The Kenilworth Branch lives! I ran across the following photograph on Picasaweb. It was taken by an ATV driver following the Kenilworth branch of the D&RGW, which used to run from West Helper to the mine at Kenilworth, a few miles east (and up) from Helper. Remarkably, the track -- or at least some of it -- is still in pace, as can be seen here. It's surprising that the rails weren't torn up for scrap. --Bryan
Found these on Ex/MP trackage Sitting on the Team track for the Pueblo CO, Test Center, been there for years.
There is a few of them, some coal hoppers, some more flats, my batteries just died after i got these two.
ONLY 10 DRGW UNITS LEFT There are only 10 Units left on UP's roster in DRGW paint with a patch. UP 1342: Working out of Sparks, NV on locals UP 1344: Working out of Grand Junction, CO on locals UP 1347: Working out of Newark, CA on locals UP 1350: Working out of Pueblo, CO on locals UP 1352: Working out of the yard in Hearne, TX UP 1359: Working out of Denver, CO on locals UP 1370: Working out of Sparks, NV with 1342 until March 15th* UP 1445: Working out of Spokeane, WA on locals UP 1900: Working out of the Biddle Yard in Little Rock, AR UP 1901: Working out of Roseville, CA on locals (As of 04/01/10) The most recent "victim" to a full repaint was UP 1351 (ex-DRGW 3096), which received a full repaint in Little Rock last week. -info from Kevin Morgan, Front range Railfaning Yahoo Group
News like this is painful to me. To be sure, I understand that the D&RGW could not survive the merger mania that swept the railroad industry after its deregulation. But I question the scope of the deregulation. Does it make sense for the U.S. to wind up with a handful of mega-roads, with little or no competition? The collapse of regulation occurred after the failure of the eastern roads and the disappearance of manufacturing in the Northeast and Midwest. In every river valley, duplicative routes ensured that profits would be beyond every road's reach. In the West, however, the elimination of "duplicative routes" (e.g., Tennessee Pass) resulted in the elimination of rail service to vast swaths of territory and the imposition of rail service monopolies where service still existed. Shippers have built up support in Congress to re-regulate the railroads, alleging that the lack of competition has driven up shipping charges to unsustainable levels. The re-regulation could swing too far in the wrong direction, impeding the progress of the entire industry and setting back a quarter century of technological innovation. A more reasonable policy would have been to encourage competition where it makes sense. UP shouldn't have been permitted to absorb the WP and MP, which drove the D&RGW and SP into an ill-advised marriage. How would the picture look today if the D&RGW, not the UP, had taken over the MP and WP properties? We might still see the Rio Grande's colors on mainline operations. Shippers would have more options, and perhaps we wouldn't see momentum building in Congress for an ill-advised re-regulation. --B
Thanks! I'll post a few more surviving cars soon. I look forward to seeing what you find in Germany. Ben
Thanks Adam! Here are a couple more photos from this weekend. U.P. 1344 is back in Grand Junction. Peeking through a fence I found what appears to be marked as D&RGW X-2574. Ben
