Re: Mears Junction Interchange

3rd Divsion Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> A quick question for the group about Mears
> Junction Colorado. I'm planning a model railroad
> based on the D&RGW's 3rd division and wanted to
> know what type and amount of interchange occurred
> at Mears Junction. Aside from some locomotive
> coal (quantity?) I'm not sure what was exchanged
> between the old 3rd and 4th divisions. Any
> thoughts?
>
This is one of those questions where the first response is what time period interests you?
In the 1930's and 1940's traffic to and from the Alamosa Branch of the former 3rd division included, but was not limited to:
Coal from Gunnison area mines, going to various points for household use and to the power plant in Alamosa. This traffic was th lifeblood of the branch post WWII. In the 1930's some was still moving as far as points on the SAnta Fe branch.
Ties moving to/from the treatment plant at Salida.[1]
Products of agriculture from farms and ranch in the northern San Luis. Most of this was lost to trucks as time moved on.
Concentrates from metal mines moving to Leadville for treatment at the smelter. Mostly gone after WWII.
Oil & Gasoline from the Farmington area, most of this traffic was gone after WWII.
Balancing moves of engines & other equipment between Gunnison & the 4th Divison lines, for example stock cars being shifted around as the Stock Rush occured at slightly different times in the two areas.
Of course if you go back to the 1890's the picture was quite different!
For the 30's & 40's a good source for information is to be found in two D&RGW reports recently reprinted by the CRRM, the Branch Line Report of 1938 and the Narrow Gayge Report of 1948. If you dig into these, for example study the lists on where traffic was coming from/gong to on various lines you can get a clear snapshot of the traffic at the time.
hope that is some help,
hank
[1] The tie traffic was so prevalant by the late 40's that my Father, not a fan by any strech, told me in the 70's that the grade over Poncha was from a lumber railroad because that what it had looked like to him when passing through the area right after the war!