Wayne Hoskin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm getting of track real early for which I
> apologise (I don't really!), first up, love these
> photos of dual gauge trains, this aspect of DRG&W
> operations fascinate me.
> But the operations also intrigue me, can any one
> answer my questions?
I'll assume you're only asking about the 3-Rail Railroad West of Alamosa and mostly post 1950.
> 1) Are all SG cars destined for Antonito and
> places beyond or were some shunted out at
> intermediate stations?
Some SG cars were set out out, as needed, for loading/unloading at stations between Alamosa & Antonito. There was never SG west(Railroad) of Antonito, on either line west (Railroad) from there, and nothing at all that could be called South (geographic) of the Antonito Yard Limits after 1941 when the line to Santa Fe was abandoned and removed.
> 2) Having seen photos with SG diesels up front,
> would that train continue south, leaving the
> narrow gauge section of the consist at Antonito,
> would the dual gauge idler flats continue with the
> train or stay at Antonito?
See previous answer.
> 3) Was there any particular train that ran as a DG
> train or if there was loading to go it just went
> on the first train, be it NG or SG?
> 4) If it was a NG freight, why take SG loading,
> surely that is double handling for it to be
> shunted of at Antonito and be picked up by a
> following SG train. Or would that SG loading on
> the pictured train only be going to Antonito
> anyway?
Up until the time when the frequency of NG dropped drastically, (say 1962 & later) almost all traffic (SG) bound for Antonito and points Railroad east was handled in the NG trains. SG engines(and cabeese) were only, AFAIK, used during the harvest (potatoes) season and in emergency situations, for example when all the NG engines were tied up west of Cumbres by snow.
Same pattern held true on the 3-Rail Alamosa-Hooper before February of 1951.
OTOH, several of the other historic 3-rail sections, Denver-Pueblo-Salida-Leadville for example, the norm was to use SG engines on all trains so...
Hank
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/10/2020 10:51AM by hank.
