Re: Peak traffic volume between Chama and Durango

george pearce Wrote:
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> If by traffic volume you are referring to actual
> cars (passenger and freight, loaded and empty)
> moved over the line, perhaps some despatchers
> sheets from between 1882 and 1893 (if they exist)
> might yield some interesting information. This
> period was before the silver boom went bust, so
> mining traffic, lumbering traffic and general
> freight traffic may have resulted in more volume
> than at any other time. Just wondering!!


Just my humble opinion, George -

But, even adding interchange with the RGS, I doubt that inbound traffic to the towns and mines in Rico, Silverton, Telluride et al came even close to the inbound volume of oilfield supplies going to Aztec and Farmington two or three decades later when that (initially standard gauge) branch was added.  Mine timbers were available locally; drilling pipe was not.  Outbound traffic from the mines was mainly concentrate, IIRC, and again nowhere near the huge volume of oil shipped from the Farmington branch in the 1920's (and 30's??).   See Earl's post at [ngdiscussion.net], above.

- El Abuelo Histœrico, Greengo y Curmudgeoño de los Locomoturas Viejos y Verdes,
aka Der Grossväterlich DünkelOlivGrünDampfKesselMantelLiebHabender



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/07/2017 05:05PM by Russo Loco.