Modeling the AT&SF - D&RGW Joint Line through Colorado Springs from Milepost 70 to Milepost 80 circa 1978-1979
- ~ -
Post 22: Fitting in Drake Station
- ~ -
In the last post I was installing the main line and siding roadbed in front of the Springs yard switch lead and the Santa Fe connecting track and yard throat. That's now done, it's in the background, with the mocked-up CTC signal plant. Beside it and a bit lower is the base board for Conejos Street. Yet to be added is the plywood for the Drake Power Station grounds, which is what this post is about. The structure mock-up behind the hoppers is the north end of the turbine and generator hall, the only part of the plant buildings that will be modeled on the layout, and even then only as a 2 inch deep flat at that, as behind it is an operating pocket aisle for working the Santa Fe yard and industries in the distance. Designing and building this section of the layout proved to be quite a challenge, but the power plant was the largest customer in the Springs, so I really wanted to simulate its traffic in and out of the plant. I was able to do it, but just barely.
These aerial views show just how large even a compact coal fired power plant can be.
Drake Station started out as a small municipally owned electric generating plant built on the site of the old Colorado Springs & Cripple Creek District Railway yards and shops. The original low brick building at the left was built in 1924-25 and enlarged in 1931 to ultimately house four coal-fired boilers, Units 1 through 4. Coal was delivered on a short spur off the D&RGW main that ran onto a coal dump trestle at the north end of the building.
In 1962 a modern 46 megawatt plant was built to the right of the original structure (the block directly under the thin left stack). This new Unit 5 complex was named for Martin Drake, a long time municipal Councillor instrumental in advocating for electrification and public works in the city.
The plant was expanded in 1968 with the addition of 77 MW Unit 6 (the block beneath the center stack), and then expanded again in 1974 with 131 MW Unit 7 (the tallest block beneath the right stack). This is the final configuration seen in the photos.
1983 aerial from the west, with a 65-ton GE plant switcher at the bottom working empties below the dumping pit.
The expanded plant was pretty cramped, with the plant lead curving south between the coal storage pile and Monument Creek. Initially the plant tracks couldn't handle very many of the Grande's standard quad hoppers at a time, but they were later extended. Circa 1986 a completely new plant lead was constructed to the north (left) of the cooling banks, and the tracks were completely reconfigured and extended to be able to handle an entire unit train of CSUX rapid discharge hoppers.
- ~ -
So how could I fit in just enough trackage to be able to deliver coal loads into the plant and pull empties out.
It was a given that the very large plant buildings would have to be assumed to be off the layout in the aisle. At first I thought I could just squeeze two stub tracks in along the front edge of the layout, but several problems immediately became apparent with that plan. First was track length; there just wasn't enough distance to the Nevada Avenue subway to make it worth while. Second was layout depth; I'd have to scrap modeling Conejos Street to keep from making the layout any deeper. And finally, it didn't look at all like what was actually there; it just looked like a model railroad with too much track squeezed it.
The next idea was to explore if a short stub mini-peninsula would fit without unduly constricting the aisle as it passed around the turnback loop out of north end staging. I had seen how Joe Atkinson had made this work on his Iowa Interstate 4th Sub layout to fit in the Atlantic Spur on a long, skinny peninsulette, and I didn't need anywhere near as long a run, so maybe it could work here.
First I just propped up a board to see what it might look like and if there was room to fit it in.
OK, that could work. Make it a bit wider, 9-10 inches or so. And longer, just enough to hold 8 quad hoppers per track, which is about a third of a train length, the size of the cut that will be set out in the yard. And curve it in at the end to tuck it in and create a pocket aisle for working the Santa Fe yard and industries in the corner.
Next iteration was to draw it out on cardboard and then prop that up.
Hey, now were' getting somewhere. It fits without constricting the aisle or hindering an operator working in the corner. It has a wide attachment face with the main layout to give it stability. It's long enough to hold two 8 car cuts (one loaded, one empty). And it preserves the open feel of the actual location. There's even room to add at least a suggestion of the plant buildings.
And there's also room to include the dumping pit. I've just gotta model that car shaker tower and the flanking corrugated sheet metal screens that help contain the coal dust.
I think we're in business here, there's actually a customer to switch those coal hoppers into instead of just letting them sit in the yard between ops sessions.
- ~ -
While the Rio Grande delivered coal loads into the plant and hauled out empties, several small city-owned GE locomotives handled switching chores within the plant grounds, slowly shoving loads over the dump pit and assembling cuts of empties for pickup.
City of Colorado Springs unit 9701 was a former U.S. Navy GE 65 ton numbered 65-00063, built 5-45, CN 27866. The unit looks like a typical GE 44-tonner until you notice the extra thick plate steel deck, which added ballast for increased traction.
CCS unit 97o2 was formerly U.S. Department of Interior GE 45 ton number 120, built 5-55, CN 32340. It proved too light for the job and left the property in 1978.
The 45 ton was replaced by CCS unit 9703, former Saint Johnsbury & Lamoille County GE 70 ton number 48, built 3-48, CN 29299.
For sure my rendition of the plant trackage is far too limited to require an operating plant switcher, but I couldn't resist relocating a pocket spur out front on which to park one of the switchers. I traded my friend Steve Lucas a resin flat car kit for an old Bachmann 70-tonner. It's an early run with two motors but that doesn't matter as it will just sit there, waiting out of the way as the Grande switcher shoves loads in and pulls the empties, or posed for photos shoving loads over the pit. I splurged and ordered a Kaslo Shops 3D printed shell that is a much closer match for CCS 9703, which I admit will make for what is essentially a fairly expensive piece of scenery.
- ~ -
Modeling tips
For those with ample room to spare, perhaps inside a turn-back loop or atop a helix, the entire Drake plant could be nicely represented using Walthers kits. For the main power house either the Metro Power & Light generating plant (933-4052) or the Lakefront Energy Power Plant (933-4172) could be used. The latter is the same kit revised with an added fly ash collector bag house and a new larger stack. Two or even three kits could be combined to better capture the massive size of the Drake plant.The Walthers Conveyors with Transfer House (933-4171) kit is almost a ready-made duplicate of the Drake conveyor set up, but with a slightly different arrangement of the conveyors. The Drake conveyor enclosures are also rectangular in cross section.
Walthers' Cooling Tower Facility (933-2979) is quite a bit different from those at the Drake plant, but two or three of them can be used in lieu of scratchbuilding them.
And of course Walthers makes a selection of transformers, power grids, and substation kits to populate the plant grounds. The Northern Light & Power Substation (933-3025) comes with a large transformer and power grid, while the Small Substation (933-4175) comes with a much smaller transformer. Their Modern Transmission Poles (933-3343) nicely duplicate the type leading from the plant.
Lest this be mistaken for a Walthers ad, Woodland Scenics also makes a very nice built-up older substation, and IHC once made a power grid kit. Walthers, Woodland Scenics, Rix and Showcase Miniatures make older wood transmission poles and hardware.
- ~ -
Postscript
The
Martin Drake plant burned it's last train of coal in 2021 and was
converted to burn natural gas, but that proved to be only temporary
while a new gas-fired station was built where the coal storage pile had been.
The old plant was shut down and decommissioned in 2022 and has since
been torn down.
- ~ -
