Re: Busiest DRGW main line?

Following is about 1930 and the Crested Butte branch. This was during the depression and still 9200 cars. That number increased significantly during WWII to the point where the D&RGW installed a lighting system on the barrel transfer at Salida so they could run it all night.

January 8, 1931, Thursday
RECORD COAL PRODUCTION FOR CRESTED BUTTE, 1930.
Big Mine Shows 34% Increase and Horace 7%. Would Make Monster Train From Crested Butte to Beyond Sargents
Crested Butte coal mines during the year 1930 shipped 9,200 cars which if placed end of end would make a sold train from the Buttes thru Gunnison to a point two miles beyond Sargents.
While Colorado as a whole shows a decline of 20% in coal production, due to the prevalent business depression and more extensive use of oil and gas east of the range, the Big CF&I mine at Crested Butte shows a record production for all time--a total of 150,805 tons, as compared with 112,588 in 1929. This is an increase of 34%, or 33,217 tons. Electrification of the mine and im-proved machinery made it possible to secure this added tonnage.
The Horace Anthracite mine at the Buttes, only hard coal mine west of Pennsylvania producing to a large extent, took out 46,398 tons of anthracite last year. This is an increase of 2,893 tons or 7% over 1929.
This remarkable exhibit may be attributed to the in-comparable quality of the two coals, and to the vigorous and capable sales representatives given. It is an achieve¬ment to have recorded such an increase of production in a year of slow business.
As a unit, Gunnison county, as indicated by advance reports from the three coal fields--Somerset, Crested Butte, and Baldwin, will show a decline of only four per cent total for 1930 as compared with 1929. This unquestionably puts our county in the lead for the state in comparative ratio of production with the previous twelve months.

D&RGW GREENLIGHT
February 1941
Gunnison
The coal business has been extra good this winter, had to put on the Sargeant hill crew, now have a train crew and three engine crews there.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/05/2020 09:39PM by Jerry474.