C&S' Forks Creek today

This video shows the site of Forks Creek today. Forks Creek was where the Colorado & Southern Railway's narrow gauge Clear Creek Line (formerly the Colorado Central) diverged with one segment to Black Hawk and Central City and the other to Idaho Springs and the Georgetown Loop. A number of structures existed at this spot. The only clear reminder of the site from early photographs is the distinctive rocks. The railroad abandoned the line in 1941.
The main Now and Then photo is a Jackson Thode photo from May 30, 1939 found in Tom and Denise Klinger's Clear Creek District Memories and Then Some book.
www.railroadph...

[@BruceMBeals]

The transitions from old to new photos are fabulous.

[@searchingforthecsnarrowgau8853]

Thanks! That's my favorite part to do.

[@billtimmons7071]

I'd give a double thumbs up if I could. Very nicely done. These videos make the hobby better.

[@searchingforthecsnarrowgau8853]

Thanks! I send double thumbs up to you as well 😂

[@jgrahamiii7749]

I really enjoy you postings. When I lived in Colorado I walked or drove many of the places you have chronicled. I have seen this most recent site several times when I would be going or from Denver for my job. As this was in the early 90's when I did this, I can't vouch for how much of the old roadbed is still there. There was much left, along with abandoned bridge abutments then.

[@searchingforthecsnarrowgau8853]

@@jgrahamiii7749 A lot of the roadbed in Clear Creek is still there. They have been building this whole network of walking/biking trails in the canyon and, while it sometimes is on the grade and sometimes not, it at least makes the grade somewhat more accessible. There are still abutments too. A little west of Forks Creek, we came upon a set of abutments that were for Bridge No. 5. I'm pretty sure the Elk Creek bridge abutment is still there too. Lots of rock cribbing is very visible too.

[@diggingthewest7981]

I'll have to make a video short with a few of my rail road relics or at least what I have left.
I spent a lot of time along the transcontinental, but still looking for another C&S padlock, sold one a few years back.

[@ryanhull3171]

Great documentary.Is that walking path on the right away?

[@searchingforthecsnarrowgau8853]

If you start near US 6 Tunnel 5, the path is on the ROW. After a short distance there are bridge abutments showing where the RR crossed to the opposite side. The ROW crosses back to the path before the abandoned Tunnel 4 (no abutments there), shortly before Forks Creek.

[@KandWRailroader]

Cool video! Thank you! I love the C&S!

[@searchingforthecsnarrowgau8853]

Thanks! I love the C&S too!

[@hughwolfe1176]

This brings back some memories…
Many years ago my first wife and I decided we should hike in to clear creek, around where inspiration point was. We came in from the I-70 side as I remember. This was April and neither of us had any knowledge of tick season. Needless to say the ticks descended upon us in droves and we wound up standing in the bushes half naked removing ticks from one another…
Think I’ve a postcard postmarked at Forks.

[@searchingforthecsnarrowgau8853]

That's quite a tale! Where did you pick up that postcard?

[@hughwolfe1176]

@@searchingforthecsnarrowgau8853 Probably one of the cards I’d purchased in Denver during the years that I lived there. I’d had a routine of visiting the antique shops on South Broadway, walking distance from my residence at the time. Back then you could get postcards for 10¢, 25¢ may have been as much as a dollar, nowadays there much more expensive…
I just searched eBay and didn’t see a Forks Creek postmark, but there are several cards depicting Forks Creek station. Keep an eye out and you’ll find one.

[@hughwolfe1176]

Well the YT police deleted my first response so I’ll try again. Think I’d purchased that card in Denver many years ago. It was a “Mother Grundy” card that I’d found for $1.

[@diggingthewest7981]

Back in the early 90's in a crevice,I found part of a hobnail boot and a rubber hose with a small red C&S stamped on it. Very familiar with all the CC canyon stations, as I've been to and searched most of them with a detector. Shame to see that stupid path and citified areas in the canyon, lost its charm.

[@searchingforthecsnarrowgau8853]

What a great find! I know I can't have everything I want, but if they are going to build a walking path I wish they would at least put up a few historical signs to at least honor what was there before and help educate others on the history of the railroad.

[@diggingthewest7981]

@searchingforthecsnarrowgau8853 They could care less about history and its piss poor (sorry). They're more interested in appeasing to the new wave of transplants. They've removed a few of the stone walls as well. There's a few spots where sections of tracks are still in the creek. Might still be a section over by Beaver Brook. The same thing was basically done at Golden Gate City at the G.G. canyon entrance. Hurried up and built over the historic ghost town before anyone could stop it. I grew up.
Close to Clear Creek Canyon, I spent a lifetime in that canyon.There isn't a whole lot of people that know it better than I do, if you ever need any help Just holler. Great page, subbed!