FTA 5401 and an FTB. 5401 was 'upgraded' externally to look like an F3 or F7. These changes included longer fuel tank, porthole change, new side grills/slits (between the portholes), addition of Farr air grilles/filters, 4 or 5 roof fans, roof db grid elimination, and 'angled' nose number boards. The lone coach set out beside the locomotives was built for the C&O but eight of these were sold to the Denver & Rio Grande.
Awesome! I might have additional background on 5401 when I get home to my library. Rio Grande Diesels Vol 1 by Joe Strapac might shed additional light on the modifications.
Grand Junction CO back when there was a lot of dual gauge trackage around. Late 1800's-early 1900's. Note the link and pin drawbar hanging off the cow catcher. I really like these old photographs, a whole different way of life. They could not have even imagined the things we have today.
The really interesting thing to me is how long that steam railroad-oriented way of life in Colorado survived into the 1960s. Although by then daily passenger service was gone, freight in various forms was still a viable endeavor.
I am still astonished at the elevation of that line over Tennessee Pass, something in excess of 10,000 Feet, right?
10,424, according to Wikipedia. Same page says ruling grade on the west side is 3%, but on the east only 1.2%
TP was quite a piece of operational Railroad. We would leave Grand Junction with 4 sometimes 5 SD's, with a coal load scratch and claw our way to Glenwood, where some unlucky Grand Junction rear help crew called out of out of Minturn, would cut in ahead of 17 cars, fight our way to Minturn, where the outbound and helper crews would cut 6-7 more SD's in "Swing". I am telling you the earth shook when they left Minturn up the mountain. That miserable crew dorm was waaay too close to the tracks, every train that came and went woke everybody up. Cant say I enjoyed every minute of it, but I sure did enjoy the sights and sounds of mountain grade RRing, all those engines in the company notch, moving all that tonnage. Later when the UP said they were gonna shut down TP. I told and old friend "you know whats gonna be weird? Somebody is gonna be shoveling coal in a narrow gauge steam engine in Silverton, while a transcontinental main line thru the rocky mountains lay silent and in disrepair".
Train #15, Colorado-New Mexico Express, at Denver Union Station. 4-8-4 with 12 cars. July 9, 1931. Perry, Otto Photo, Denver Public Library Special Collections.
I'd say this eastbound is also cutting out a helper on the lead? This also predates the second tunnel currently lying dormant at the summit today, opened in 1945.
Here's a Robert Richardson 1 Apr 1951 view at Codo, CO, high on La Veta Pass on the 3% east slope, at milepost 201.85. The siding at Codo was so short it was pulled up in the early diesel era. "Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad Company standard gauge locomotive 800 (4-6-2), with passenger train "The San Luis," is stopped on a siding in snow on Veta Pass (La Veta Pass) at Codo (Huerfano County), Colorado."
Loving the standard gauge steam photos. I see so little of that, but that's probably due to the "narrow-minded" crowd I hang out with...
There was a wye just beyond the station to turn those big helper locomotives. In February 2013, I took this photo of the roadbed as it curved off into the woods. Google satellite shows the rails have been pulled up. An ink rendering of the old depot.
I was always fascinated by the nose treatment on some of their big articulated steam locomotives like this one. Eastbound north of Larkspur, Colo., August 31, 1952. Otto Perry Photo, Denver Public Library Special Collections.
The rising sun would sure get your attention at a grade crossing. Soldier Summit, Utah. 1941. Henry R. Griffiths Jr. Photo.
The EXPOSITION FLYER was named for the San Francisco Golden Gate International Exposition that was held at Treasure Island from 1939 until 1941. It was a joint train operated by the CB&Q, Rio Grande and the Western Pacific railroads, kind of a precursor to the California Zephyr. The train at Plainview, Colorado on its first run, June 11, 1939. The ten cars were pulled by D&RG 2-8-2s 1210 and 1209. A Burlington lounge-observation car with an enclosed platform brought up the markers. R. H. Kindig photos.
