QUOTE: Originally posted by duncanclew I'm a big fan of the narrow guage lines in southwestern Colorado, and was wondering if there's ever been any discussion of reactivating the "gap" between Chama and Durango. As far as I know, the tracks are still there. Anyone know?
QUOTE: Originally posted by Mark_W._Hemphill Sorry to debunk romantic legends, but the RGS and D&RGW hauled absolutely zero uranium ore that comprised the material used in the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, or in the Manhattan Project. The uranium used in the Manhattan Project came from Canada and the Belgian Congo.
QUOTE: The Farmington Branch persisted to haul drill stem and oil pipe, not uranium ore.
QUOTE: Originally posted by Mark_W._Hemphill QUOTE: Originally posted by samfp1943 Mark: I failed to get the question posted with the above quote.. I was told during a couple of trips to durango during the late 1950's and again in 61 that the Farmington line was a source of Bauxite ore, and the strings of hoppers in and out were retrucked at Alamosa for narrow gaue to Farmingto and standard gaue for final delivery to whereever the Bauxite was used. Do you know if there was ever any Bauxite haulage on the Farmington Branch? Thanks, Sam Sam: I've never heard of standard-gauge hoppers being retrucked at Alamosa for transshipment to and from the narrow-gauge. Not to say it didn't happen, but I have never seen photographs or any reports of this. I don't know how you would even get a standard-gauge hopper to Farmington given the clearances and track structure. There are no economically significant bauxite deposits in New Mexico -- and practically none in the U.S., either. Maybe it was another mineral -- but I am very dubious it was bauxite. Bauxite isn't very valuable and I don't see how it could have possibly stood the transportation charges for this move considering it would be competing against very cheap bauxite delivered by very cheap all-water moves to tidewater alumina plants.
QUOTE: Originally posted by samfp1943 Mark: I failed to get the question posted with the above quote.. I was told during a couple of trips to durango during the late 1950's and again in 61 that the Farmington line was a source of Bauxite ore, and the strings of hoppers in and out were retrucked at Alamosa for narrow gaue to Farmingto and standard gaue for final delivery to whereever the Bauxite was used. Do you know if there was ever any Bauxite haulage on the Farmington Branch? Thanks, Sam
QUOTE: Originally posted by Mark_W._Hemphill QUOTE: Originally posted by lfish Here's a link to a good history of the Rio Grande Southern http://users.viawest.net/~bdwhite/rgstec8.htm It turns out that the railroad was deemed so vital to the war efforts in WWII, because of its location near mines of several types of strategic metals, that the Office of Defense Transportation effectively bought the road from its receiver in 1942. And the RGS did apparently haul out the ore that wound up in the Hiroshima bomb. But a highway effectively ended the need for the railroad even before teh end of the war. Larry, et al.: Mark: At one time there was a lot of hopper car traffic from the Farmington Branch that was retrucked at Alamosa back onto standard gauge trucks for delivery( retrucking to narrow gauge for the trip down to Farmington). I was told in the late 1950 and in 1961 that that traffic was Bauxite ore and that was what kept it going.. I gues in light of what was said here I was told wrong? Thanks, Sam Sorry to debunk romantic legends, but the RGS and D&RGW hauled absolutely zero uranium ore that comprised the material used in the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, or in the Manhattan Project. The uranium used in the Manhattan Project came from Canada and the Belgian Congo. The Farmington Branch persisted to haul drill stem and oil pipe, not uranium ore. I can't find any reference in the D&RGW or RGS annual reports that the Office of Defense Transportation purchased any stock, loaned any money, or otherwise assisted in the finance of the RGS during WWII. The RGS had heavy (for it) traffic during WWII of zinc and lead concentrate from Pandora and Rico to Ridgway. Zinc and lead were strategic metals -- zinc alloyed with copper for brass cartridge cases and as elemental metal for galvanizing steel, and lead for batteries, bullets, radiator cores, etc.
QUOTE: Originally posted by lfish Here's a link to a good history of the Rio Grande Southern http://users.viawest.net/~bdwhite/rgstec8.htm It turns out that the railroad was deemed so vital to the war efforts in WWII, because of its location near mines of several types of strategic metals, that the Office of Defense Transportation effectively bought the road from its receiver in 1942. And the RGS did apparently haul out the ore that wound up in the Hiroshima bomb. But a highway effectively ended the need for the railroad even before teh end of the war.
QUOTE: Originally posted by nanaimo73 [ The 294.5 miles of narrow gauge had 21 mikes and diesel #50 for power.
Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.
QUOTE: Originally posted by espeefoamer The Durango,Alamosa line was abandoned in 1968. As of June 1967, they were running one train a week.
Originally posted by daveklepper [ Living nearby to MP 186 of the UPRR Austin TX Sub Reply daveklepper Member sinceJune 2002 20,096 posts D&RGW Narrow Gauge Posted by daveklepper on Friday, March 25, 2005 4:18 AM I rode the system as it existed in 1960, '61, and '62 on Murray Kleibolt Chicago Railroad Clkub specials. Wehn exactly were the Framington line and the track between Durango and Chama abandoned and when were they lifted? Who owns the right-of-way Chama - Durango today? Reply Join our Community! Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account. Login » Register » Search the Community Newsletter Sign-Up By signing up you may also receive occasional reader surveys and special offers from Trains magazine.Please view our privacy policy More great sites from Kalmbach Media Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy | Copyright Policy
Living nearby to MP 186 of the UPRR Austin TX Sub
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