vulturenest Wrote:
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> And think about La Veta, definitely early NG
> but eventually SG.  I assume there was a bit of
> rework on the RoW that was involved there.

Chris Walker Wrote:
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> The narrow gauge D&RG didn't go over La Veta
> Pass, but over Veta Pass to the North, the orig-
> inal Muleshoe Curve line around Dump Mountain
> being replaced with a new SG routing 158ft lower
> w/ maximum grades of 3%. There were no Tunnels
> on the ng line between Walsenburg and Alamosa.


Mike, Chris et al -

On the morning of June 3, 1960, en route to Alamosa for the first of my four three-day excursions on the narrow gauge from there to Silverton & back, the bus stopped for breakfast at at the summit of La Veta Pass on U.S. Highway 160.  The café was located in a much-modified structure that IIRC had once been the D&RG depot there.  The rather narrow road at the time was built pretty much on top of the old RR grade, including the very sharp turn at Muleshoe Curve, which has since been bypassed by the much-improved highway.  The Colorado (east) map in my "current" road atlas (2009) shows the highway summit as NORTH La Veta Pass.  IIRC, the standard gauge railroad – not shown on my Colorado (east) road atlas – crosses SOUTH La Veta Pass, several miles distant from the original narrow-gauge summit.  The RR wasn't just re-constructed, it was re-routed entirely for several miles.

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



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/12/2018 12:31PM by Russo Loco.