Brief by Marcia Darnell
Railroads – June 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine
It’s been a couple of years since the brouhaha over the railway from South Fork to Creede has been in the news. Despite the pending lawsuit, Don Shank, the owner of the 21.6-mile line, says it’ll be operational by Memorial Day 2005.
“Darn near every day someone’s working on the line,” he said recently. His group is rehabilitating the track and bringing in additional equipment. He says he has a 44-ton locomotive in Loveland being worked on and a 3,000-hp road locomotive in South Fork.
However, he’ll have to resolve the lawsuit pressed by Creede to prevent service.
The disagreement started in the spring of 2000, when Shank, head of the Durango-based Denver & Rio Grande Railroad Historic Foundation, bought the line and promised passenger service to the old mining town during tourist season. Most Creede residents were unhappy with the plan, which they fear would turn the town into a cheap-seats version of Silverton.
“The general feeling is that it would overwhelm the town and change the quality of life,” said Creede mayor B.J. Myers. “It would not really bring the kind of economic growth that Mr. Shank purports that it will.”
Creede successfully converted to a tourist town after its mines closed in 1985. Summer residents and day-trippers bring money into the town without overwhelming it. Myers cited the town’s ambience, quality of life, and the fact visitors don’t have to stand in line for hours to get into a restaurant.
“We’re also tremendously concerned about the infrastructure of Creede,” she said, pointing out that the increased stress on sewer and water systems would cost big bucks to the town, rather than the railroad. Creede is a small town with a small budget.
The argument escalated in 2000, with a protest and lots of name calling. The town passed a non-binding referendum against the tourist operation by a 2-1 margin. The lawsuit was filed by Creede in November 2000 in state district court, and has since been removed to federal district court. Creede’s legal bills have been paid by donations.
“Those issues are going to be referred to the U.S. Surface Transportation Board in the very near future,” Shank said.
In other Valley rail developments, the Union Pacific is close to closing a deal with a short-line operator, Rail America, to take over all UP tracks west of Walsenburg — that is, the line over Veta Pass to Alamosa, and the branches from there to Antonito and South Fork.