Re: DSP&P Passenger Car Research

Posted by Dave Eggleston on Mar 23, 2025; 8:33pm
URL: http://c-sng-discussion-forum.254.s1.nabble.com/DSP-P-Passenger-Car-Research-tp20585p20614.html

Ron Rudnick has a plan for CCRR #77 as an excursion car of the 1870s in his CCRR book, a converted flat with likely removable top. This is one of the earliest forms of covered excursion car on the line, prior to this a combination of coaches and flatcars with benches were not unknown, and possibly the form held until the UP control. It seems under UP ownership these cars became more "finalized" as seen in the Pitkin picture (in the original Pictorial it's on page 322).

With so little imagery or documentation we don't know fully what excursions looked at any given point or even division. I like to consider what was plausible, and here are a couple data points to think about:

1- The image is almost definitely 1882-1884--the engines all have Congdon stacks and passenger cars lettered appropriately for the period--the excursion car is lettered for the Colorado Central, not Union Pacific.

2- For much of the tunnel's active life (1882-1890 and 1894-1910) the line between St Elmo and Pitkin would be closed for 4-8 months, typically late Dec to late Spring. So excursions in most years occurred when snow and slides abated, or roughly between June and October. Weather could still be bad--cold and even wet. I've driven up to Breckenridge from Como in July and was caught in a snowstorm. I BET that people moved between the open and closed cars depending on weather and the need to smoke.

3- And then the reality inside the tunnel. Being in an open car through Alpine Tunnel was at best miserable, at worst fatal. Think about the stories of brakemen and enginemen crouched on the floors of the cab or low on car ends, wet cloth clutched over their faces to breath in the acrid, smoky space. Passenger cars were sealed up before going in. So, how about those folks on an open excursion, even with the curtains down?

From these thoughts I can't help but suspect that while the open car carried passengers in the climb from St Elmo to Hancock or Atlantic, at that point the passengers were moved to the passenger cars for the trip through the tunnel. At Tunnel station they would be moved back outside. Same in the other direction. None of this negates having passengers, just expect your little people in the open car to be unconcious as they emerge from the tunnel...

As to the image list you suggest, no. Poor's is but one source of images and not all captions are 100% accurate in the light of newer research. As to AI, I will plug doing the work yourself using an excel spreadsheet! You'll learn a ton by working through the images yourself and see connections you never imagined. Yes, more work but the benefits are so great.