Pine Gondolas get some lettering

As many of you know, two ex D&RGW gondolas are displayed on a section of the old South Park grade in Pine (or Pine Grove if you prefer). The cars are drop bottom gondola 735 and high side gon 1499 (as has been discussed before, the car's actual number is unknown, but it is one of the 1250 to 1499 series cars and has worn "1499" for the last several decades).

The community group that maintains the display was looking for someone to letter the cars, so i volunteered and was finally able to get out there and letter them last weekend.

The cars were lettered to represent the C&S and DSP&P, while retaining their original D&RGW numbers (they also retain their last D&RGW COT&S stencils on their brake reservoirs)

The drop bottom was lettered for the C&S in the general manner that the C&S lettered their gondolas while the high side was lettered for the DSP&P based on a builder's photo of South Park gondola 1437 that can be found on page 64 of "Narrow Gauge Pictorial Volume VIII"

Eagle eyed observers will note that the drop bottom is numbered "767" instead of "735". That is my mistake, as my notes from when the cars were being dispersed a few years back indicated that 767 was going to Pine. The error will be corrected next time I am out there. Also, 1499 will receive a number on its side sills.

Some shots of the cars:









Jason Midyette