In 175 ICC (pgs 151-159) Finance Docket No 8354(submitted 5/19/31. Decided 6/14/1931) says:
"Early in 1927 the lumber company ceased operation..." pg 152
"....substantially all salvage material[1] had been shipped out over the branch prior to April, 1927." pg152
"...no new lumber operations have been started..." pg 152
"The service ordered by the State commission in 1927, and usually provided[2], consists of one round trip each week. No passengers, mail, baggage, or express have been handled since April 17, 1927. A light engine is used in the operation and hauls one or two cars and a caboose. The run is normally from Antonito to La Madera and return, via Taos Junction." pg 153
On page 154 table list:
Total Freight Revenue:
1928 $10,421.67 ($1412.42 allocated to br.)
1929 $7,363.39 ($869.19 allocated to br.)
1930 $ 3,893.43 ($460.52 allocated to br.)(note: only for 8 months)
For comparison 1925 (the year the lumber operation began closing down) shows revenue of $84,638.95 ($7,358.99 all. to br.)
the next table shows carloadings:
Narrow-gage forwarded:
1928: 25 mica, 15 wool, 14 other
1929: 22 mica, 2 wool
1930: 16 mica (8 months.)
Standard-gage[3] carloads received:
1929: Flour, salt, lime, lumber. 16 carloads
1930: Flour, lard, salt. 7 carloads
Company freight:
Ties, 8/1/1929 to 9/1/1930. 19 carloads.
"...La Madera. but no stockpens or loading facilities have ever been provided at that point..." pg 154
"Pinon nuts...17 carloads in 1921...no movement over branch in two years...product is clearly of an uncertain nature." pg 154
"The health resort at Ojo Caliente, established early in 1930, has received by rail 56 tons of coal and stock feed." pg 154
There is a long section (over a page) on the prospects claimed for the mica industry including:
"The Globe mine is said to contain an enormous deposit...When operation is fully developed the expectation is to ship[to a mill at Embudo] 500 tons of feldspar and 100 tons of mica each month." pg 156
"Trucking the material to Embudo is considered to be impracticable." pg 157
Another company claims that:
"Under normal business conditions the output of mica to be moved by rail is estimated at not less than 6,000 tons per annum.
"If all the prospective traffic described by the protestants were obtained it would not amount to the smallest tonnage handled in any one of the years reported prior to 1927..." pg 158
D&RGW offered to sell or lease the branch to an qualified operator. (pg 158) apparently there were no takers.
A few engineering details, 30 lb rail, max grade of 2%(each direction), and "many sharp curves". Note: Sharp to eastern eyes, a quick check of the Valuation maps shows mostly 10-16 degree curves with only a couple of short 20 degree ones in the last mile before La Madera.
Populations listed:
Ojo Caliente 100
La Madera 75 or 250 ("variously stated")
El Rito (12 miles west of La Madera) "nearly 1000"
also mentioned are Vallecitos, Petaca, Canyon, and Servilleta Plaza as "small towns situated from 5 to 15 miles to the north. There is little evidence of their use of the branch."
It is also mentioned that the terminal & wye at La Madera were on leased land and the the owner was making demands for a new lease or for D&RGW to purchase the land.
hank
[1] from lumber mill, etc.
[2] several(at least 4) instances of no traffic on offer so no train operated are cited. Also a major washout in August of 1930 that the Grande took over a month to fix.
[3] presumably before transfer at Alamosa. And yes, that's the way the report spells gage/gauge.
