Re: 700 & 800 class drop bottom gons

John:
Crested Butte coal that was sold to the RGS was shipped in high side gons. I have several way bills showing coal shipped from Crested Butte to Ridgway and the cars were always high side gons.
The drop bottom gons were used extensively on the Baldwin branch to provide coal for the Alamosa power plant. Some were used to provide Crested Butte coal to the coal tipples at Gunnison, Sargents, and even Salida. In Otto Perry and Bob Richardson photos of the Valley Line over Poncha Pass, you will see lots of drop bottom gons. Trains from Gunnison to Salida would leave these cars at Mears Junction where they would be picked up by the next Salida to Alamosa train.
The D&RGW could not use these cars in the car dumper at Salida as they were not strong enough. The D&RGW tried a few times when the dumper was first built in 24, but forbid their use in the dumper after that.
They could also not be used to haul anthracite slack from Crested Butte as it was so fine that it leaked through the drop doors. The CF&I sold a lot of anthracite slack to a plant in Texas where it was used to make briquettes.