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The True Story Of The Midland Terminal Ghost Train

Created by Vern Thompson, W6ZJU (SK) via Paul Signorelli, W0RW on 2020-05-06
The True Story Of The Midland Terminal Ghost Train by Vern Thompson W6ZJU (SK). As Told to W0RW



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midland_Terminal_Railway

By Vern Thompson, W6ZJU.

It was late in the afternoon a year after the last run of the Midland Terminal Railroad (1950), My boss at Radio Station KRDO, Colorado Springs, took me aside and asked if I would be available that night for a special project such as running a ghost train through Manitou Springs. I of course said yes, Due to past experience his special projects were all very interesting and fun. The rails had been removed at that time.

He explained that he had borrowed a powerful PA system with two large horn speakers and a turntable on top of the amplifier that operated 6 volts DC. Vehicles had 6-volt systems at that time. His plan was to go to the Midland roadbed through a couple tunnels on the southwest side of Manitou and make believe the train was coming down the Ute pass. He needed my "48 Plymouth” business coupe with the giant trunk to transport the speakers. In his Studebaker we put the amplifier with the turntable and an auxiliary input, a RCA cartridge wire recorder (no tape recorders yet) and necessary cabling for power and speakers.

We had a cartridge with the starting up and building up steam and the pumps starting and releasing steam. The wire recorder continues with engine apply power to the drive wheels and slowly picking up speed as it left the Cripple Creek station and continue moving into the mountains north of Cripple Creek with the choo chooing and with rumbling train sounds. This was actual sound recorded in the engine, as the last train had left the station a year earlier.

We had acetate disks with various train sounds mostly whistles divided in to separate cuts so they could be selected as appropriate. Leaving the station, a road crossing, etc. and the last cut was the final releasing of the steam and the engine's life ended in Colorado City.

We started for Manitou Springs, Joe Rohrer, the station owner, said on our station two-way 26 Mc radio that we could probably make it to Cripple Creek by midnight. "What do you thinks about extending our plan and start at the beginning instead of just Manitou Springs." Of course that was ok with me so off were to the Cripple Creek station (which was not long there).

Arriving at the station site, which overlooked the town, we set up, opening the Plymouth's big trunk and aimed the speakers toward town and started the wire recording.

After a while a car drove up to us and it was the constable investigating. He thought it was the greatest thing going. He said the bars were loaded on that anniversary of the last run of the Midland. Many of the patrons of the bars were also loaded. Some even went up to the constable and volunteered to be taken to jail as they were hearing things such as a train and must be drunk. The track had been removed to the station area.

Joe was really flipping and asked if the constable would give him a ride to town so he could observe the excitement. I had to back the wire recorder up a couple time to keep the proper sound for the engine just staying put. Joe was even more excited when he saw the reaction to what they were hearing.

The whistle came from the wire and the train began leaving the station and choo chooing began. We found that if we varied the base and treble on the amplified it made it sound like the train was moving through the mountain and of course reducing the volume until the train was gone.

We packed up and left. There was a very small community a short distance down the road so we went over to the tracks and connected up and had the train fade in, blow the whistle, and fade out.

We drove down the pass to Manitou Springs turned up a road that crossed the track bed and tuned on to the bed toward the pass. After going through a couple of short tunnels (these track had also been removed) setup with the speakers aimed at the pass and ran the train coming down Ute Pass, a few whistle blasts, slowly turning it louder and messing with the tone controls for the fading sound and the train come down the pass. Both of us wanted to hear what it sounded like so we took the speakers out of the truck and Joe drove down into town and cruised around. Then I took my turn. It sounded real.

Finally it came to an end with releasing all the steam. As Colorado City is a short distance east of Manitou we aimed the speakers toward the east.

Finally all was quiet. We packed up and headed home. As we leaving the train bed and about to enter the road here comes a car speeding up the road. He saw us. It was the policeman on duty. [An aside on this. At night the police in Manitou Springs normally parked at a Y intersection in the middle of town next to a pay phone. The pay phone was listed as the nighttime number for the police department.] He stopped and backed up to let us pass and followed us out of town. When the train was running and Joe and I made our separate listening tours of the town we both passed him at his phone station and I am sure he saw my car go by both ways twice with different drivers. He was standing outside his car listening when I passed.

The next morning there was a story about the ghost train in the Denver's Rocky Mountain News.

A note on the rails that we rode on.

The rails between Colorado City and Cripple Creek were standard gauge so it was possible to drive a car, with the correct wheel spacing such as my Plymouth or Joe's Studebaker, the entire length of the track before portions were removed. Before starting out on a rail trip of any length I would want to load two railroad ties in the trunk just in case I ran off the rails. They would be, and were, used to lie along side of the tracks to drive back on them. The tire pressure needed to be lowered to about 15 to 20 pounds, which made the tires stay on the track. No steering was needed, just a steadying of the steering wheel so it would not tend to oscillate. If you wanted to go the direction a switch was not set for you would use the steering wheel to make it go the way you want to go.

In the main line switch yard in Colorado Springs switch yard I came off the track at a switch with full tire pressure and had a tire wedged between the tracks of the switch. That was a job for the jack and letting air out of the tire to get it free. Glad I had a couple guys with me to get it back on the tracks and get out of there never to return. That was rather scary as we did not know if we were on the main line track.

Another time, after a fraternity meeting we used to play ‘ditch'em’ on the way to a diner north of town. On the road going north the main line from Denver crossed the road at about 45 degrees and the other guys were in hot pursuit. My tires were at low pressure I steered on to the tracks going north. As the tracks were curving to the north I could not see the tracks in the distance but I could see a light flashing on the trees and structures on the left. The engines had a rotating headlamp to give a flashing effect. The rides on the main line tracks were very smooth when I had occasion to use them. But I quickly got off at the next street and whizzz, the regular scheduled train passed by.

As a sidelight to that, the next day at the radio station they knew all about my close call. It so happen that a gal that worked at the station lived in a house that backed up to the track where this took place. She had just driven up behind the house and heard the train coming so she stayed in her car to avoid the dust the train would throw up as it passes. While waiting for the train and watching for it she me drive by on the main line just a short time before the train passed.

Not long after the last run of the Midland train the Boss, his wife, and an announcer and his wife drove up to Cripple Creek for dinner and some beverages. As they were leaving Joe decide to take the tracks home. This would have been entirely possible but in their state it was a bad idea. Not having the best of balance, he came off the track with no ties to get back on. He probably did not reduce the air pressure of the tires. A really bad night but the announcer made it to the station for the 6 am sign on.



Vern Thompson
W6ZJU
-o-
via W0RW

 

W0RW2020-06-03
Re: The True Story Of The Midland Terminal Ghost Train
i got the newsletter. Good job adding the extra pictures.
If you want to see the newsletter go to 'The Wash Rag', June 2020, p. 19.
http://n3sh.org/washrag.php
Thanks
Paul w0rw
Reply to a comment by : W3WN on 2020-05-27

Thank you. I will. What is a good email address to use? (Next issue should be out the beginning of the first week of June)
Reply to a comment by : W0RW on 2020-05-17

Yes it is OK for you to use it in your newsletter. Send me a copy. Paul w0rw
Reply to a comment by : W3WN on 2020-05-15

Great story! OK if I use it (fully credited, of course) in a future newsletter?
W3WN2020-05-27
Re: The True Story Of The Midland Terminal Ghost Train
Thank you. I will. What is a good email address to use?

(Next issue should be out the beginning of the first week of June)
Reply to a comment by : W0RW on 2020-05-17

Yes it is OK for you to use it in your newsletter. Send me a copy. Paul w0rw
Reply to a comment by : W3WN on 2020-05-15

Great story! OK if I use it (fully credited, of course) in a future newsletter?
K9FV2020-05-24
The True Story Of The Midland Terminal Ghost Train
That's a great story and sounds like it was LOTS of fun. Sad to say, you might get thrown in jail these days.
W0RW2020-05-17
Re: The True Story Of The Midland Terminal Ghost Train
Yes it is OK for you to use it in your newsletter.
Send me a copy.
Paul w0rw
Reply to a comment by : W3WN on 2020-05-15

Great story! OK if I use it (fully credited, of course) in a future newsletter?
W3WN2020-05-15
The True Story Of The Midland Terminal Ghost Train
Great story!

OK if I use it (fully credited, of course) in a future newsletter?
KE0WW2020-05-07
The True Story Of The Midland Terminal Ghost Train
I also grew up in Colorado Springs and had heard several variations of this story. Thanks for telling it with great details!

Mike Stapp KE0WW
Minneapolis
K9DS2020-05-06
The True Story Of The Midland Terminal Ghost Train
ha, Having lived in Colorado for almost 40 years and traveled that RR bed a few times, what a great story to read & laugh along with other readers! Thanks for sharing!