According to a copy of
Cinders and Smoke that's the closest to me, from 1988. The Car we know as the "Alamosa" today was built as a chair car in 1880 by Jackson and Sharp. In 1919 it was rebuilt into an Office/Living car for a valuation survey. 1924 saw another conversion into a Parlor/Smoker car. Finally in 1937 it was rebuilt as a Parlor/Buffet car for the San Juan and THEN emerged with the name "Alamosa" to "replace" the original "Alamosa" which had been destroyed on the RGS TWENTY FIVE years earlier! (can you call it a replacement in that span of time?)
The "Durango", "Chama", and "Alamosa" were all rebuilt for the San Juan in 1937 at the same time, this would explain the similar floor plans of the cars, even with the different histories, as at least the Alamosa was built with an open vestibule on the A-End.
William Diehl... \M/( >.< )\M/
-Albuquerque
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