Re: Rico / Climax

I fully believe that the most cost effective way to move the mining output is to put them into intermodal containers and truck them to the nearest railhead.

I can not see any way to cost justify a rail line from Montrose, Gallup, or Alamosa.

The line up from Gallup would be the least expensive to try to justify in my opinion but it is still not economically justifiable.

If a rail line is built, it would be using modern methods which hack away at the existing terrain and scar the countryside to make a fairly level (maybe 2% maximum grade). Intermediate towns such as Ophir, Ridgeway, Telluride, etc. have no need for a rail link. So the new SG line could by-pass these towns by keeping the rail line higher up on the mountainside from Dallas Divide.

NG construction methods from the 1880's that used minimal earthwork with 4% grades and 20 degree curves I seriously doubt would be considered.

Doug vV



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/15/2008 03:02PM by dougvv.