Re: Oil Pipe traffic

Well, for starters, the narrow gauge didn't haul a lot of "oil pipe". They hauled "gas pipe" which continued in ever decreasing quanities into 1968.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, if the number of engines called out of Chama can be used as a measuring device, business on the NG was better in 1964 than 1963. Gramps Oil continued to ship until the end of 1964. At his point the D&RGW made the big push to put all the freight business on Motorway trucks, and started closing the railroad in the winter months. Without a year-round railroad to ship by, the RR customers simply let the D&RGW use its Motorway trucks or went to some other form of shipping.
In short, in 1963, the narrow gauge still had one decent year left. But like any RR that exists primarily for one shipper, the die had been cast.