Rio Grande Main Line Today

[daveklepper]

Mark pointed out that D&RGW main line does not today carry any transcontinental traffic. I.m aware of coal coming off the old Craig line now extended, and there are other minerals, and of course Helper sees both UP and (what is the name of the that short line that used the 6-wheel Alco Road Switchers?, darn blocking on the name) mineral traffic west, but just what is the traffic between say Grand Junction and Helper today? Is there any business at all? I remember all the work that was done to put the track in terrific shape, the excellent CTC installation, and the fine maintenance. What is it like today? I know Amtrak's CZ still uses the line. Ah! I do remember, simple, Utah Railway. or Utah RR. The Moffat and the line west of Dotzero really carried a lot of traffic when I rode it regularly.

[espeefoamer]

With no transcontinental traffic,what is the prospect for the long term survival of this line.The portion owned by Utah Railway will stay but what about the rest?Could portions eventually be abandoned? The Amtrak service would have to be rerouted via Wyoming,but this would actually speed up the schedule by several hours.

[Anonymous]

totally off topic, but.. i remember taking a trip cross country with the family in the 'new' motorhome...july of '96, just got my license. we 'camped' over night outside of Leadville, CO...which i'm not really sure, is the same line you all are talking about. the campground was within sight of, but not picture taking sight of, the tracks. quite a few trains were going through at night. we also took the whole royal gorge tour. it was pretty fascinating how a river and a railroad could fit into such a tiny canyon...

[ericsp]

I seem to recall hearing somewhare a few years ago (I don't remember where) that Grand Junction (or was it some town by it) receives it gasoline via rail. Does anyone know if this is correct.

Leadville, CO is on the Tennessee Pass line, it is closed and connected to the line we are discussing.

[daveklepper]

I appreciate the update, and I am unhappy, obviously, that the CTC installation is not as reliable as it was. Glad to hear that petrolium comes to Grand Junction via rail. I did use the RGZ during the Thistle episode and taxied from the D&RGW stration to the airport, which is a great looking building by the way. The small plane pilot made sure that passengers on both sides of the plane got a few of the mudslide and the work in progress to pu***hrough a new tunnel.

I've ridden the Overland route a few times. The best scenery is just east of Ogden, and overall it cannot compare with what is one of the really great passenger train journeys of the World, Denver - Salt Lake City. I did ride the very last eastbound CofLA and we had 844 on the head end for spell. Quite an honor, and the UP gave perfect service, although the dome diner was no longer operating.

I rode the RGZ route over 30 times, the first in late 1959 or early 1960 on the CZ.

[dldance]

UP still services the mine at Potash (near Moab, UT) about once a week from Grand Junction.

dd

[espeefoamer]

QUOTE: Originally posted by M.W. Hemphill

Good question. How long-term are you talking? One, five, ten, or 20 years?

Lets say 20 years.How much of the line will survive?

[zardoz]

Today's DRGW trivia:

The location on the Moffat line known as Dotsero was named that because at one time that location was milepost 0.0 (dot zero), and that Orestod is simply Dotsero spelled backwards.

Also, here are some nifty links for those interested in the DRGW:

http://www.drgw.org/

http://www.drgw.net/

http://www.drgw.ws/

http://colorado.railfan.net/

http://www.phantomranch.net/ghostown/articles/moffatroad.htm

[mudchicken]

QUOTE: Originally posted by ericsp

I seem to recall hearing somewhare a few years ago (I don't remember where) that Grand Junction (or was it some town by it) receives it gasoline via rail. Does anyone know if this is correct.

Leadville, CO is on the Tennessee Pass line, it is closed and connected to the line we are discussing.

Conoco (now Conoco Phillips) and Total (now Diamond Shamrock/Valero) both have fuel storage facilities near each other in Grand Junction in a relatively new industrial park (west side where I-70 and US-50 meet)....I had something to do with the newer plant.[^story there Mark]

The cost of a pipeline over the front range is exorbitant and the current permitting trials would be bigger than the mountains they cross. Too dangerous to truck it, so it goes by rail.... Permitting (just like mating elephants)in the mountainous west is driving refiners back to rail service.

[Anonymous]

Question:
Could Amtrak prevent the abandonment of a rail line? I believe their enabling act requires the host railroad to maintain the track in the condition or better that existed on the day Amtrak started using the track. If this is true have Amtrak flood all of our tracks with passenger trains. That way there would never be another abandonment.

[Anonymous]

So Amtrak could buy a rail route if that route was about to be abandoned or if the rail carrier choose to sell it. But that would take money.

[railman]

and who among us believes Amtrak will ever have enough money to buy RR line?

[daveklepper]

The line won't be abandoned. And indeed, Denver, if it wanted to, could actually force the UP to run at least one transcontinental train over it. Whether that is once a day or once a week would be for lawyers to figure out. The City of Denver paid for construction of the Moffat Tunnel, with the clear understanding that it was eventually to be part of a transcontinental route. (The tunnel was built before the cutoff.) It was under those terms that the tunnel was leased to the D&RGW, and I may be wrong but my udnerstanding is that the same arrangement is in place with the UP today.

[daveklepper]

Correct as usual, Mark, I did misunderstand the rulings in the Yampa Valley Mail train-off, and I appreciate your pointing out my mistake. Also, I did not, unfortunately, bring my copy of Giants Ladder with me, and my memory of that book also has some glitches. Thanks again for your correction.