In 1939, as the United States continued to struggle to fully recover from the decade-long Great Depression, places like Westcliffe were still far from experiencing any real economic change. The 38-year-old spur of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad made its last railroad run in 1939, and the tracks were quickly pulled to be sold as scrap to meet the demand for armaments from the growing but distant conflict of World War II.
Like a ghost from the past, a steam whistle blew for the first time in 86 years this past Saturday in the Wet Mountain Valley behind the All Aboard Westcliffe Engine House, which serves as an epic museum that preserves the even more epic attempts to bring railroads to Westcliffe. Marcus Blout, a member of All Aboard Westcliffe, managed to obtain a Lunkenheimer Steam whistle and, using a specialized air blower, brought the whistle sound back to life in Westcliffe.
Blout kept the whistle relatively quiet so as not to harm the ears of his colleagues and guests at All Aboard Westcliffe, but it was the unmistakable sound of hot air over metal that made the iconic sound. “These whistles are not about air pressure,” Blout explained after the short demonstration. “Instead, it is all about the volume of air passing through the whistle.” In the future, he envisions a more permanent whistle mounted outside the building rather than the quick stand he built sitting on the back of his pickup truck. “Perhaps in the near future we can let all of Westcliffe relive hearing the distant whistle that announced the arrival of the train that powered the local economy here.” Blout smiled as he gave one more press of the lever to let out the sound.
Funnily enough, Lunkenheimer Steam whistles are still produced in Cincinnati just as they were in 1862, but the company only offers six-inch diameter whistles currently. The one that Blout managed to acquire is eight inches and could make a much louder sound with the proper air volume. In addition to locomotives, Lunkenheimer Steam whistles were used on riverboats, steamships, factory floors, and as emergency notices worldwide.
For more information on the amazing history that is constantly being curated at All Aboard Westcliffe, visit the engine house museum on Saturdays between Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Also, check out the Depot located on Main Street on the same days and times. The organization also has information on its website at www.allaboardwestcliffe.com.
– Jordan Hedberg
