Quote
Jerry Day
Earl Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> As one locomotive alone sets, releases and
> recharges the brakes, it would pointless to have
> more than one engine other than for pulling
> power.
>
> Jerry: Do you know if all 125 cars went up the
> Crested Butte in one train? That would have taken
> multiple engines.
Earl:
Don't know if they all went to Crested Butte or if some went to Baldwin. Both branches had been shut down. Will ask Jimmy Blouch to check his materials.
Jerry Day
As per Jerry’s suggestion I have reviewed Dispatchers’ Record of Movement of Trains for the period January 1, 1943 through April 10, 1943. In connection with long trains arriving Gunnison from Sargent I found the following:
February 21 Extra 499 west arrived Gunnison with 4 loads and 100 empties, total 104 cars including caboose
March 12 Extra 497 west arrived Gunnison with 97 empties, including caboose, ( 6 were empty cinder cars)
March 22 Extra 499 west arrived Gunnison with 7 loads 95 empties, total 102 cars, including caboose
March 25 Extra 495 west arrived Gunnison with 103 empties, including caboose
Arrival of extra long trains at Gunnison was not an uncommon occurrence. Usually this was the result of the Salida-Marshall Pass turn or Salida-Sargent turn operations. These turns were operated in order to move loads waiting at Sargent for east bound move. They would depart Salida with Crested Butte empties, these empties would be set out at Buxton and/or Sargent. The turns would then take loads to Salida. A subsequent Gunnison west bound would depart Salida with more Crested Butte empties, pick up empties left at Buxton and/or Sargent en route to Gunnison.
Those empties arriving at Gunnison would not be taken all at once to Crested Butte. As Jerry mentioned some were destined for Baldwin. The longest train out of Gunnison for Crested Butte during the above stated time period was 53 empties which included the caboose.
A few months ago when I was posting daily operations for 1945 there are few times when mention was made of 100 car trains arriving Gunnison. One example was for February 26, 1945
Jimmy
