#104 Buffalo Locomotive Distance 0.00 miles

#104 was an ex-CB&Q Class H-2, purchased in 1927, long after the heyday of the H-2 engines. The development of the 2-6-0s peaked in the late 1800s, so many of the engines bought by the Buffalo Railway, such as the #104, did not have superheating, piston valves, etc. The 2-8-0, with greater track adhesion, also overshadowed it when it began production in 1866. The fate of the #104 is unknown. Be sure to view the #105 nearby.

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Jim Gatchell Museum

Laying the Tracks Distance 0.00 miles

When the first train came to Buffalo on February 28, 1918, the tracks proved problematic. Some of the rails were too light, the ties were too far apart, roads were too narrow, and there was too little track ballast. The first few years, there were many problems such as delays caused by cold winter storms and frozen wheels and derailments caused by hitting livestock on the tracks. Once the initial problems were fixed, the railroad operated with few incidents until the later years.

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Jim Gatchell Museum

Buffalo Railway Distance 0.00 miles

The Buffalo Railway operated for almost 30 years. Its route ran for 28.6 miles. Thousands of head of cattle, millions of pounds of wool, coal, lumber, grain, and sugar beets, and many passengers moved through the railway. The capability of the business was questionable as it cost as much to ship stock from Buffalo to Clearmont as it did to ship from Clearmont to Omaha. Still the local economy prospered, jobs were plentiful, and a home construction boom occurred as a result of the railroad.

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Jim Gatchell Museum

Railroad Depot (Potter's Depot) Distance 0.00 miles

The original railroad depot was built in 1918 – 1919 as a single story building with a basement, a waiting room, a caged ticket room, an express room, and a large freight room. A second story with a crew washroom and a locker room was added in 1931. The railroad tracks passed in front of and behind the depot. After the railroad closed in 1946, it became a furniture warehouse. Today, a pottery workshop, store, and home exist on the site.

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Jim Gatchell Museum

Flour Mill and Electric Plant Distance 0.00 miles

The railroad headed north from the depot, along Clear Creek, traveling past the Buffalo Flour Mill and Electric Plant. The flour mill opened in 1886 and the electrical plant was added in 1888. The buildings were completely demolished in the 1980s.

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Jim Gatchell Museum
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Tie Hacks Distance 0.00 miles

The logging and timber industry reached its peak during the Buffalo Railway years. Lumber ties from mills in the mountains would float down to the railroad through splash dams along Clear Creek. At the re-saw mill the ties were then graded, sized, and marked. The re-saw mill site can be seen at the Mountain Plains Heritage Park on South Bypass Road.

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Jim Gatchell Museum

East Buffalo Distance 0.00 miles

East Buffalo developed because the city residents did not want the train to stop directly in Buffalo, bringing with it noise and risk of fire. A roundhouse, livestock yards, grain elevator, loading chute, coal shaft, dipping vat, set of scales, two-story tall engine house, cinder pit, bushel elevator, and spur tracks were constructed. Here the trains stopped and unloaded the incoming freight shipments while the mail and passengers were unloaded at the railroad depot on Lobban Avenue.

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Jim Gatchell Museum

Busy bee Cafe Distance 0.00 miles

Get up and start the day off right with breakfast downtown at the famous Busy Bee Cafe , the choice restaurant for character Walt Longmire.

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The Roundhouse Distance 0.00 miles

The roundhouse was a building used to service locomotives. Outside was a wye to turn the trains around for the return to Clearmont. The original was a large, rectangular brick structure with tall arched garage doorways. Destroyed along with two locomotives and several tools in a 1930 fire, a replicated building was built nearby and was large enough to house three locomotives and heavy machinery for repairing. After the railroad closed, several businesses have occupied the roundhouse.

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Jim Gatchell Museum

Crazy Woman Canyon Distance 0.00 miles

Next, ride your hog along one of the favorite tours of Johnson County: Crazy Woman Canyon. This tour takes its travelers along a single lane dirt road past stunning canyon walls into the mountains. One of the favorite outings for local folks looking for a beautiful drive and a nice, cool place to picnic in the middle of the summer, Crazy Woman Canyon offers a close up view of beautiful rock formations as it hugs a rushing mountain stream along its way. This tour follows a single dirt road throu... Read more...

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The end of the railroad Distance 0.00 miles

After the death of Isaac Smith, the founder of the Buffalo Railway, out-of-state stockholders lost investment. The Wyoming Railway was in desperate need of maintenance because it had been deferred during WWI, the Great Depression, and WWII. Severely in debt, the railroad was sold to C. Porter Dixon of Denver in 1946. Dixon wanted to keep the railroad operating while making the necessary repairs and purchasing new locomotives. The Public Service Commission issued an order to cease operations a... Read more...

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Jim Gatchell Museum

Klondike Ranch Distance 0.00 miles

Visit Klondike Ranch before heading back to Buffalo. This dude ranch visit has horseback riding, working cattle, fishing, and even rodeos with real cowboys!

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Mosier Gulch Picnic Area Distance 0.00 miles

The BLM Buffalo Field Office and the City of Buffalo manage the Mosier Gulch Picnic Area. It is located next to the Bighorn National Forest. Visitors can fish, float the river during the spring melt, and view wildlife such as mule deer, antelope, eagles, and occasionally black bear and elk.

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Jim Gatchell Museum

Downtown Buffalo Distance 0.00 miles

Head back to Downtown Buffalo and grab lunch at one of our many downtown restaurants, including Sagewood Gifts & Café, Clear Creek Cantina, Papa Binos or Pie Zanos.

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