Re: Let's Try This Again - A Parlor Car In Durango - 1950!

A couple of reasons why:

The standard gauge train from Denver arrived before dawn in Alamosa. It came in on the #1 track closest to the depot. After arriving, they would cut the RPO and express cars off and pull them across State St. to transfer the main and express to the narrow gauge cars headed west on the San Juan. The head end cars of the San Juan would be left of the far side of the crossing for this activity.

The hostlers would bring the San Juan's locomotive out from the roundhouse and place on the west end of the head end cars. When the engine and train crew came on duty and the transfer was finished, they would back the RPO and baggage cars across the street, couple to the coaches and head west. There are several pictures of this process out there in various books.

In the evening the same process would have been performed, only east of the passenger station. As it was dark when the San Juan arrived from Durango, no one took pictures. During the night, the switch crew would turn the San Juan and spot it for the next morning.

The other item: Although there was a switch to the the west that allowed trains on the #1 track to head south, it was usually lined straight for trains to head for the Creede Branch. All the tracks south of the #1 track curved south and tied into the mainline for Antonito and Chama. So, trains on the #1 track went west to Creede, trains on the #2 track went to Chama.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/02/2020 11:27AM by Earl.