I was wondering if I could find some information and photos of a stretch of BNSF mainline that is near my house in Broomfield, CO.
Do the railroads document construction of mainlines that are available to the public?
Generally not in any detail. Historical societies would be a better source possibly.
First step would probably be consulting old maps (there are some vintage RR map reproduction books around, you might find one at a local library) to find out who built the line. Remember BNSF is only 15 years old or so, so the line would probably have been built by the CB&Q or Santa Fe or even an earlier company that they later took over, maybe 100 years ago or more.
I just called BNSF, and they transferred me to an engineer at the Denver office location. I left a message for him what I was looking for. Waiting for a callback.
I’ll let you guys know what I find out.
It will be interesting to see how soon you have a response. I suspect the line was owned by Colorado & Southern, a subsidiary of CB&Q.
Hmm, so much for that. I never got a callback from the engineer.
Oh well…
On the other hand, you never really told us what you were wanting to know or exactly what portion of the railroad you were interested in, so if there was somebody on this list who did have answers, they wouldn’t really be able to help you either.
I wanted to know when the mainline was constructed, who originally owned it, and any photos of the construction.
Here is map of the location of the mainline that runs (North/South) in Broomfield, CO.
Surprising what you can find if you do a web search…
"In 1873 the Colorado Central Railroad brought a line north from Golden. This line ran approximately where the south frontage road of U.S. 36 runs, and swerved south toward Golden east of Wadsworth Blvd. On the north, it connected with the Union Pacific in Cheyenne, Wyo. The Denver, Utah and Pacific Railroad first laid down rails in 1881 in the area now in the vicinity of 120th Ave. and Wadsworth. The company completed a line to Lyons, northwest of Boulder, by absorbing the Colorado Northern Railroad line between Erie and Canfield, a small town west of Erie. When the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad began backing the Denver, Utah and Pacific in 1889, the railroad was converted to a standard gauge rail.
After years of mergers, acquisitions, name changes and changes in control, two railroad companies, the Union Pacific and the Colorado and Southern, emerged. In 1901, the Colorado and Southern added a third rail from Denver to Boulder to allow narrow gauge trains to operate over the existing tracks.
In 1904, the Colorado and Southern formed the Denver and Interuban Railway, and by 1908, the big cars were serving Broomfield on a regular basis, taking passengers to Denver, Westminster, Marshall, Boulder, Superior, Valmont and Louisville on its Main Line. By 1909, Broomfield had 19 passengers per day coming through town, prompting construction of a new depot which stood at the corner of present-day 120th Ave. and Old Wadsworth. In 1909, it was possible to board in Broomfield for almost any point in the U.S., Canada or Mexico. But Broomfield�s foray into international travel was short-lived. In 1919, the third rail to Boulder was removed. In 1926, the Interurban ceased operation, and the era of the “horseless carriage” began."
http://www.ci.broomfield.co.us/community.shtml
…and her