Rockwood 1973 — D&RGW gray

It is Aug. 7, 1973 and the D&RGW has a string of MOW and freight cars plugging the siding at Rockwood. The circumstances are unknown, but I've seen photos of a similar string on the Elk Park siding. As will be seen, they are obviously not in use. Here is the string, it includes a 6500-series flatcar and a 9600-series open-end pipe gon. The switch for one leg of the wye is on the right, so this is looking roughly south:




Here is water car 0469, with a 4-6-66 journal repack date (the 04442 is next in the string):




This is the 04965, designated at a section men bunk car for Rotary OM. It too has a 4-6-66 repack date, and it appears that one window has been replaced. ISTR that both the 0469 and 04965 survive today in the Silverton museum, and the 04442 is in private ownership:




Here is ex-San Juan RPO 119 in sad shape. The corner paint star seems to indicate 3-51, which means the MOW gray paint was put over the Pullman Green varnish right near the end of the San Juan, and never repainted. X119 sat for years behind K-27 464 in Durango next to the car repair shed. There is a yellow "D&RGW" label sprayed on one corner, indicating it was not part of the equipment sale to the C&TS three years earlier. Notice that it was apparently never given any specific designation such as for rotary service; today it is in private ownership under restoration.




Another ex-4000-series MOW car, very unusual in that it has no door or windows on the visible side. The paint is so bad its number and designation is completely gone, although a yellow D&RGW is on one corner brace. Does anyone know which car this is?



That any of these cars escaped the scrapper in 1970 is a miracle, why the Rio Grande would keep them around is a mystery to me.