Brian:
The next issue of the Prospector Magazine will have as the lead article a history of D&RGW C-16 number 278. I orginally wrote this for the San Juan On3 kit and it is being modified a bit for the magazine. I plan to do one on D&RGW 268 this summer and will eventually do 271 and 223. These were the four C16s that lasted into the 40s and that have the most photographs.
Between D&RGW, RGS records and some items from newspapers, I have managed to accumulate a fairly large amount of information. The engines tended to be used in one area most of the time. They did get moved around and were sometimes reassigned after shopping. For example, 223, 268, and 278 spent most of their service life around Gunnison and the 3rd divison. The Salida and Gunnison newspapers regularly reported what engines were in the shop, which crews were working them, etc. The Alamosa newspapers sometimes reported what was going on in the shops, but it was sporatic so it must have depended on the editor. Bob Richardson once told me that some of the newspaper editors did not like the D&RGW (they didn't like any large corporation). I tend to think that 216 might have been used out of Leadville. The Blue River branch lasted until 1911 (or 12, I forget). The Ibex branch was narrow gauge until 1917 and the D&RG had dual gauge track from Salida to Leadville until 1925. They had some narrow gauge engines as yard switchers until the end of the narrow gauge in 25.
The Leadville area is a part of the narrow gauge that seem to have been overlooked by D&RG fans. I guess they consider Leadville to be C&S narrow gauge country, but the D&RG narrow gauge was going full blast until the summer of 1917. They even used rotary ON on the Ibex branch as late as 1913 and 1914. Ibex branch was very interested with double horseshoe curves, switch backs, 4% grades, snow sheds, and a turntable at 11,000 feet. It was the highest point on the D&RGW.
Forgive me for getting off track..so to speak. The Ibex branch would make a great model layout with many, many mines, 4% grades and narrow gauge until 1917 with rotary plows and flangers in regular use. Something different from the usual Cumbres Pass and RGS.
Jerry
