Some months ago, I started doing some daily walking, prompted by a Samsung watch that is connected by magic, apparently, to my Galaxy phone. Anyway, about a month and half ago, I started going out between 5 and 6 in the morning to get about half of the steps my watch demands that I do. So, naturally during this time, other than an occasional fox or deer sighting, or somebody going to work or an early breakfast, my mind is free to wander. Not always a good thing. But the last day or two, I started thinking about what might be going on in my representation of Dickey, over the course of a week. What you might find if you happened to be there between Monday morning and the following Saturday at about noon.
All of you are aware how small my operation is, but I don't let that deter me from running service through Dickey as it was in the post 1931 time frame when passenger service ran only once a day, six days a week, what the C&S termed "Three times a week". That meant Westbound Monday Wednesday, and Friday, Eastbound Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. between Leadville and Denver. Freights ran extra, generally Eastbound through Dickey on Monday and Wednesday between Leadville and Como, and Westbound on Tuesday and Thursday. Often there were shorter trains that ran extra on Friday and Saturday. Or full extras during the stock rush.
On the prototype, there were often four locomotives on a full freight, but many times there were three, or even two, on shorter trains.
Because the length of my mainline through Dickey is not long, The longest train I can assemble on what I refer to as the "Leadville Siding" is 11 cars and three locomotives, which would be set up with a Road Engine following the first helper on point, and a second helper either cut in three cars ahead of the caboose or just ahead of the caboose. This depends on direction, as the second helper has to be three cars and a caboose ahead, so the crossing to the depot is not obstructed. I should add that my full trains are 10 cars.
The passenger, usually 2 cars, sometimes 3, runs in front of the depot Westbound to provide service to Dillon, and then backs on to the main to continue to to Leadville. Returning Eastbound the next day, the train arrives in Dickey and backs in front of the depot for service to Dillon, and then continues straight on to Como and Denver.
So this all pretty much the routine, with occasional variation.
All that leads to this:
Over the course of the six day week, there will be six passenger trains with generally a single locomotive, and as many as six freight trains which will involve as few as 12-14 locomotives, or as many as 18. That means there will be between 18-24 locomotives through Dickey over the course of a week, and each of them will need a coal drop at the chutes. Allowing that none of the engines will need a full load, but would probably need as many as 4-5 tons each. That equates to between 90 and 120 tons of coal. At 25 tons capacity per coal gon, that means a minimum of three gons would have to be emptied into the bins, or as many as five in a week.
So, over the course of a year, there are probably at least 750 locomotives through Dickey, and probably about 2,800 freight cars and 150 passenger cars a year.
At least 208 coal cars emptied into the bins.
Small things add up to big things. And, no, I do not go through any coal loading on a daily basis. Just setting up for the next day after about 5 minutes of actual operating time consumes quite enough time for me, especially if I am to get anything at all in addition to this.
There may be some eye opening statistics here for anyone who thinks you can't do anything in a small space. Also, as you thumb through books looking at pictures, remember what you are seeing in the context of the "big picture".
Lastly, I do keep a register of trains and locomotives that pass through here bound for Leadville and Como. You won't believe how many times these hogs run in a years time.
Locked
You'd soon quit.
