Re: Freight car ratios

Posted by Keith Hayes on Jan 18, 2015; 10:43pm
URL: http://c-sng-discussion-forum.254.s1.nabble.com/Freight-car-ratios-tp205p292.html

Thanks, John.

Note that I did not include refers or flats in my C&S table. Also, remember that tank cars were private owners and leased. Someone responded to my query on a Leadville gas unloading location that Conoco paid the C&S to run the tanks just for advertising. Hmmm.

Regarding that 1937 memo on Leadville operations, it was directed to all points to route cars to Climax or Leadville for use on that segment after the Waterton-Climax portion was abandoned. The equipment to be moved included:

(3) locomotives
(1) passenger and baggage [#26, I wonder why? Must have been in the best shape?]
(1) caboose [1009--this does not explain the photo of 1009 and 1008 on the ground after 1943]
(2) refers
(57) boxcars
(26) coals
(12) flatcars
(1) rotary snow plow [of course!]
(1) flanger

...and three more boxcars, nine coals and three flats were added to each of these totals.

Note the 2:1 ratio of boxcars to coals, which appear to have been used to move mine timbers and lumber.

The memo suggests that the roadmaster had a very good grasp of what equipment was in the best condition and where it was. I have no idea how railroads keep track of equipment. I can say that the folks responsible for setting aside D&RGW narrow gauge equipment for the Cumbres & Toltec in 1970 were very perceptive and attempted to select at least one example of each piece of surviving car type and class. We should all be indebted to these anonymous individuals for their knowledge and foresight.