Re: Question about San Juan

I also should point out that after the San Juan was pulled off the overnight sleeper train was also discontinued and the replacement passenger service was a daytime trip from Alamosa to Pueblo and a change to a through train coming from Grand Junction up to Denver. Now a trip to Denver consumed 3 full days and required 2 nights in a Denver hotel as compared to 1 day and 2 overnights on the train. It was a failure, which I am sure the Rio Grande knew it would be. The Alamosa-Pueblo train only lasted a year or so before being discontinued.

Mail service to SW CO suffered as well. The mail from Denver came overnight from Denver and was in the local post offices the next day. After the RPO route was cancelled along with the passenger service, Mail took 3 days to get to Durango, and cost the PO Dept. much more to deliver. It should be pointed out the PO Dept. offered to increase the fee they paid to the D&RGW to haul the mail by enough to easily cover the loss of running the passenger trains, but of course the D&RGW wanted to get rid of the trains, not make money.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/20/2018 11:21AM by Earl.