Midland Terminal Railway Tunnel (Colorado)
Midland Terminal Railway Tunnel (1894-1949)
Midland, Colorado
The Midland Terminal Railway was constructed between 1893 and 1895, linking the central Colorado mining district of Cripple Creek and Victor with the Colorado Midland Railway to the north at Divide, Colorado. The Midland Terminal was the second of three railroads to serve Cripple Creek, the only one built to standard gauge, and the only one to operate beyond 1920. When the connecting Colorado Midland Railroad ceased operations in 1918, the Midland Terminal obtained control of the route east of Divide, maintaining service between Colorado Springs and Cripple Creek via eight additional tunnels through Ute Pass. Following abandonment in 1949, sections of the grade south of Divide were used in realignments of Colorado Route 67. Approximately two miles of the grade in Cripple Creek are used by the two-foot gauge Cripple Creek & Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad.
The Midland Terminal required a single 400-foot tunnel between Midland and Gillett. This timber-lined tunnel was later utilized as a road tunnel on Colorado Route 67. The tunnel became known as "Little Ike Tunnel," a reference to the Eisenhower Tunnel on Interstate 70 west of Denver. Colorado voters legalized gambling in Cripple Creek in 1991 and the one-lane tunnel quickly proved to be a bottleneck to increased traffic demands. The tunnel was gated in 1994 when the road was rerouted in an adjacent cut.
In addition to the Midland Terminal there were two other railroads to serve Cripple Creek. The first was the Florence & Cripple Creek Railroad which entered the District from the south in 1894 and operated until 1912. The F&CC grade and its two tunnels are now Phantom Canyon Road (dirt). The third was the Colorado Springs & Cripple Creek District Railway ("The Short Line") which entered the District from the east in 1901 and provided the most direct route to Colorado Springs until its closure in 1920. Much of the CS&CCD grade and three of its nine tunnels are still used as the Gold Camp Road (dirt).
Note: This text and accompanying photos are the copyright of Christopher Muller and may not be reproduced in whole or in part on any website, message board, or other medium.
Read MoreMidland, Colorado
The Midland Terminal Railway was constructed between 1893 and 1895, linking the central Colorado mining district of Cripple Creek and Victor with the Colorado Midland Railway to the north at Divide, Colorado. The Midland Terminal was the second of three railroads to serve Cripple Creek, the only one built to standard gauge, and the only one to operate beyond 1920. When the connecting Colorado Midland Railroad ceased operations in 1918, the Midland Terminal obtained control of the route east of Divide, maintaining service between Colorado Springs and Cripple Creek via eight additional tunnels through Ute Pass. Following abandonment in 1949, sections of the grade south of Divide were used in realignments of Colorado Route 67. Approximately two miles of the grade in Cripple Creek are used by the two-foot gauge Cripple Creek & Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad.
The Midland Terminal required a single 400-foot tunnel between Midland and Gillett. This timber-lined tunnel was later utilized as a road tunnel on Colorado Route 67. The tunnel became known as "Little Ike Tunnel," a reference to the Eisenhower Tunnel on Interstate 70 west of Denver. Colorado voters legalized gambling in Cripple Creek in 1991 and the one-lane tunnel quickly proved to be a bottleneck to increased traffic demands. The tunnel was gated in 1994 when the road was rerouted in an adjacent cut.
In addition to the Midland Terminal there were two other railroads to serve Cripple Creek. The first was the Florence & Cripple Creek Railroad which entered the District from the south in 1894 and operated until 1912. The F&CC grade and its two tunnels are now Phantom Canyon Road (dirt). The third was the Colorado Springs & Cripple Creek District Railway ("The Short Line") which entered the District from the east in 1901 and provided the most direct route to Colorado Springs until its closure in 1920. Much of the CS&CCD grade and three of its nine tunnels are still used as the Gold Camp Road (dirt).
Note: This text and accompanying photos are the copyright of Christopher Muller and may not be reproduced in whole or in part on any website, message board, or other medium.
