The Colorado Railroad Museum is located at a point where Clear Creek flows between North and South Table Mountains in Golden, Colorado. It was established in 1959 to preserve a record of Colorado's flamboyant railroad era, particularly the state's pioneering narrow gauge mountain railroads. It has a large collection of 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge rolling stock, and provides train rides on "Steam Up days". The museum building is a replica of an 1880s-style railroad depot.
One of the locomotives exposed is No. 40, a 2-8-0 built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1921 for the Guatemala Railway Co, but used by Georgetown Loop Railroad. The first true 2-8-0 engine evolved from the 0-8-0 and was ordered in 1866 by the US's Lehigh and Mahanoy Railroad. The name given to the new locomotive was "Consolidation", that was almost globally adopted for the type. It predates the adoption of the type by other railways and coal and mountain freight haulers.
From its introduction and well into the early 20th century, the 2-8-0 design was considered to be the ultimate heavy freight locomotive. The 2-8-0’s forte was starting and moving "impressive loads at unimpressive speeds" and its versatility gave the type its longevity. The practical limit of the design was reached in 1915, when it was realised that there was no further development possible with a locomotive of this wheel arrangement.
In the United States, only a few railroads purchased Consolidation types when Baldwin Locomotive Works first introduced its version, but finally the production of this type totaled more than 33,000 locomotives, of which 12,000 were export versions. The Georgetown Loop Railroad is a spectacular stretch of 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge railroad, completed in 1884. The line was later dismantled, but was restored in the 1980s to operate during summer months as a tourist railroad.
About the stamps
The postcard was sent from Russia, so the stamps are russian. Two of the stamps are part of the series Monuments of Science and Technique - Bicycles, about which I wrote here.
The last stamp, Holy Prince Vladimir - Baptist of Russia, designed by C. Ulyanovsk, and issued on September 25, 2015.
References
Colorado Railroad Museum - Wikipedia
Georgetown Loop Railroad's No. 40, visits the Colorado Railroad Museum - iceandcoal.org
2-8-0 - Wikipedia
Sender: Olga Dorogova
Sent from Pskov (Pskov Oblast / Russia), on 31.03.2016
Photo: phb.cz
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