Re: T-12 operation between Alamosa and Durango?

Once the large engines started showing up in 1923, I imagine the T-12's got shuffled off to light duty branch lines where light rail and bridges kept the big power away. The Lake City and Santa Fe Branches included.

The standard passenger train consist west of Alamosa was 5 cars - RPO, baggage, 2 coaches (one being a smoking car), parlor car. the Salida-Montrose passenger generally ran with only one coach. The grades the T-12's would have encountered with such trains would have been 2% or less.

There are shots in the 1970 Colorado Rail Annual of a passenger train head east from Montrose with a T-12 and a Mudhen helper for the climb over Cerro Summit. With respect for the T-12's wooden tender frame, the Mudhen is cut in behind the T-12. The photo dates from around 1930. Again the T-12's were used between Montrose and Gunnison because of light rail and bridges.

A few years later, the T-12's were gone and the train was powered by C-18's or C-19's. Neither of these engines would have been to satisfactory as passenger power - especially the C-19's with their short main rods, as the schedule required some 20mph+ running. There was a brief period of time where the Rio Grande was talking to the RGS to trade RGS 20,22 &25 for a couple of Mudhens. In the 1920's the D&RGW rented the RGS engines for use on this run and they performed well. When the RGS went into receivership in 1929, RGS called back all their locomotives and the Rio Grande had to use 2-8-0's. The discontinuance of the Montrose-Gunnison portion of the passenger run did away with the proposed trade.