A Colorado not-for-profit corporation

This page is about the D&RGW in San Luis Valley, a model railroad project by Roland Levin, based on the historical Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad in Colorado. The page provides the following information:

  • Standard gauge traffic: A table of the towns, companies, commodities, and types of cars involved in the standard gauge traffic in the valley, along with the time frame and comments for each entry.
  • Narrow gauge traffic: A similar table for the narrow gauge traffic, which operated until 1968 and declined rapidly after 1964.
  • Last update: The date when the page was last updated, which is 2009-10-05.

Standard gauge traffic

Town Company Ships Receives Amount Type of cars Time frame Comments
Antonito Johns-Manville Corp. Perlite, 100lb bags     40' and 50' box cars 50s and forward  
  Johns-Manville Corp. Perlite, bulk   2000 cars/year 2 and 3 covered hoppers 1965-69 Pullman 2893, 4427. Later Pullman 4740, 4750 and ACF Center flows   50% of the total traffic
  United Perlite Perlite, bulk          
  Great Lakes Carbon Perlite, bulk     as above   2nd biggest shipper
  Colorado Aggregate Scoria   300 cars/year 1955 70 ton and 100 ton hoppers 50s and forward Folsom Cinder Company during the 50s
  Colorado Aggregate Decorative rocks          
  Colorado Aggregate   Marble chips        
  Lumber Mill Lumber     Flat cars, box cars    
Romeo Reed Feed & Grain Oats, wheet, barley Covered hoppers, box cars
Cattle pens Cattle, sheep
Bountiful Coors Brewing Barley     3 bay covered hoppers Started mid to late 60s  
               
La Jara Floyd Reed's Grain Grain     3 bay covered hoppers    
               
South Fork Stone Forest Products Lumber     Flat cars, box cars Ended 2000 To Tennessee, Georgia
    Wood chips     D&RGW 40ft box cars later Santa Fe GS gons with side extensions Started mid to late 60s To paper mill in Nekoosa, Wisconsin
               
Creede   Ore concentrates     GS drop-bottom and GB fixedbottom gons Until mid 80s  
               
Monte Vista Coors Brewing Barley   800 cars/year 3 bay covered hoppers 1965-69 Pullman 2893, 4427 Later Pullman 4740, 4750 and ACF Center flows   Coors, Golden CO?
  Lumber Mill Lumber     Flat cars, box cars    
  Mountain King Potatoes     Un-iced and mechanical reefers    
  Wolf Creek Potato Potatoes     Un-iced and mechanical reefers    
Center San Luis Central Centennial Russet Potatoes   20 cars/day Un-iced reefers mainly from ART but also from WFE, PFE, FGE, BREX and SFRD. Until end of the 60s  
SLC REA express reefers. Later second hand 57ft mechanical reefers from PFE and FGE From the beginning of the 70s
      Acid   Tank cars    
      Fertilizer   Tank cars    
      Anhydrous ammonia   Tank cars    
               
Zinzer Sanner Bros Scrap Metal     Gondolas    
  Monte Vista CoOp Grain     Covered hoppers    
      Fertilizer   Tank cars    
      Anhydrous ammonia   Tank cars    
               
Parma Poote Chemical   Fertilizer   Tank cars    
               
Alamosa Trucks from Chama Raw timber     Flat cars    
  Rio Grande Motorway   General freights   Box cars    
  Stock yard Stock     Stock cars   Transfer from narrow to standard gauge
  E+H Crane   Pipes   Gondolas and flat cars   Transfer from standard to narrow gauge
  Transfer yard   Drilling mud, Fibertex from Baroid Corp.   Box cars   Transfer from standard to narrow gauge
    Lumber     Flat cars and box cars   Transfer from narrow to standard gauge
  Oil transfer track Crude oil     Tank cars   Transfer from narrow to standard gauge
  Lumber yard   Lumber   Flat cars, box cars Until beginning of the 60s  
  Sky Valley Ice Lettuce     Reefers*   August and September
               
Blanca Blanfort Potato Warehouse Spuds (Potatoes)     Reefers*    
*reefers mainly from ART but also from WFE, PFE,FGE, BREX and SFRD

Narrow gauge traffic

Town Company Ships Receives Amount Type of cars Time frame Comments
Alamosa E+H crane Pipes     Gondolas/flats   Transfer from standard to narrow gauge
  Transfer Yard Cars     6200, 6300 and 6500 series flat cars with canvas cover Until 1952 Transfer from standard to narrow gauge
  Transfer yard Drilling mud, Fibertex from Baroid Corp.     Box cars, also 40' reefers in the end of the narrow gauge era   Transfer from standard to narrow gauge
  Transfer yard Glass bottles     Box cars   Transfer from standard to narrow gauge
  Stock yard   Cattle/sheeps   Stock cars   Transfer from narrow to standard gauge
  Alamosa refinery   Oil   Tank cars    
  Oil transfer track   Oil   Tank cars   Transfer from narrow to standard gauge
  Transfer yard   Lumber   Box cars/flats   Transfer from narrow to standard gauge
  Engine facility   Coal   Drop bottom gondolas    
  Transfer yard   Soft Drinks   Box cars    
               
Durango Soft drinking bottler   Glass bottles   Box cars    
  Weidemann's mill Lumber     Box cars/flats Until 1968
  Yard Coal     Drop bottom gondolas   For engine facilities
  Yard Cars   Flats with canvas cover   To car dealer in Durnago
  Yard Scoria         Ballast dump along the track
  Lumber Yard Ties         Dropped at sidings along the stretch
  Soft drink bottler Soft drinks          
               
Farmington Oil field   Drilling mud   Box cars    
  Oil field   Pipes   Gondolas/flats    
               
Chama Yard Oil     Tank cars    
  Skyline Lumber Co Lumber     Box cars/flats Until 1968
               
Antonito Engine facility Coal Drop bottom gondolas
*all narrow gauge traffic started to decline rapidly after 1964 and ended completely in 1968 .
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