Russo Loco Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Apparently these flying drops were standard
> practice for many years -
>
> The slight downgrade along the river allowed the
> caboose to coast slowly a long way, which gave
> the engine plenty of time to pull ahead, clear the
> switch, and drop off the brakeman to re-direct the
> caboose to the rear of the train. I presume this
> was done whether the outbound train was headed
> south to Farmington or east to Alamosa via Chama.
Chris Webster Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I was under the impression that the flying caboose
> drop was only done for trains going to Farmington
> and that Alamosa-bound trains were assembled in
> the Durango yard.
You are probably right, Chris -
As lumber from the Weidman Mill was usually loaded into boxcars returning empty after being unloaded in Farmington, although flats were also used occasionally. After the RGS shut down were there any eastbound loads other than from Weidman's and seasonal livestock shipments? Did the smelter in Durango ship bagged concentrate in boxcars or bulk loads in gons for transfer in Alamosa to eastern refineries, or had they switched to trucks?
- Sincerely,
Willie (Wm. Claude Johnson-Barr III, Esq.)
"
Not All Who Have Cell-Phones Do Twitter *
"
Not All Those Who Ponder Can Think . . . "
* Only TWITS Twitter!
p.s. I presume the flying drops only became possible after 1940, when most of the cabeese got the new
Rio Grande logos with the wings on them
. . .
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/02/2022 07:57PM by Johnson Barr.