Photographic Inspiration

These are pictures of a few of the things that have inspired my interest in Alamosa, the San Luis Valley, and the railroads beyond. I'll add pictures to the top of the page to make it easier for you to discover the new images when you return. If you are new here, it might make sense to start at the bottom and work your way up. Earlier text might contain information that would be useful in understanding the context of later descriptions.

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Right click on that image and save it to your computer. It will make a nice desktop background.




Photograhper: Robert Richardson   |   Location: Sungar Junction, CO   |   Date: 6/1953 | DPL Call Number: RR-1434
San Luis Central #1 sitting outside of the engine house at Sugar Junction/Monte Vista, Colorado.


Photograhper: Robert Richardson   |   Location: Sungar Junction, CO   |   Date: 2/12/1955 | DPL Call Number: RR-1435
San Luis Central #1 pulling a cut of cars off of the D&RGW local at Sugar Junction as C-48 #1157 waits on the main.


Photograhper: Robert Richardson   |   Location: Sungar Junction, CO   |   Date: 1/6/1949 | DPL Call Number: RR-1436
Number 1 north of Sugar Junction.


Photograhper: Robert Richardson   |   Location: Center, CO   |   Date: January 6, 1949 | DPL Call Number: RR-1437
Number 1 at the stocks pens in Center, CO. I question the date given for this photograph.

I posted this series of photographs here because the interchange with the San Luis Central will be modeled on my railroad. If I can figure out how to fit it in, I'll feature the railroad all the way to Center. Number 1 was the only power on the SLC during the timeframe that I'm modeling. A GE 70-tonner showed up in the 1950's to take over from the little consolidation. While a 70-tonner would be much easier to model, I think that the 2-8-0 will be a lot more fun to have on my layout.

The SLC still runs today, shipping agricultural products out of the San Luis Valley.




Photograhper: Robert Richardson   |   Location: Alamosa, CO   |   Date: "1949" | DPL Call Number: RR-1736

I went looking for this picture on the Denver Public Library site tonight because I wanted to know whether East Yard in Alamosa was 2-rail or 3-rail. I’ve been laboring under the assumption that it was 2-rail. The reason that I pulled it up on the DPL website is that “East Yard” is contained in the title. Blowing the picture up to its maximum size gives the impression that there could be 3-rail trackage here. Another possibility is that there is additional rail in this area because of a switch. A switchstand features prominently in the right foreground.

While the picture doesn’t answer my question, it still captures my imagination. The focus of the image is one of the things that drew me to pick the San Luis Valley (and points west) as the setting for my layout – Big Power used in a big way. While my layout won’t see mid-train helpers as were used on Tennessee Pass, helpers were a regular part of the freight operations in the Valley.

It looks like what we see here is L-96 #3403 leading L-131 #3602 eastward on the east ladder of East Yard. #3602 will be the road power on an eastbound freight, with #3403 lending a helping hand. All 16 driving axles will be needed to lift a heavy train to the top of La Veta Pass. Helpers in the Valley ran on the point, most likely to Sierra, where they were moved to the rear of the train. #3403 could then be called to either continue east to the town of La Veta to help westbound trains to the top of the pass, or to return westbound to Sierra or Fort Garland to help one or more additional westbound trains to the top. After helping two or three trains to the summit the crew would then return to Alamosa before they reached the end of their shift.

One question in my mind is why the caboose is trailing #3602. The caboose would be placed on the rear of the train, not at the head end. Why wasn’t it left at the west end of the yard so that a yard engine could attach it to the other end of the train. I’ll bet that someone out there can answer that question for me.

Behind the caboose we see a long cut of standard gauge cars with a caboose attached to this end. This is either a train that has arrived from Pueblo with cars for the Valley, or a train that has been assembled to travel west toward Creede. While most of the industry on the line west was focused on agriculture, there were other businesses that would have shipped or received by rail. The interchange with the San Luis Central was also located on this line. At the date of this picture (“1949”) the SLC would have still been served by Consolidation #1. It was a handsome little locomotive and I’d give anything to find a decent model of it for my railroad. I’ll see if I can find a picture of it to post here sometime.

The reason that I said “It looks like what we see here” a couple of paragraphs back is that I’m not completely sure that this is the east ladder of East Yard. What causes me to question that location can been seen in the far background behind the switchman standing at the far left of the image. If you click through the picture to see the image in its largest size on the DPL website, you can see several things behind him that don’t add up to me.

First, we see two D&RGW standard gauge boxcars sitting on a track that leads off two the southwest. There are two possible locations that I know of where these cars could be sitting, with their sides facing southeast toward the morning sun. One location would be the lead to the icehouse. (Incidentally, the icehouse burned in 1949. We can’t tell if that was before or after the date of this picture.) The lead to the icehouse was located on the south side of the main, opposite East Yard, which sat on the north side of the main. That seems to rule out this track as the location for these boxcars.

The other option that I can see is the west yard ladder. The cars don’t look like they’re far enough away to be at the far end of the yard though. The map that I have of East Yard lists track lengths of over 4100’. Those two boxcars don’t look like they are over ¾ of a mile away to me. What do you think? Sadly, my map doesn’t show any structures in or around the yard, so I can use those to answer my questions about the location. Can someone out there help me to nail down where this picture was taken? I suspect that it is the east ladder of East Yard, but I just have too many questions to be 100% sure.




Photograhper: Robert Richardson   |   Location: Amargo, NM   |   Date: January 30, 1951 | DPL Call Number: RR-1075

The first thing that I thought when I saw this picture of the San Juan Express was “Christmas rush”. A second look caused to me reconsider though. There are usually additional headend cars during the Christmas season. So, I looked at the date – January 30, 1951. Huh, why would there be so many cars on a late-January train? Wait a minute – January 30, 1951. The last run on the San Juan was on January 31, 1951. This train was loaded with people who were riding the train “one last time”. It is also possible that the train wasn’t completely full on this day, but that extra cars were added in anticipation of an unusual number of riders on the last train leaving Durango on the following morning.

Either way, this is both a beautiful and sad picture in my mind. I love the look that the San Juan gives us with its ubiquitous K-28 leading a postal car, one or more baggage cars, coaches, and the observation that always appeared on the end of the train. The San Juan was a class act. While riding the D&S and the CT&S are fun, they are tourist trains run for the benefit of those of us lucky enough to make it to Southwest Colorado. This train was run to serve the citizens of that part of the state. It was filled with men, women, and children who had someplace to go, places to be, and people to see. It would have had a different flavor to it.

With my layout based on a ~1949 timeframe, the San Juan will a regular feature of my operating sessions. I doubt that my little Hon3 K-28’s will be strong enough to pull an eight car train, like the one that we see here. Especially since my observation car is a brass Key model. I may look into getting a 3D printed model to save some weight in the hope to be able to run longer versions of the San Juan on my layout. I could also substitute a larger (and heavier) K-36 for the K-28. I suppose that K-37’s made appearances on the point of the San Juan. I’ll need to look into that before the train starts to run on my layout.




Photograhper: Robert Richardson   |   Location: La Jara, CO   |   Date: February 23, 1949 | DPL Call Number: RR-1105

The last photo that I posted (just below this one) was a Robert Richardson photograph of a narrow-gauge plow train. Here we see another plow train, pictured just over six weeks later, on February 23, 1949. Early 1949 must have been a tough time on Cumbres Pass.

This train looks like it isn’t expecting to encounter the same battle at the earlier one was. Here we see OM with its tender and water car. This time though it is not accompanied by water car #W499. In addition, this train only rated one K-36 (#480) instead of three locomotives. The locomotive is trailed by a flanger. Although the DPL website doesn’t indicate which flanger this is, it is likely OT, which Bob noted was included in the previous train.

The other missing element today is that there are no gondolas filled with coal. Apparently, this train wasn’t expected to take more than a day to reach Chama. Depending on where the snow is located, this train may not have even reached Chama, instead turning at Big Horn or Cumbres Pass.

It appears that the same four work cars that were on the last train are also assigned to this train. This includes the first car behind the flanger, which shows no windows on this side of the car. It does have a smokejack though, so it doesn’t appear to be a tool car. Any idea what it is?

The other difference between this train and the earlier one is that this train has two cabooses attached. The first one would have been for men assigned to work in the effort to open the line. The second one would have been for the train crew.

Finally, this is a great shot of the track layout on the south side of La Jara. It seems like the great majority of the pictures that I see from La Jara are taken around the depot. While the depot is undeniably photogenic, especially with the train order signal standing between the depot and the tracks, it is nice to see more of the town. I suppose that I could do some digging, but instead I’ll ask here, where was Bob located when he took this picture? I'm guessing that he was on top of a standard gauge car. The only other option that I can think of would be some sort of over-track structure that would have been used for loading cars. I’m not aware of any structure like that being located on the south side of La Jara though. If you know otherwise, let me know.




Photograhper: Robert Richardson   |   Location: Henry, CO   |   Date: January 6, 1949 | DPL Call Number: RR-2050

This is a train that I definitely want to model on my railroad. Robert Richardson took this photo of a southbound (railroad west) narrow-gauge plow train at Henry, Colorado on January 6, 1949. Henry was the first station south of Alamosa on the dual-gauge trackage that was the beginning of the “San Juan Extension”. This line was pushed west of Alamosa to reach the riches of the San Juan mountains in Southwest Colorado. In later years the line was kept in service to reach the oil fields in and around Farmington, NM.

As for this train, just look at it. Wow!

In the lead we see Rotary Plow OM. When in service OM, is always accompanied by its trailing tender. In this case, the plow set also includes the water car that is assigned to OM. In anticipation of the work ahead, water car #W499 is trailing as the fourth piece of the consist. #W499 was equipped with couplers for both standard gauge and narrow-gauge equipment. While I have never seen #W499 in a standard gauge train, I have seen a picture of it being used as an idler car in a narrow-gauge train north of Alamosa with a standard gauge reefer behind it.

As another indication of how much work is expected on the road ahead, following #W499 are locomotives #486 (K-36), #493 (K-37), and #487 (K-36). Trailing the locomotives are Flanger #OT, two gondolas, four work outfit cars, and caboose #0503. That the train contains two gondolas, presumably loaded with coal, and four work outfit cars are more indications of the amount of work that the railroad is expecting to encounter in the battle to reach the top of the pass.

I once read a John Norwood story in Trains Magazine about battling a blizzard on Cumbres Pass. I find myself wondering if this was the train sent into that fight. I wish that I could lay my hands on that article. It was well worth the read.

One final note. It appears to me that the first work car is devoid of windows on this side, although it does have a smokejack on the roof. Can anyone sell me what this car was used for, maybe with a car number so that I can do some research on it?




Photograhper: Ralph E. Hallock | Location: Alamosa, CO | Date: Dec. 29, 1947 | DPL Call Number: CRRM-2012.285.0638

Taken the day before the picture of the San Juan below, this Ralph Hallock picture shows L-95 class (2-8-8-2) Mallets #3405 and #3401 sitting on one of the turntable leads in Alamosa. This picture shows a number of the things that draws me to this area of the Rio Grande.

The most obvious thing are the two large locomotives filling the frame. There were very few classes of locomotive that did not operate into the San Luis Valley at one time or another during their service lives. This gives me a valid reason to operate any of my models on my layout. The fact that locomotives of this size were required to move trains out of the Valley points to the facts that conquering La Veta Pass required effort and that the trains running east out of Alamosa weren't insignificant. During the fall stock and produce rush trains of 85 cars weren't uncommon leaving the Valley. Incidentally, none of the large articulated locomotives that worked into the Valley would fit on the 90' turntable in Alamosa. They were turned on the wye at the west end of Main Yard. These locomotives have been turned and are ready to work their way back east.

Looking at the track in the picture gives another reason for modeling Alamosa and points west - both standard and narrow-gauge equipment operated here. This again points to the ability to justify running a wide variety of equipment on my layout. If you look closely at the track you'll notice that the lead that the locomotives are sitting on is three rail trackage - dual gauge, able to accommodate both standard and narrow gauge equipment. The lead behind the locomotives is two rail - narrow gauge only. The two leads between the photographer and the locomotives are both four rail - dual gauge trackage again.

As I was beginning my research on the locomotive facilities in Alamosa, I asked about the two rail/three rail/four rail trackage in the area and asked about how this was dealt with once the leads reached the turntable. I was assured by many that the three-rail lead would change to four rail before it reached the table because the track wouldn't line up correctly if it wasn't converted to four rail before reaching the four-rail track on the table. I've since found photographic evidence that the track was indeed three-rail when it reached the table. I guess that the alignment wasn't as critical as some people think.

Another obvious feature of the yard in Alamosa is the coal chute that appears in the background of this image. At over 500' long, with eight chutes for a total of 240 tons of capacity, this was an imposing structure. Originally built in 1913, it was raised by 2 feet, four inches in 1937 to accommodate newer power on the railroad. The structure was served by dual-gauge trackage and would be serviced by both standard gauge and narrow-gauge gondolas. Honestly though, I can't remember seeing a standard gauge car spotted on the chute in any but the earliest pictures. My hope is to have a scale model of this structure on my layout. Does anyone out there enjoy challenging scratchbuilding projects? I have plenty of other things to accomplish and would be more than happy to have a little help on that project!

Finally, can someone explain to me why it appears that there is a huge amount of coal piled behind these locomotives? At first, I was thinking that these would piles of cinders that had been cleaned out of fireboxes during servicing (which made no sense to me either), but the size of the chunks in these piles is all wrong to be anything but coal. I suppose that it could be destined to be burned in the power plant in the yard, but this location isn't convenient for that usage. What purpose are these piles of coal destined for?




Photograhper: Ralph E. Hallock | Location: Chama, NM | Date: Dec. 30, 1947 | DPL Call Number: CRRM-2012.285.0619

I love this picture of the San Juan. K-28 #473 is departing Chama two days before New Years, on December 30, 1947. Snow is falling as train No. 115 accelerates out of Chama. Presuming that the crew has their train on schedule, it is just a few seconds after 11:15am, with stops ahead at Monero, Lumberton, Dulce, Gato, Allison, and Ignacio, before finally arriving in Durango at 4:05pm.

A USPS employee is peering out of the front door of the RPO, the first of five cars trailing #473. The photographer is standing next to the scale track to frame his shot. To the right we can see two boxcars. Whether they will head west, sometime after #115, or head east over Cumbres Pass we can't know. The two boxcars to the left of the San Juan are spotted at the depot and at one of the local warehouses. The depot itself gives hints of things that can make a model railroad look "lived in". One ladder leans against the depot, while another hangs at the ready. A baggage cart sits on the platform and vehicles can be seen parked both at the far end of the platform and behind the depot, away from the tracks.

As I look at this photo one thing especially piques my interest. What is the diamond shaped object that is between the depot and the piles of lumber? I have no idea. Now I'm going to need to dig out additional photos of the west side of the depot to see if I can figure out what it is that I'm looking at here. Is it something that needs to be added to my model of Chama someday?




Photograhper: Robert Richardson   |   Location: Near Russell, CO   |   Date: January 1951 | DPL Call Number: RR-1733

This is the photo that gave me the clue that helpers operated in reverse down La Veta Pass. Since that epiphany I've had professional railroaders tell me "duh". We fine, I'm not a pro, I've never seen it written about, and I had to figure it out on my own.

The photo shows D&RGW F-81 class locomotive (2-10-2) number 1401, apparently heading downgrade near Russell, on the west side of La Veta Pass. I say "apparently" because I suppose that the locomotive could be sitting on the track, with a strong wind blowing from behind. That seems unlikely though.

No. 1401 was built by the Brooks Works of the American Locomotive Company (Alco) in 1916. Number 1401 was one of the last two F-81s in service, being scrapped along with #1400 in October of 1955.

It must be relatively early in the day because there is still a healthy load of coal in the bunker. It was common for helpers to work their way to the top of La Veta Pass and then return to either Sierra (highest on the Pass) or Russell to meet another westbound. I’m looking forward to modeling this operation on my layout someday.

Incidentally, if you click through to blow the picture up, you’ll notice what appears to be another photographer on the other side of the tracks just behind the tender. Does anyone know if Bob had a common companion on his photo trips? It would be interesting to look through this other photographer’s collection to see if we could find pictures taken at the same time. I did a quick search through the DPL photo archives for “Otto Perry” and “1401” but didn’t get any hits on an F-81. If you find any photos that look promising send me an email at the address shown at the bottom of this page.





Photograhper: Robert W. Richardson   |   Location: Cumbres Pass, CO   |   Date: January 21, 1949

These two pictures show K-36 class locomotives #483 and #487 working to clear the tracks at the top of Cumbres Pass. Spreader OU is sandwitched between the locomotives in both photographs. The upper photo also shows a caboose trailing the consist as the train works to clear the track that ran behind the depot.

Cumbres Pass will be one of the locations on my layout. I've often pondered whether I want to tackle a scene with snow in it or not. If I was going to, this one would be tempting. I do find myself wondering how the snow on the layout would affect operations in a location where this much switching would be involved. Maybe I'd be better off modeling snow on a portion of the layout that didn't require any activity other than just running through the scene.

Whether I model snow at Cumbres Pass or not, these pictures certainly help to drive home what a challenge winter railroading could be in the mountains of Colorado. John Norwood wrote a facinating piece about fighting a storm on Cumbres Pass for Trains Magazine. I wish that I could find the article again so that I could reference it here.

Notice that there is no rotary plow in use. This storm must not have been that bad. I'm pretty sure that I've seen a picture of #483 back in Chama after this trip, completely covered in snow. That would be another interesting modeling challenge!




Photograhper: Ralph E. Hallock   |   Location: La Veta Pass, CO   |   Date: December 31, 1947

A beautiful winter view of railroading in the San Luis Valley of Colorado. Ralph Hallock took this picture at the foot of La Veta Pass on December 31, 1947, just over 75 years ago. This pass, and the associated helper operations, will be included on my layout. K-59 class #1202 (2-8-2) is the road power for this train, while L-95 class mallet #3401 (2-8-8-2) is the point helper.

As near as I can tell, helpers were always on the point of trains departing Alamosa. This is the way that narrow-gauge helpers left Alamosa westbound. I don't see why eastbound standard-gauge helper operations would be any different. Trains of over 1,900 tons would see the helper moved to the rear of the train, just ahead of the caboose, at or before Sierra. Once a train passed the 1,900-ton threshhold it couldn't be double headed past Sierra on the west side of the pass or past La Veta on the east side of the pass. In addition to Sierra, helpers could be moved back in the train at either Fort Garland or Mortimer. Fort Garland was still on the floor of the Valley, but Mortimer and Sierra were on the pass itself. I do know that trains would operate as far as Sierra without helpers, meeting the helper at that location. The steepest grades weren’t encountered until after passing Sierra, so when multiple trains were called out of the Valley a single helper crew would often be tasked with more than one run to the top.

If the helper was meeting the train in Sierra, it could turn on the balloon track at the top of the pass and then again on the wye at the west end of Sierra. There was no wye in Mortimer or Fort Garland. This would mean running tender-first down the pass to meet trains in those locations. It has been suggested to me that even helpers meeting a train at Sierra would have been run tender-first down the west side of the pass because railroaders would want to avoid turning the locomotive on the wye in Sierra. Something about railroaders being "lazy"? In support of this type of operation, I’ve seen a Robert Richardson picture of an F-81 class 2-10-2 headed downgrade tender-first. That should be a fun little twist to my operating sessions someday.

Another interesting note on helper operations in the Valley is that #3401 might proceed east to La Veta after #1202 takes the train down the pass. Helpers for trains westbound over La Veta Pass often operated out of Alamosa. The helper on the first eastbound of the day would follow the train east to the town of La Veta at the base of the pass and then work the westbounds until following the final train of the day back to Alamosa.

Which brings up another interesting bit of history. I have read somewhere (although I don't recall where) that the L-105 class 4-6-6-4's never worked out of Alamosa. Yet there is a photo of an L-105 helping a westbound over La Veta Pass. Again, I can't find it at the moment. I thought that it was in Stephen Rasumssen's excellent book The Rio Grande's La Veta Pass Route, but I just looked there and couldn't find it. The point is, if westbound helpers were often based out of Alamosa, and there is a picture of an L-105 helping a westbound over La Veta Pass, then it is entirely possible that the L-105 was operating out of Alamosa. That little bit of history is probably lost to the sands of time. It seems likely that you'll occassionally find an L-105 working out of Alamosa on my layout someday.

One final operational note of interest (at least for me) – there are eleven boxcars, many of them empty, at the front of the train and ahead of the priority traffic (reefers). Why was this? As a model railroader I've always been drilled in the "fact" that the priority traffic goes on the front of the train. No doubt these "junk" cars were added to the front of the train just before it left East Yard in Alamosa. The goal would have been to fill the train to the K-59's maximum tonnage rating for the run from the top of the pass to Pueblo. So, for all of you model railroaders out there, the priority traffic isn't always on the front of the train.

Welcome to the world that I’m working to create in my basement. ;)




Photograhper: Robert Richardson   |   Location: Alamosa, CO   |   Date: January 15, 1949

The last photo that I talked about (below) was a Valley eastbound lead by a single locomotive, L-95 class #3400. My comment was that there must have been a helper scheduled to meet the train somewhere ahead on the line. Here we see an eastbound out of Alamosa with the helper leading. Road power is L-77 class #3375, with M-78 class #1514 helping on the point. The two locomotives would work together to move this tonnage to the top of La Veta Pass, where #1514 would come off the train and likely head back toward the floor of the valley to help another train to the summit.

The #3375 was the last of sixteen 2-6-6-0 locomotives built by Alco for the Denver and Salt Lake Railroad. They were built to help the D&SL move trains over the continental divide on Corona Pass. Driving over that line on family vacations as a teenager is what got me hooked on Colorado railroading. When the first of these locomotives was built in 1908 (originally as an 0-6-6-0) it was among the largest in the world. It became the D&SL #200, the first of the class 76 locomotives. The locomotive pictured here was numbered #216 when it arrived on the D&SL in September, 1916.

After the D&SL was absorbed into the Grande, these locomotives became class L-77 and were numbered #3360 through #3375. Like many Grande steam locomotives, #3375 worked its last days between Alamosa and Pueblo. It was scrapped in July of 1951. Unlike most Grande standard-gauge steam, it wasn't all consumed by the smelters at CF&I in Minnequa. The 3375's boiler survived at the Oriental petroleum refinery in Alasmosa. The refinery was to the east of the roundhouse and was the destination of the narrow-gauge Gramps tank cars that are so well known. The boiler was scrapped in 1964, after a fire damaged it beyond repair.

As for the helper, #1514 was one of ten locomotives of the M-78 class. The M-78's were nearly identical to the M-67 class locomotives, the major difference being the boosters used on the M-78's. This increased their tractive effort from 66,640 lbs to 78,987 lbs. The two classes of Mountains were designed to be used in both freight and passenger service and were used across the entire mainline of the Grande.

Alco delivered the first ten M-67's in 1922. The ten M-78's and the remaining ten M-67's arrived a year later in 1923. These locomotives used the same boiler as the F-81 class 2-10-2 locomotives that Alco delivered in 1922. The Mountains used a smaller firebox than that used on the F-81's and were delivered with much larger tenders than the original Vanderbilt tenders used on the F-81's. #1514 was scrapped in Pueblo less than a year after #3375, in April, 1952.




Photograhper: Otto Perry   |   Location: east of Blanca, CO   |   Date: March 25, 1951

Here, Otto Perry has captured locomotive #3400 eastbound with 82 cars on March 25, 1951 just to the east of Blanca, Colorado. One of the compelling things about the Valley for me as a modeler is that just about every locomotive that the Grande rostered appeared here at one time or another. That gives me the ability to run any steam that I want on my layout. While I'm going to try to stick to locomotives that were rostered in 1949, that doesn't provide any serious limits, at least on the standard-guage side of the roster. Most of the smaller narrow-gauge power was off of the roster by 1949, but all of the K-class locomotives were still active in 1949, and enough of the smaller locomotives were still around to offer a bit of variety. As for this locomotive, I like the L-95/L-96 class locomotives. To me, they're ugly enough that they're cool. The huge front cylinders and the high-mounted air tanks make them stand out for me. You can expect to see both #3400 and #3402 to make appearances in Alamosa on my layout.

This was likely not the first train out of Alamosa on this day. The reason that I say this is that #3400 is alone on the point of the train. I've seen plenty of pictures that show helpers on the point of trains leaving Alamosa. With an 82 car train it seems safe to say that #3400 will require help to reach the top of La Veta Pass. That suggests that the helper is already east of this location, having helped a previous train out of the Valley. The helper, always on the point, would have already ascended La Veta Pass at least once today. It would have then perhaps turned on the balloon track at the top of the pass and worked its way back down to Sierra or Fort Garland to help Extra 3400 East. If the helper was meeting this train in Sierra it could turn on the balloon at the top of the pass and then again on the wye at Sierra. If the helper was scheduled to join the train at Fort Garland it likely would not have turned at the pass, instead running in reverse until reaching Fort Garland. This is because there was no wye at Fort Garland and the locomotive could not be turned there before helping #3400 to the top of the pass. I stumbled upon this little bit of knowledge after finding a picture of an F-81 class locomotive obviously running in reverse on the pass. It took me awhile to figure out why that would be. The realization that helpers would sometimes join their trains in Fort Garland, where there are no facilities for turning them, was what finally gave me that "aha moment" regarding the reverse move for the light engine on the pass.

This picture shows a long freight with a wide variety of rolling stock, giving it an interesting profile and making it an interesting example for modeling. The priority freight is at the front of the train, with one stock car and four reefers in the lead. The thing that has really grabbed my interest though is the seventh car in the train. If you haven't yet, click on the image to blow it up in another tab and then give a look at that car. It appears that this car has two doors on this side, one above the other. My guess is that it is a double-deck stock car. I'm not aware of the Grande having double-deck cars with two doors on each side. That certainly doesn't mean that they didn't. My knowledge of the Grande's standard-gauge stock cars is sadly lacking. Anyway, this certainly appears to have two doors. I don't konw if the doors are offset or if the top door is partially opened. I am guessing that the top door is opened because it wouldn't make sense to me that the doors would be offset. If they were, that would mean that the car would need to be respotted for the loading of each door. Unless there were bi-level stock loading chutes with offset ramps, which would also make sense to me. I don't know that much about stock loading facilities. If the door is open, that would suggest that the car is empty, which would explain why it isn't at the front of the train with the priority traffic. If you have thoughts on this car, stock loading facilities, or stock traffic in general, send me an email. My email address is at the bottom of this page.




Photograhper: Otto Perry   |   Location: near Cresco, NM   |   Date: June 10, 1942

Here we see K-36 #485 leading a train of eleven narrow-gauge tank cars eastbound near Cresco, NM. Sister #483 is the helper on today's train as the two Mikados work to move the loaded train to the top of Cumbres Pass. I intend to model this operation on my layout someday. While I may work with cuts of eight cars, instead of eleven, this seems like a very easy train to model.

Eastbound trains were generally moved from Chama to the top of Cumbres Pass in cuts of 10-16 cars. With a ruling grade of 4%, each of these cuts would require the assistance of a helper. The first cut would be moved to the top of the pass in the morning. The cut would be tied down at the top of the pass, and the two locomotives would return to Chama. Generally the helper would descend first, followed by the road power and the caboose. After lunch another turn would be made to the top of the hill.

The next day, the third and final cut would be moved to the top of the pass. All three cuts would then become the eastbound train for Alamosa. The helper would depart the pass eastbound, with the road power following with the train shortly thereafter.

There were exceptions to this operating scheme. High priority trains could travel over the pass in one movement. The most common example of this would be a loaded stock train. Stock couldn't be left at the top of the pass while additional cuts were moved up. This meant that as many locomotives as were needed were cut into the train and it moved in one block. Four or more locomotives weren't unusual for trains of this type.

My hope is that I can model this operation on my layout, with three cuts of eight cars being moved to the top of the pass, and a twenty-four car train then descending eastbound for Alamosa. We'll probably try to model the whole operation during one session, but we'll need to see how much time the whole thing takes once the layout is up and running. Can we move three cuts of cars and the resulting train during a three-hour session? I suspect so, but only time will tell. And I'm sure that we'll see a train of twenty-four stock cars with four locomotives on it every now and then.




Photograhper: Robert Richardson   |   Location: Alamosa, Colorado   |   Date: 1955

Here's a great shot of K-37s #497 & #498 heading around one leg of the wye in Alamosa toward the narrow gauge holding yard on the south side of town. The only date that the Denver Public Library gives for this picture is "1955". It looks cold to me, so I'm guessing either early or late that year. Another clue to the time of year is the fact that #498 is sporting a plow. The two locomotives will likely tie onto a cut of cars and then doublehead to Antonito, 28 miles south of Alamosa. The line between Alamosa and Antonito was 3-rail, allowing both standard gauge and narrow gauge equipment to run between the two locations. It was common to see equipment of both gauges in the same train.

It is possible that the train will drop standard gauge cars at one or more shippers between Alamosa and Antonito. If that's the case, the idler cars that will be used to add the standard gauge equipment to the narrow gauge consist will be left in Antonito. After arriving in Antonito, #497 will disconnect from the train and both locomotives will take water. #497 will then be cut in as the mid-train helper, somewhere around 2/3 of the way back from the head end. Once the train has been assembled, it will depart on the narrow gauge for the top of Cumbres Pass, on to Chama, and finally, west to Durango.

Notice the string of drop-bottom gondolas in the background. These cars were loaded with coal on the narrow gauge (likely at Monero) and then moved to Alamosa to provide fuel for both standard gauge and narrow gauge steam. The coal dock at Alamosa was gigantic and will be a signature structure on my layout someday. I'm sure that I'll be adding pictures of the dock at some point in the future. In the background at left is the local Sinclair distributor, one of several petroleum distributors in Alamosa.




Photograhper: Robert Richardson   |   Location: West of Alamosa, Colorado   |   Date: January, 1952

In my mind, this is the San Luis Valley, pictured in one train. Robert Richardson has captured C-48 Consolidation #1185 leading a 40+ car train westbound from Alamosa in January of 1952. The first thirty cars are ART reefers. These are followed by one tank car, one box car, and then another nine or ten reefers ahead of the caboose. The San Luis Valley is a productive agricultural area and continues to originate a large amount of traffic for the railroad today.

#1148 would have picked up the train in the yard east of town, on the other side of the Rio Grande River. After passing through the yard in town, including the depot, it would have taken the right leg of the large wye at the west end of town. As it turned northwest the train would have passed Pickler Yard, a six-track yard filled with three-rail trackage and the home of several local shippers. In addition to the three yards already mentioned, a fourth yard was located south of the wye. This yard consisted of just two long tracks and was used to hold narrow gauge cars prior to sending them back to points west on the narrow gauge.

As for this train, the reefers will be dropped at shippers along the line in Zinzer, Monte Vista, and Del Norte. It is possible that there were produce shippers in other locations along the line in 1952, but I haven't found them yet. In addition to the online shippers, a good number of the reefers would have been interchanged with the San Luis Central Railroad at Sugar Junction, just east of Monte Vista. The SLC is still in operation today.

Judging by their location in the train, the tank car and the boxcar would probably have been bound for either Monte Vista or Del Norte. If they had been placed next to the caboose it is possible that they could have been destined for points farther west. This line was referred to as the Creede Branch and continued to serve its namesake town until well beyond the end of the steam era.




Photograhper: Robert Richardson   |   Location: Alamosa, Colorado   |   Date: June 2, 1953

This is train #115, the "San Luis" in Alamosa on June 2, 1953. This was the last run of a scheduled D&RGW passenger train in the San Luis Valley. (In later years there would be tourist operations in the valley.) Earlier in its history this train was known as the "Colorado New Mexico Express". During the period that I model (~1949), this train was generally carded on a very slow overnight schedule from Denver to Alamosa, scheduled to arrive in time to connect with The San Juan Express before the latter's 7am departure. The San Juan was the narrow gauge passenger train between Alamosa and Durango, running in both directions every day of the week. Before it was annulled the San Juan carried the numbers 115/116 in the schedule and the standard gauge connection carried the numbers 15/16. Once the San Juan came off, the standard gauge trains were renumbered 115/116.

In the picture the train is led by P-44 class locomotive #801. The six 4-6-2 P-44s (#800-805) were delivered by Baldwin in 1913. By this point in time these locomotives would be found on the point of shorter, lower priority passenger trains. They were regulars on the San Juan into Alamosa as well as The Yampa Valley Mail between Denver and Steamboat Springs. You will read elsewhere that #801 was scrapped in Pueblo in October of 1949. Robert Richardson's picture of the locomotive in Alamosa in June of 1953 would suggest otherwise. My guess is that this locomotive was scrapped in July or August of 1953. None survived beyond the end of that year.

The DPL website says that this is a picture of the train arriving in Alamosa on that day. I suspect that this is actually the train long after it's arrival. Instead, I suspect that what we see here is the train being moved back to the station after being turned on the wye at the west end of the yard. To me, it appears that this train is pointed east. If it was the arriving train then it would be pointed west. Several things support this theory.

The water tank above the first coach is an obvious clue. This tank stands to this day - on the south side of the yard in Alamosa. If the tank is south, then that means that the train is headed east, into the morning sun. At this point in its history, the San Juan was scheduled for a 5:30pm arrival in Alamosa. It couldn't be arriving at 5:30 and also be pointed east to face the rising sun.

Another clue is the third rail. In the vast majority of the Alamosa trackwork, the third rail was on the north side of the track. If the third rail is on the north side of the track then, once again, the train must be heading east.

The diverging route just behind the train (where the woman is standing on the other side of the track) is another clue. While the track layout is different today than it was in 1953, the diverging route is still obvious if you look at the yard on Google Maps. This route diverges to the north, again suggesting that the train is heading east.

A final clue is the MOW equipment behind the locomotive. This equipment is sitting in an area where MOW supplies were stockpiled on the south side of the main yard in town. While these cars could be sitting elsewhere in the yard, their likely location supports the theory that this train is traveling east, toward the station.

More likely, this is the last departing San Luis, being moved to the station before the final scheduled departure at 7am on June 2, 1953. If I'm right, Robert Richardson is standing at the grade crossing that is just west of the station as the train arrives for its final run east over La Veta Pass.


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