Modules: Club Loop - Lake Junction
Lake Junction was a location on the D & RGW narrow gauge main line in the upper portion of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, west of Gunnison, Colorado, where the Lake Fork of the Gunnison river entered the main body of the Gunnison.
Photo from Richard A Ronzio Collection.
The Prototype above - This scene shows the Gunnison River entering from the left as the tracks of the mainline coming from Gunnison crosses in the lower left of the picture headed to Utah towards the right. There are 2 truss bridges that were required to get the trains to cross both the Gunnison and the Lake Fork of the Gunnison on their way to once again climb the mountain roads headed towards more gold, glory and fortune up the Lake Fork towards the upper right. The roadway crosses both the Lake Fork River and the tracks up to Lake City.
Our Lake Junction module shows both RR briges and the lower roadway bridge.
The Lake City Spur on our module leads thru a tunnel to exit the scene and runs inside the backdrops of Pagosa Junction (Gato) to be used as a hidden staging area.
The right most bridge on this module, while not at lake Junction, it is prototypical of the bridges in the upper reaches of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison.
On my way back from town, waiting for the train to pass. Mudhen #461 leads a freight across the Gunnison River onto the Lake City branch (staging). Tracks in lower left corner continue downstream and eventually to Utah.
K-27 #461 crosses the Lake Fork, heading to Lake City (staging). Racing the train in our auto-mo-bile, what fun!
A view down the Gunnison shows the bridges on the Lake City branch and the tunnel leading to the staging behind Gato.
This is another compact prototypical scene from the D & RGW at the upper end of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison in west-central Colorado, where the Lake Fork joins the Gunnison River and a branch line departs the original “narrow gauge transcontinental” line for the mining town of Lake City in the San Juan's. The main features are the canyons, the steel truss and timber Howe truss bridges on the Lake City branch, and the 1930s-era road and bridge across the Lake Fork. The main line was abandoned in 1949 and this location is now flooded by the deep waters of Blue Mesa Reservoir.
At Lake Junction the Lake City branch line leads to the staging yard behind Gato. The bedrock at this location is primarily grey granite, in contrast to the red sandstones around Placerville. By early 2016, the rock castings were finished, and the remaining scenery and river were completed in 2017.
Scenery and plaster rock castings made by Chuck Graham
Steel truss, timber Howe truss and highway truss bridges scratch-built by Chuck Graham
One last view as the 461 continues to connect with the mainline to Gunnison.