehuantepec / Rio Mayo / San Marcos y Tecolutla / Vera Cruz a Alvarado / Veracruz al Pacifico 2-8-0 Locomotives in Mexico. Steam Locomotive dot Com. https://www.steamlocomotive.com/locobase.php?country=Mexico&wheel=2-8-0&railroad=ndem#11977. Retrieved July 23, 2023.

Holmes, H. J. (1912, October 10). Explosion on Midland. The Avalanche Echo. 5.

Walker, W. (1912, October 10). Later Details of Engine Explosion. The Daily Sentinel. 5.

Walker, W. (1912, October 10). Clegg Funeral to Be Held Here. The Daily Sentinel. 1.

Author Unknown. (1912, October 10). Two Men Are Killed When Engine Boiler Explodes on Grade. The Rocky Mountain News. 1.

Holmes, H. J. (1912, October 17). Cardiff. The Avalanche Echo. 7.

Cafky, M. (1965). Colorado Midland. Rocky Mountain Railroad Club.

Brown, J. K. (1995). The Baldwin Locomotive Works: 1831-1915. The Johns Hopkins University Press. https://doi.org/10.56021/9780801850479

NTSB Investigator. (1995, June 16). Steam Locomotive Firebox Explosion on the Gettysburg Railroad Near Gardners, Pennsylvania. The National Transportation Safety Board.

Rio Grande Info. (2011, August 28). The Colorado Midland Railway. https://www.drgw.net/info/ColoradoMidland. Retrieved July 23, 2023.

Nashville Steam. (2022, April 6). How a Steam Locomotive Works [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUzmtnQGBYQ.

Worlds In Motion. (2023, May 8). How a Steam Engine Works [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYOlGYoM_cw

Burns, A. (2023, May 11). 2-8-0 “Consolidation” Locomotives. American-Rails.com. https://www.american-rails.com/consolidation.html. Referenced July 23, 2023.