I feel strange, asking a question about Colorado narrow gauge. It's thought of as so much a field for dedicated fans that not knowing something about it and wanting to seems odd. My study of railroading has typically focused on equipment, to the exclusion of routes. http://www.heavenr.com/railroad/narrowgaugecircle.html shows the Durango & Silverton to be well away from the old dual-gauge line. Why, then, have I found photos of dual gauge on the DSNG?
I believe the line running southwest out of Durango to Farmington, New Mexico was standard gauge for a while. Any trains coming into the yard would have to have standard gauge tracks. Eventually that line was narrowed. Kind of reverse of what usually happened.
Yes the line from Durango to Farmington is the only line ever known to have gone from standard gauge to narrow gauge (at least that I am aware of). There was a dual gauging program on the old DRG (of which the D & S NG is part) around 1900 or so and it may be that your photos date from this time period? John
Let me see if I get this right... The original NG line came from Antanito to Chama to Durango to Silverton. It connected to the Standard Guage at Antanito. I think from Durango south (Chill Line) this might have been Standard gauge so the yard could have been dual gauge... Will try to get more soon
I think Bxcab is right. The line from Durango to Farmington was known locally as the "Red Apple Flyer" line because it intially was used to transport apples out of the Farmington area (boy how times change...you would be hard pressed to find an apple orchard around here now...they have all been replaced by gas wells!!). John
I know about the standard-to-narrow conversion in 1921. The photos are modern, like http://railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=182975
Horseshoe Curve Ah, now I see what you are talking about... This area is just Narrow Gauge and the extra rail is there for strength I believe
That inner rail is a guard rail. A safety device, intended to keep wheels between it, and the outer rail, in a derailment. Boxcab E50
Yep, those guys said it best: strength reinforcement and a safety rail. If you look closely at your pic you can see that the engine is aligned with the outside rails, not the inner rail. John
All correct. See http://www.drgw.net/info/uploads/Main/rgmap.gif http://www.drgw.net/info/index.php?n=Main.NarrowGauge and http://www.heavenr.com/railroad/narrowgaugecircle.html
