Train Tracks Led to Mystery

One crisp January day during the Pandemic JF hiked up by Lake Arrowhead, near some defunct train tracks, and found this steel plate. He lugged it in his backpack the four miles home. What is it? He pointed out the mark “Nov 27 Colorado,” and under the Colorado, a capital H.

At first, I researched the early Colorado railway system, and this sent me on an abortive quest. Perhaps the date Nov 27 was significant to the early railway? I learned the first train came to the Colorado Gold Mine, the Argo, on exactly that date, November 27, 1879. Maybe this plate celebrated that event? The rail line might have memorialized this event forever on their railway parts?

No, the mine closed in 1943 when the huge four-mile-long tunnel flooded. Founded by the 1848ers and 1849ers, it’s a tourist spot today in Idaho Springs, Colorado. When I sent photos, the museum said they never saw such a plate in relationship to their mine…and then how did it get to California?

Perhaps the plate belonged to the Colorado and Southern Railway Company, operational 1898-1981? This line serviced Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, and Texas, using a standard gauge train track of four feet by eight and a half inches. The piece of metal JF found LOOKED able to support such a track, however, JF found it in California, where this line didn’t run until Burlington Northern took over the line in 1981. This piece of steel looked older than 1981…in my job I use many ways to research an object: historical, purpose, aesthetics, type….to mention a few, and I was exhausting my leads….

So, what kind of train tracks used this?

This is a double shouldered tie plate, often called a base plate or sole plate, used between the steel rail and railway wooden sleeper. You will note it has four holes which housed spikes. The two shoulders are for added support for the rails. I’m no engineer, I only repeat what I learned about the physics of the plate. It improves the stability and reduces the twisting and torsion of the rails. Therefore, each plate is made for the corresponding gauge of the rails. This one appears made for a standard gauge rail, although narrow gauge rails never appeared in California.

It fascinates me that in the early days of rail construction no tie plate was used. The rails rested on the wooden sleepers and were supported by stone and gravel. Not till the 20th century did we see the use of such tie plates that required either casting, rolling, or forging.

I know it is not ‘modern,’ as today most rail construction is on concrete not wooden sleepers.

What the “Colorado” refer to, if not the train line? Most likely it refers to the steel mill it came from, and the date of production for quality control. If a reader knows otherwise, please let me know.

Any collectors? And how much will they pay?

Many collectors love anything train or train track related. And some grown men love to study rail lines and make miniature train models. In fact, I found a gorgeous recreation of the Argo Gold Mine narrow gauge system made by a model train enthusiast. Here we get into some politically dangerous waters.

Gold mining, as Smithsonian Magazine says, is one of the dirtiest mining endeavors known to civilization because of the massive energy gold mining involves, and the subsequent waste and pollution. Since I received a gold ring for Valentine’s day, the magazine cautions that buyers of gold only buy secondhand gold (which my ring actually is, of course). But I learned the history of gold and the history of the railway is inextricably joined.

JF, I see these older tie plates are advertised as selling for $60 or so. I also see collectors like to mount them on plaques with details posted in brass nameplates. Plus yours would be more valuable if you found the four spikes it originally housed. But research further and dig into the history of a steel foundry named Colorado and see if that date was significant to that foundry. Congratulations for finding the simple pleasure of observing the ‘small’ stuff during this trying time.