Couple questions about track & cost...

[Mr_Ash]

I think to much, First off do 3' narrow gauge trains use the same type of track as standard gauge..? I mean like the size of the rail!

Second, how much do rails & ties cost? Alot? I mean I allways hear and read about tourist lines wanting to get there hands on more track...

 Could someone give me a guesstimate for the cost of 3' narrow gauge track/ties by the mile

lol its a slow day at work wanna try and figure out how much it would cost to reconnect Durango Colorado to Chama New Mexico

[Railway Man]

Not including land acquisition and permitting, figure $1.5 million per mile.

You could special order short ties and figure $50 each installed.  You could use second-hand 90 lb. rail (if you could find it!) and that would run around $700 ton not including delivery, OTM, or labor.  There was some 90-lb. CWR looking for a home lately. 

RWM 

[Mr_Ash]

Thanks for the info! How much does new rail cost?

Not sure on the milage yet but following the old route looks like it would follow 64 to Dulce entering the Jicarilla Apache Indian reservation before cutting north west heading into Colorado to hit Pagosa Junction in the Southern Ute Indian reservation and continue west through Arboles, Allison, Tiffany, Ignacio, Oxford then onto Durango.. Almost the whole route would be through Indian reservations

It looks like it would be shorter than the 109 mile Highway route Mapquest gives for Durango to Chama taking 160/84/64

[Railway Man]

$1,200/ton for 115-lb. rail, if you can get it.  136 is easier to get.  The only sizes rolled in the U.S. except on special order are 115, 136, and 143.

I think the only feasible route would be on the original right-of-way.  Using a new right-of-way would add $1-5 million per mile.  The fact that it runs through Indian Reservations is not necessarily a negative as they might be a lot more willing to contemplate economic development and are not subject to identical regulation.

RWM 

[Mr_Ash]

yeah I was thinking pretty much the same on all of that last night I think I would plan on getting extra track to donate to D&S and C&T plus a bunch to the Rio Grande Scenic RR to re-duel gauge the line to Alamosa from Antonito....

 IDK after that what about locomotives & rollingstock.... Or could allways donate the entire newly rebuilt line to Colorado & New Mexico and hope they run the C&T trains through to Durango and on through to Alamosa...

I just need to win the lotto for like 500mil

IDK I hope I figure out a way to get the money I'm really getting one of those "If you build it they will come" vibes from the whole idea.

I mean right now RGS (Rio Grande Scenic) connects Alamosa to Antonito with std gauge so people can ride that down and hop on the C&T and ride that to Chama and its teh same for the other way around too they have trains meeting the returning train to Antonito to bring passengers to Alamosa... Well what if the D&S did the same thing between Durango & Chama or maybe the C&T doing it themselfs. Then between those trains have another one running from Durango to Alamosa. Return of the San Juan...

[New Haven I-5]

Sounds like a good idea! The V&T is being completely rebulit so this could happen.

[Mr_Ash]

So I have been reading on DRGW.Net the original san juan route from Alamosa to Durango is about 200 miles, so minus 64 for Cumbres & Toltec and 29 for Rio Grande Scenic I would need just over 100 miles of track just to make the connection plus another 15 miles or so for a wye at Pagosa and some sidings..

Been looking at satellite maps online and most of the ROW is clear, i mean you can like see it clear as day lol! there are very few place where buildings block it and the only real problem I see would be getting into Durango

How about this take 250 miles of new track so C&T and D&S both get new track for there lines & yards plus more than enough track to connect Durango to Chama then reduel track the line up to Alamosa....

Then take ALL the track that is left over (new & used) and start rebuilding the RGS out of Durango hehe

yes yes and with the track and a large donation for engine overhauls to each RR hopefully C&T and D&S would allow the use of the K27 and a K28 to run the trains..C&T K27 would meet returning D&S trains in Durango and D&S K28 would meet C&T returning trains in Chama

As far as coaches I think the D&S shops have been doing a good job building coaches I would pay them to build 2 Baggage/RPO's, 6 closed vestibule coaches (3 for each train) and 2 combine's (ADA Accessible like Home Ranch) that would be built with cupola's (AKA Drovers Caboose) and used as a Caboose/Parlor car for each train plus im sure D&S would throw one of there parlor cars or Silver Vista car on a train from time to time or a mixed train using some of C&T's freight rollingstock....

I hate working nights there so slow!

[erikem]

Sounds like a good idea! The V&T is being completely rebulit so this could happen.

My understanding is that the line from Virginia City to maybe the eastern outskirts of Carson City will be rebuilt, but not the lines from Carson City to Reno or Carson City to Minden/Gardenerville. 

[passengerfan]

If the right of way is mostly on Indian Reservations. How about Casino trains, ought to bring a lot of folks who would not otherwise consider rail travel. And a traveling casino on the reservations should make money.

It would be kind of like the Santa Fe trains that had to shut the bars down when passing through dry counties in Kansas. 

[Mr_Ash]

IDK about casino's... security would be a headach...

 After making the inital reconnection of Durango and Chama I think service on that section should be run... and this would be working around the Cumbres & Toltec's schedule with C&T trains returning to Chama. Leaving Durango 11:15am and getting into Chama 4:05pm then a return train to Durango leaving Chama at 4:45pm getting back into Durango around 9:35pm... The Durango to Chama part is holding to the old D&RGW San Juan schedule and the return trip could me marketed as a dinner train with dining & parlor cars, live music ext then ofcorse charters and freights could also be run on the line at other times during the day...

Or C&T could make it EASY and just run the Antonito-Chama train through to Durango and the proposed Durango-Chama train could be run all the way through to Antonito both trains serving passengers dinner on the last half of the trip making Chama the half way point then leave the Antonito - Alamosa leg upto Rio Grande Scenic. I think D&S and C&T would have to end up sharing facilities though... 

Two things that would have to be built though are a new Rotary plow (to help keep the whole line open year round, silverton branch included) and a 2nd Silver Vista car 

 

[DMUinCT]

  Look for "Right of Ways" being converted by the "Rails to Trails" program.   90# rails are often removed and will look for a new home before being melted down.