I've been a memeber of the Rio Grande Chapter of the NRHS in Grand Junction, Colorado for some years and have recently seen the demise of a standard gauge wooden Rio Grande coach that for years I just figured I'd "get around to preserving" some day - "knowbody will harm it where it sets". Much to my chagrin there is nothing left now but shards of wood and Catipillar tracks.
I've little free time for research or preservation, but I'm hoping some one out there can help with identification of another coach, This one is narrow gauge. I've been "getting around to preserving" this one for about as many years. If I don't make some effort to get people interested I'm sure it will meet the same ends some day. This "coach" is located in the now, near deserted town of Thompson, Utah on the D&RGW mainline (now UP) between Green River,Utah and Grand Junction,Colorado. I have not seen it in several years, but will try to describe and see if any of you D&RG gooroo's can give any hints as to its origins. It has no identifying marks, and is painted a kind of yellowish orange. It is definetly narrow gauge in deminsions. I'm 6' 7" and can hardly stand up straight in side of it. It is all wooden, with a "vestibuled" or "celestry" on top. What is weird looking is that the part with the little windows that goes down the center of the roof, ends abruplty near each end, kind of a "Noah's Ark" look, not like a Pullman end or a "duck bill". I lost photos of it in the last move three years ago, so I'm going on memory on the description and can't give you a window count.
I was told by an ancient old lady that ran the cafe in Thompson that the car was moved to its current location in the 1940's after being bought by a private owner. It had been at "Sagers siding" for many years, used as a section house, and according to her (she told me this in 1993) it had been set out by the D&RG when they switched from narrow gauge to standard gauge.
I searched through quite a few reference books on my shelf to try and find a simalar looking car and could not find anything in my mostly Colorado books. All the cars seam to have that "rounded roof " look on the end sills. The only reference that I caoul find that had anything close was a Civil War photo book that shows the train the carried Lincolns body after he was assasinated. Those cars look real similar with a "peaked" roof and abruptly ending ends on the "vestibul".
Any help would be appriciated in identifing or least getting some plausible explanations of its origin.
