FINAL RESEARCH PAPER
1. A link to the LIST of topics for the Final Research Paper can be found in an announcement on
BlackBoard. Remember your password in case you decide to change your topic later!
2. Summarize the project by reporting such things as WHEN and WHERE it was constructed, the
SIZE, the CIVILIZATION that built it and the CULTURE that was prevalent at the time, and
any other important information concerning this project.
3. Describe HOW this project was built, based on your own research and understanding of what was
available. You should at a minimum address such items as: the MATERIALS,
CONSTRUCTION METHODS, TOOLS and EQUIPMENT used, and the LABOR FORCE.
(Hint – this is at least 25% of your grade)
4. Then give your best analysis of how you think such a project would be built IF IT WAS BUILT
TODAY! Speculate, be creative, make assumptions – whatever it takes! (Hint – this is at least
25% of your grade)
5. The number of pages in the body of the report is 10 pages. (this does NOT include the cover page,
abstract or reference page!). The report is to be computer generated, 12-font, 1” margins, doublespaced
with page numbers in the lower right corner. Any graphical information – sketches, photos,
maps, etc., will be counted in the 10 pages – up to a limit of 3 pages!
6. You MUST have a cover page on a separate page. Then a 100-word (maximum) abstract, titled
“Abstract” on a separate page. Followed by the 10 pages of the report. Then the references,
titled “References” on a separate page.
7. A minimum of three references are required and you must indicate in the text where each of the
references are being cited or quoted. Use MLA or APA format for references.
8. Check the announcements on BlackBoard for the exact due date. Late assignments will NOT be
accepted.
9. Submit your report online through BlackBoard. Click on the “Assignments” button to find the
submit link. When you write and then submit your report use the following naming convention:
lastname_firstname_topic.doc
For example: Smith_John_Golden Gate Bridge.doc
10. Point value for this report is 250 points. Remember – get it “write” the first time – no re-writes.
Double check your work. Spelling, grammar and content all count – you must address all three!
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Vincent Granberry
(993762899/100741767)
CON 101 TTH 9:15-10:30
Final Paper
Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railway
The countryside between Chama, New Mexico and Antonio, Colorado changes
from rolling hills to narrow canyons to large mountain climbs. Thus, to create a railroad
between these to locations would require many different elements of construction
including bridges, and reshaping of landscape. This railroad is very impressive, for
example, the peak elevation of the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad 10,015 feet.
(Miniclier 2). This was the pinnacle of railroad engineering for years to come.
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The Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railway was built in 1880 as part of the Rio
Grande’s San Juan extension. The railroad connects Chama, New Mexico and Antonio,
Colorado. This extension was built to serve the mining communities in the San Juan
Mountains in Southwestern Colorado. (Miniclier 4). At the time railroad were
constructed with 4 feet 8 ½ inches between the rails. However, the Cumbres and Toltec
was constructed all Rio Grande rails with only 3 feet in between rails. Thus, these
railroads were unable to exchange cars with other railroads.
In 1893, the Sherman Act was repealed. This was devastating for the Cumbres
and Toltec railroad. The repeal of this act was devastating to the silver mining industry
and the Cumbres and Toltec Railway was abandoned. Then, in 1969, the Interstate
Commerce Commission granted the Rio Grande’s requests to abandon the remaining
railroad and thus putting an end to the use of steam locomotives for freight in the United
States (Matthews 4).
The culture and civilization of the 1880’s was that of change and evolution. The
population of the United States in 1880 was approximately 50,100,100 (Matthews 4).
At the time there were many Chinese immigrants coming into the United States, so the
Chinese Exclusion Act, which prohibited, but did all together halt the immigration of
Chinese laborers. This had a direct effect on
the construction of the Cumbres and Toltec
railroad.
The Chinese immigrants made up a
large portion of the labor force that worked on
the construction of the Cumbres and Toltec
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Railroad. During the construction of the Cumbres and Toltec Railroad, these people
lived in railroad construction camps. They spent their days laying track by hand. At the
time, there were not many tools or equipment used other than shovels, picks, and
dynamite to clear obstacles in the way of the desired route. The workers in these camps
were often subjected to extreme situations such as weather and obstacles in the way of
the future railroad track. These railroad camps attracted individuals from all over looking
to make an easy profit, which often led to fights or killings within the camps. Each
railroads’ construction crew consisted of three components. First, there were the
surveyors. The surveyors went ahead of the group, and selected and staked the route that
was to be the future railway. Next, the graders came through. The graders followed the
surveyors preparing the roadbed for the track. Their job sometimes included blasting
through rock with dynamite, or filling valleys wherever such practices where necessary.
These individuals often had the most dangerous job, because often times explosives were
detonated too early or too late setting off others and killing many men. Finally, the tack
layers followed. These individuals were often many miles behind the graders. Their job
was to lie cross ties and rail and then dump something such as gravel and sand to hold it
all together (Gunther 191). Special groups of men would create bridges (sometimes
temporary) and put up telegraph lines along the tracks. Keep in mind that this labor was
accomplished without any machines, but rather with man and animal power. This makes
the construction of these railroads even more remarkable.
The previous paragraph spoke of bridges being built in order to create the
Cumbres and Toltec railroad. There were many structural elements in creating a railroad
other than just the ties and rail. In order to cross some of the canyons, laborers would be
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forced to create bridges. Often truss bridges were used to cross these canyons. The truss
bridge’s strength was in its triangular structure (Mulligan and Knutson 208). At this
time, there was a conversion from stone and wood to iron in the construction of bridges.
The arch bridge was being replaced by the stronger and cheaper truss bridge. The benefit
of the truss
bridge was that it was resistant to the elements and very sturdy and stable. Railways
weighed bridges more heavily than had been usual in the past (Gale 49). These newer
truss bridges were imperative to the Cumbres and Toltec bridges because they were able
to support a heavy, concentrated moving load.
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The Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad incorporated steam locomotives into
pulling the train. The steam locomotive had a
boiler to make steam from water. Some of the
earliest steam locomotives had to change 30
pounds of steam every hour per one horsepower
(Post 561). Since the Cumbres and Toltec railroad
was originally constructed to serve the silver
mining communities in the mountains of
Colorado, the cars pulled by the steam locomotive were usually open-topped freight cars.
They were extremely similar to the coal cars of today, which may be described as the bed
of a pickup or dump truck. These cars were intended for the sole purpose of transporting
the mine load of silver. Nearing the end of the train were covered, parlor cars. These
cars would sometimes carry laborers back and forth to worksites. More often, these cars
would carry officials or managers overseeing the entire mining process. All this
information makes one wonder, if the Cumbres and Toltec was built today how would it
be different?
A present day Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railway would be very different then
that built in 1880. There have been many advances in every aspect of constructing a
railway since the late eighteen hundreds. Everything would differ, from the labor force to
the way bridges are constructed. This also includes the materials used to the type of trains
and tracks that are incorporated.
First, would be the labor force. The labor force of a modern day railroad
construction project consists of highly trained professionals as well as manual laborers.
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There are specialized engineers for every element of the construction of these modern
day railroads. For example, there are engineers to plan and design the track, there are
demolition experts to destroy anything that may interfere with the construction of the
railway, and there are specialized engineers to build and necessary bridges or overpasses.
Unlike, the labor force of yesterday, today’s force would not stay in rail camps. The
dangers associated with construction would decrease exponentially. This job safety
would be because of the use of modern day equipment such as cranes, bulldozers, and
excavators. The labor force would be primarily made of the willing. Years ago, Chinese
immigrants did not have anything else to do for work; therefore, they did not have much
of a choice besides working on the railroads. Today’s labor force has many options when
it comes to work. Furthermore, the new force would be higher skilled workers because
of the training they receive before they are permitted to work on the railroad.
Next, there is the difference in building the elements of the railway. For example,
the bridges erected in 1880 were made primarily of iron. Although, iron is better than
wood it is no substitute for steel. The steel of today is lighter stronger and more resistant
than the iron used in days of old. There would be cranes to create these bridges, thus
reducing the amount of causalities from the labor force. All these elements would
decrease the overall construction time of the railroad. Modern day technology can make
the construction of a railway a much easier and safer job than it was many years ago.
The largest and most significant difference in the trains of yesterday and the trains
of today is the locomotive itself. Weather its pulling cargo or transporting passengers,
modern day locomotives are the most noteworthy change in the face of railroads. The
present day Cumbres and Toltec railroad would incorporate modern day high-speed
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trains. These modern day marvels can reach speeds up to 186 miles per hour! (Reina 7).
However, with the incorporation of high-speed trains the entire rail system would have to
be replaced. The rails of those days could not hold the speed of one of these trains. Not
only do the older rails lack the ability to contain such speeds, but also many older
railroads contained curves too tight to keep a 186 mile per hour train on track.
Furthermore, over the years, tracks begin to sag and ties tend to loosen, any of which
could result in disaster for a high-speed train (Li 325). This means that the entire
foundation of the tracks would have to be dug again, this time deeper and set in concrete;
this is so that the track is resistant to the movements of the ground. After the foundation
is reset, the tracks will have to be re-laid at a larger interval apart. This is so that these
high-speed will have the necessary balance to maintain speed and stability. This is also
important so that trains approaching from opposite directions will not cause enormous
amounts of pressure in between which could cause windows to blow out (Li 324). If all
of the necessary precautions and measures were taken, then the modern day Cumbres and
Toltec could be made in the one of the most magnificent railways in the entire world.
Today the Cumbres and Toltec lives more up to its name as the scenic railroad.
Now, this railway is used to take tourists on an authentic steam locomotive ride for
entertainment purposes. If the Cumbres and Toltec underwent all of the previous changes
in order to make it a high-speed railroad, it might be used for many purposes. For
example, it could serve its original function as a link between New Mexico and Colorado
for silver mining purposes. The addition of a high-speed rail would make this mining trip
extremely fast and proficient. In another case, it could be modified and used for exactly
what it is used for today. That is for tourism. The train takes travelers on a scenic tour of
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the hills, countryside, and mountains between Chama, New Mexico and Antonio,
Colorado (Matthews 2). This railroad makes a few stops along the way at old train
stations where visitors may receive lunch, restrooms, and souvenirs. It is considered a
historical and educational trip that appeals to those who are interested in the authenticity
of the steam locomotive and the old towns and stations along the way. The new and
improved high-speed rail as a tourist attraction could generate mega revenue for the states
of Colorado and New Mexico. The cars used today for this scenic tour are parlor cars
and open cars for viewing the landscape. An updated version of this railway could
incorporate many different types of cars and attractions along the way.
The new and modern Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad would appeal to all
ages and social classes. There could be many types of cars in order to suit many different
types of people. One example of the type of car that this railroad could contain might be
something like a casino car. This would be beneficial because it could generate extra
revenue for the railroad and provide the parents with something to d while the children
enjoy the great views along the scenic railway. Another type of car might be a bar car.
This would also be for adults 21 years old and above. The bar car would serve a similar
purpose as the casino car. The bar car would provide adults a place to relax and socialize
while children enjoyed the breathtaking views. An evening or late afternoon cocktail can
make the ride all more enjoyable as you cruise quickly through the breathtaking
countryside. As for the children that are too young to appreciate such a stunning ride,
there would be an on board daycare for infants and toddlers. Rather than aggravating
their parents along the way, the railroad could offer daycare services in a train car
equipped with play equipment similar to a play land at McDonalds. Speaking of
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McDonalds, no train voyage would be complete without a dining car. The dining car
could over a variety of food for people with all different types of tastes; it could also be
equipped with a kids menu, so that when the fun is over they can eat.
Unlike the train stations of yesterday, the new stations could offer a variety of
activity and accommodation options. With this, modernized Cumbres and Toltec railroad
if passengers particularly likes a certain train station or stop then they should have the
option to stay and enjoy themselves for a while. This could be one of the greatest
features of the updated railway: the option to stay in any of the railroad stop hotels.
These hotels will have everything to offer that any hotel would have to offer with the
addition of history lessons about the mining industry and the role that the Cumbres and
Toltec railroad played in it. The hotel rate could be included into the railroad ticket
pricing. Hotels at the train stations would provide comfortable lodging for guests. This
way the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad could become more of a family vacation
that just another train ride.
Presently, Europe has incorporated highspeed
trains between big cities or, in the case of the
high-speed train going through the Chunnel,
between countries. These trains are eliminating
pollution and traffic congestion in Europe. They
account for 38.8% of Europeans means of
transportation to work (Coupe 25). In Europe,
many countries share borders and thus high-speed
trains have become a popular and cheap means of
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transportation. For example, the Eurostar high-speed train connects Britain and France by
way of the Chunnel. There are some major advantages in having a high-speed rail
system. For example, a train is more convenient than an airplane because you do not
have to check bags, and purchasing tickets is as easy as walking up to the window and
making the purchase. Another advantage is safety, railroad is a very safe means of
transportation compared to automobiles the incidence of a wreck is not even comparable
(Coupe 26). However, as with any issue there is also a negative side. For instance, the
technology for the high-speed railroad is far from inexpensive. It costs $33 billion per
mile to build the track (Reina 7). Furthermore, the train does not appeal to all people
because it is unable to carry cargo. This would affect individual such as farmers.
In conclusion, this project was an excellent learning and research topic for this
construction class. It was interesting to discuss how, why, and by whom the Cumbres
and Toltec was constructed back in 1880, then compare to how it would differ today in
terms of labor force, materials, and purpose. The part that forced the class to use the
knowledge in class was how it would be built today including the equipment of the
present. Then, it went a step further to discuss potential improvement in the construction
of today. This was an excellent educational tool that the entire class will benefit from
and have a chance to show

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