Re: Revisionist History
| June 04, 2020 03:51PM |
Do not know how you think what I wrote was revisionist history as it was all from the D&RGW employee magazine, Bob Richardson's Narrow Gauge News, the Durango and other newspapers. As for 1945, this is the actual story. Have lots of photos of this one....
In October 1945, the D&RGW celebrated its 75th anniversary by running a special train over the entire standard gauge main line. To celebrate the past and future, the D&RGW decided to include narrow gauge equipment on the special. The D&RGW Green Light employee newspaper pointed out that many employees had never seen narrow gauge equipment that was so much a part of the railroad’s history. The Rio Grande put on a fake diamond stack, box headlight, but no long cow-catcher pilot. They painted 268 in a 1880s black style paint scheme with shadow type lettering from that era. They mounted her on flat car 22172 ahead of narrow gauge cars including a high side gondola, box car, short caboose, a passenger car and business car each mounted on a flat car. The train was powered by 4-unit FT diesel number 548 and included a new “Vista Dome” passenger car, a new radio-equipped 01400 series caboose and a “stage car” from which a “Gay Nineties Revue” group performed for the crowds along the route. The Green Light pointed out how the diminutive 268 exerted a tractive effort of 16,540 pounds while the General Motors FT diesel powering the train exerted 220,000 pounds of tractive effort.
The special departed Denver at 8:00 AM on Monday, October 22, 1945. It arrived in Ogden the next day for an 8:00 AM showing at the freight house rather than the depot due to traffic congestion. At 3:00 PM that day, the show was held in Salt Lake City. The train left following the show for an overnight layover in Provo. The next morning a show was performed in Helper and later in the day at Grand Junction with D&RGW employees attending from Montrose, Delta, and North Fork. On Thursday, October 25, the special stopped at Salida for a performance of the revue show. One hour stops were made at Canon City and Florence and the revue show again at Pueblo upon arrival there. On Friday, the 26th, the special made a run over LaVeta Pass to Alamosa where the revue show was performed at 9:30 AM. It then returned to Colorado Springs for the night. The train returned to Denver on Saturday, October 27 where the revue show was performed for the last time at 11:30 AM.
After the celebrating was over, the D&RGW took off the fake stack and headlight and painted 268 back to her freight scheme of black with white lettering. It was the first of several changes of costume that 268 would undergo in the next 15 years.
In October 1945, the D&RGW celebrated its 75th anniversary by running a special train over the entire standard gauge main line. To celebrate the past and future, the D&RGW decided to include narrow gauge equipment on the special. The D&RGW Green Light employee newspaper pointed out that many employees had never seen narrow gauge equipment that was so much a part of the railroad’s history. The Rio Grande put on a fake diamond stack, box headlight, but no long cow-catcher pilot. They painted 268 in a 1880s black style paint scheme with shadow type lettering from that era. They mounted her on flat car 22172 ahead of narrow gauge cars including a high side gondola, box car, short caboose, a passenger car and business car each mounted on a flat car. The train was powered by 4-unit FT diesel number 548 and included a new “Vista Dome” passenger car, a new radio-equipped 01400 series caboose and a “stage car” from which a “Gay Nineties Revue” group performed for the crowds along the route. The Green Light pointed out how the diminutive 268 exerted a tractive effort of 16,540 pounds while the General Motors FT diesel powering the train exerted 220,000 pounds of tractive effort.
The special departed Denver at 8:00 AM on Monday, October 22, 1945. It arrived in Ogden the next day for an 8:00 AM showing at the freight house rather than the depot due to traffic congestion. At 3:00 PM that day, the show was held in Salt Lake City. The train left following the show for an overnight layover in Provo. The next morning a show was performed in Helper and later in the day at Grand Junction with D&RGW employees attending from Montrose, Delta, and North Fork. On Thursday, October 25, the special stopped at Salida for a performance of the revue show. One hour stops were made at Canon City and Florence and the revue show again at Pueblo upon arrival there. On Friday, the 26th, the special made a run over LaVeta Pass to Alamosa where the revue show was performed at 9:30 AM. It then returned to Colorado Springs for the night. The train returned to Denver on Saturday, October 27 where the revue show was performed for the last time at 11:30 AM.
After the celebrating was over, the D&RGW took off the fake stack and headlight and painted 268 back to her freight scheme of black with white lettering. It was the first of several changes of costume that 268 would undergo in the next 15 years.
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488 stops for water at Los Pinos tank on closing day Oct. 1979. Photo courtesy Don Richter
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