C&S Coal Usage on the C&S ng

Posted by Mike Trent on May 15, 2024; 1:54am
URL: http://c-sng-discussion-forum.254.s1.nabble.com/C-S-Coal-Usage-on-the-C-S-ng-tp19675.html

Keith and I were discussing coal usage on the West End on Saturday. I've worked up some data that you may find interesting.

All of the coal for railroad use came up from Denver to feed the Docks at Pine Grove, Como, Dickey, and Leadville. As noted previously, the coal originated mostly from either Trinidad or the much more desirable Oak Creek, near Steamboat.

First, let's look at the load capacity of the Coal Cars. Translating to tons is relevant for a number of reasons.
Capacity 50,000 lbs. which translates to 25 tons.
Loaded Capacity is listed as 55,000 lbs, which translates roughly to 27 tons.
Empty Weight is listed at 19,000 lbs, or roughly 10 tons.

Subtracting empty weight  at 10 tons from "Capacity" at 25 tons means that the actual tonnage per load of coal is about 15 tons.

Following is the capacity of coal per tender of various classes.

B-3-C, B-4-C is 5 tons.
B-4-D, B-4-E is 6 tons.
B-4-F is             8 tons.

We know that the number of engines on each freight train, as low as two per train to four per train over the six day operation runs from 12 engines to 24 engines for freight locomotives per week. Add to this 6 more engines per week for the passenger train  and the totals range from 18 to 30 engines each week.

If we are to assume that the average fill for the engines is 5 tons per engine, the number of tons of coal would range from 90 tons to 150 tons per week.

90 tons, which would be minimum, at 15 tons per car is 6 loads of coal.
150 Tons, which would be at the high end, at 15 tons per car is 10 loads of coal.

These numbers are for each coal dock.  

So the number of loads leaving Denver each week would be 24 to 40 loads a week. The number of loads from Como to Leadville would be half that, 12 to 20 loads per week.

Each of the four Coal Docks would use two to three and a half loads per day.

Keith thought that one of the multiple engine trains carried one engine just for coal. That's probably right on the West End, but it would be twice that on the East End. I suspect in later years, coal probably made up most of the tonnage on Westbound trains, as there probably wasn't a lot of revenue freight Westbound. Empty cars only made up half the tonnage of loaded cars.

These figures may be heavier than is realistic, especially since the helpers ran light downgrade and probably need didn't need 5 tons.

Food for thought, though. Keith is right, the C&S spent a lot of money hauling their own coal.