Colorado and Southern Railway

The Colorado and Southern Railway ( C & S) was a railway company in the United States. The company, headquartered in Denver operational railway lines in Wyoming, Colorado and Texas.

History and lines

The Colorado and Southern Railway was formed on December 20, 1898 through the acquisition of railway lines in the under receivership since 1893 Union Pacific Railroad subsidiaries Denver, Leadville and Gunnison Railway and the Union Pacific, Denver and Gulf Railroad. The railway line from Julesburg to La Salle came to the Union Pacific. The route network ranged from Wendover in the north to Denver, Pueblo to Dalhart and Denver in the Rocky Mountains to Georgetown and to Leadville. In addition, the newly formed company owned a majority stake in the Fort Worth and Denver City Railway (FW & DC) with a railway line from Dalhart to Dallas.

THe company proposed a railway line to Cripple Creek to build, to participate in the mining boom. To this end, acquired the C & S in 1900, together with the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad, the Colorado Midland Railway. 1905, they took over control of the Colorado Springs and Cripple Creek Disctrict Railway ( CS & CCD). After the mining activity, the shares in the Colorado Midland was sold subsided and the CS & CCD decommissioned in 1922.

At the same time, the subsidiary Denver and Interurban Railroad was established. This established an interurban rail line between Denver and Boulder, as well as a tram system in Fort Collins.

The C & S acquired in 1905 the control of the Trinity and Brazos Valley Railroad and had thus access to the Port of Galveston. Controlled by the Great Northern Railway and the Northern Pacific Railway Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad saw the C & S as a useful supplement its own network. On 21 December 1908, the CB & Q acquired 2/3 of the equity portfolio. The C & S and its subsidiary FW & DC remained largely independent.

In the following years, the majority of lines was shut down to the mining areas in the Rocky Mountains due to lack of transport volume. The route between Cheyenne and Fort Collins in 1911 was put into operation again. Together with the between Pueblo and Walsenburg operated together with the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad zweispurigem stretch a continuous powerful link between the Midwest and the Gulf of Mexico was created.

With the merger of the Great Northern, the Northern Pacific and the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy 1970 Burlington Northern Railroad C & S an independent subsidiary remained. 1981 had the BN more than 92 % of the shares of the Colorado and Southern. With effect from 31 December 1981, the company was merged with the Burlington Northern.