D&RGW 1950 freight consists

[Frisken]

Hi

 Planning on modelling the D&RGW around 1945-1950. Anyone know anything about how the freight consists would look around this time? Hoppers, Gondolas, BX, Flats, Reefers and others any percentages on how cars would be distributed in an average train? I understand there was alot of through traffic running from Denver to Salt Lake and from Pueblo to Salt Lake.

 

Since i'm mostly looking to put thogether a couple of trains for a FT A-B-B-A set i bought in N-scale any recommendations on freight cars that could fit any descriptions that appears here and where i could find them would be appreciated.

 

 Greetings Hans, Modeling D&RGW in N-scale

[Anonymous]

You might want to start with a Historical Society for that railroad and ask about scheduled trains for that time period. You may discover that trains are run from A to B in blocks containing cars specifically going there.

Example.. the PRR had a train going to Baltimore with just a block of cars for President's Street, Riverside Yards and a third block is all cars going to Alexandria Va and beyond from Philadelpha.

What the cars would LOOK like on those trains didnt matter.

Now if you are wondering about PERCENTAGEs of typcial cars, there are books I think are called "Railroad Registrys" for the different years that will probably give you exactly what your railroad had on hand for that issue.

Locomotive assignments depended on tonnage and ruling grade for an area. A PRR M1a mountain might carry 5000 tons between Philadelpha and Baltimore but will find itself cut down to 1200 tons north of Hagerstown in the hills. This is just a wild example I put together to explain tonnage. Actual numbers will be in the PRR's locomotive assignement roster for a given division.

[markpierce]

The 1950 D&RGW car fleet consisted of:

box cars - 37% (about the national average, but less than the norm for most western railroads.)

hoppers -1.5%

gondolas - 47.5% (D&RGW was very much into gondolas: the national car fleet consisted of 21% gondolas)

flats - 2%

stock cars - 11%

cabooses - 1%

Of course, this doesn't include private cars (most tank and refrigerator), foreign road cars, and maintenance equipment.

Mark Pierce

[twhite]

Frisken--

The Rio Grande was also a 'bridge' line through Colorado and Utah, that connected in the east with roads such as the Missouri Pacific, Burlington and Rock Island, and had California connections via the Western Pacific and Southern Pacific.  So there was a considerable volume of transcontinental traffic along with the Denver/Pueblo-Salt Lake consists, also.  So your freight consists could consist of whatever cars were coming through either from the east or the West Coast, mainly box and flat and probably tankers and gondolas. 

Though most eastbound perishable traffic from California moved through the Ogden Gateway via the UP's easier Sherman Hill route, the Rio Grande did have its share of California produce, picked up mostly from the Western Pacific, so a solid reefer block or two wouldn't be un-prototypical.  Rio Grande itself had a very small fleet of refrigerator cars, and most of the photographs I've seen of produce packing in Colorado show ART or Burlington reefers. 

As far as their Utah coal traffic--the Rio Grande during the 'forties used mainly gondolas as coal cars, the big hopper fleet didn't come along until later.  Intermountain makes a fine model of the Rio Grande drop-bottom gondolas, I don't know if they're released one in N, yet.   

But if you're thinking 'bridge' instead of more 'local' traffic, your consists would be pretty typical of almost any 'forties or 'fifties freight train.  Rio Grande did have a Denver-Salt Lake expedited freight train via the Moffat Tunnel called the "Ute", which I understand was about 40-50 single or double-door boxcars, the majority of which were home-road. 

It was a pretty busy railroad back then. 

Tom

 

[Frisken]

Thank you twhite this was precicly the sort of info i was looking for. I own a bunch (5 or so) of Intermountains Gondolas for D&RGW but not sure they where around in any numbers after the war ? According to drgw.net and thier equipment list there was roughly 4500 of 12000 total cars of the "Coal Dp" variety. On top of that there is Ballast cars and also other Gondolas.

 Anyone care to explain what "Pig Iron Service" would be about? Says some 100 "Coal Dp"-cars where fitted for that sort of service. Scrap for the smelters or what is it?

Now I will have to find a decals set for the stadard SD boxcar (what type would this have been on the Rio Grande around this time? 12-panel 40' ? or AAR Std 1937 40' ?) 

Greetings Hans, Modeling 40:s D&RGW 

[twhite]

Hans--

You're welcome, I hope it helped.  As to the decals for the boxcars--in the 'forties and early fifties, the D&RGW adopted the "Flying Herald" motif with 'RIO GRANDE' on the right side (facing the car) and D&RGW on the left, over the car number and data.  The "Flying Herald" at that time was the classic one, not the later one with the small "Rio" and the larger GRANDE.  I can't be sure of the date of the changeover, but both steam locomotives and freight cars acquired the 'flying herald' at about the same time--I think it's the beginning of WWII. 

I believe the gondolas designated for 'pig-iron' service were used to serve the steel mills in Pueblo, and probably didn't do much service on the rest of the railroad.  The Rio Grande did have some 50-foot gondolas, but whether they were used in this service, I'm not sure.  I would assume they were. 

As to the era you're modeling--late 'forties and early 'fifties, I think that the Rio Grande was still using mainly gondolas for coal hauling in Utah.  The photographs I have of Rio Grande coal trains on Soldier Summit in that era show mainly Rio Grande gondolas in that service, with a smattering of foreign road (MP, Burlington, UP) hoppers.  I'm thinking that as Rio Grande recieved hoppers, they assigned them to service on the Moffat coal branch running from Orestod to Craig.  Most of the photographs I've seen of the Craig Branch show hoppers as opposed to gondolas.   

Good luck to you--the Rio Grande is one of my favorite railroads (I'm modeling it during WWII at the last gasp of big steam), and certainly a 'giant' among western railroads, IMO, even if really only serving mainly Colorado and Utah.    

Tom

[Frisken]

Any idea what the 66000 - 67499 series and 67500 - 69899 series where for sort of cars? They are mentioned as for the first series SUF&SS which mean Steel Under Frame & Steel Supoerstructure (Might be only the roof and/or ends). Second Series are all Steel according to drgw.net aswell. Since 37% of the freight cars on DRGW at this time was BX, thanks for that info! I should at least have a few of these cars, any idea what sort they where?

 

I've found some pictures (on drgw.net) but since I don't have anything to compare too ... pictures doesn't tell me much ... any clue who might have the right models for these cars? Was thinking I'll buy a bunch of undecorated ones and paint & letter them myself.

 

Greetings Hans, modeling 40's Rio Grande 

[Railway Man]

I highly recommend your joining the D&RGW Yahoo Group:

http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/DRGW/

There are more than 1,000 posts specifically regarding freight cars, and I think your questions can be answered in detail.

RWH

[riogrande5761]

I highly recommend your joining the D&RGW Yahoo Group:

http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/DRGW/

There are more than 1,000 posts specifically regarding freight cars, and I think your questions can be answered in detail.

RWH

Ditto that. I've been a member of the yahoo Rio Grande email list for over 10 years.  Great resource!