# Prototypical make-up of a D&RGW NG freight train



## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

Ok, all you narrow gauge folks. I need advice on the prototypical make-up of a D&RGW freight train (circa 1930,s or 1940's). We will be running at Fairplex in November and I will be taking my freight this time, pulled by my Accucraft C-19. The rolling stock I have at the moment are as follows:

1 Conoco tank, 1 drop-bottom gon, 1 3000 series box, 3 flats, 1 30 ft. reefer, 2 high-side gons and a shorty caboose #0524.

I may have a couple of loads for the flats finished by then-2-cylinder stationary steam engine and a small logger crawler.

I asked over at the NG Discussion Group. No ideas there. Just throw it together. I was wondering if there was a specific order for the cars in the train.


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## Stan Cedarleaf (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Gary Armitstead on 23 Aug 2010 04:21 PM 
Ok, all you narrow gauge folks. Just throw it together. I was wondering if there was a specific order for the cars in the train.
That's what I would do, Gary. Throw it together, see what it looks like, change it until you're happy with the consist. When you're happy with it, run it, take some images and show us what you've done...


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## Tenwheeler (Mar 5, 2010)

Gary,

Refrigrator cars were typically placed behind the tender of the road engine and handled as 'express service' by D&RGW. The rest of the freight cars placement is your choice. Generally, trains were made up so that car(s) could be cut out at the appropiate terminus in the order they were reached.

Loads: D&RGW carried a wide variety of materials and finished products:
1) High side gons - coal, coke (from Crested Butte to the CF&I in Pueblo), ballast, limestone (from Marshall pass to CF&I in Pueblo) during the narrow gauge era the gons were transloaded at Salida from narrow gauge cars to standard gauge cars ...
2) Boxcars - you name it
3) Flat cars - mining machinery, automobiles/trucks, lumber... stationary steam engines were common
4) Drop bottom gon - coal & ballast were the primary loads

The list above is just a small example - you get the idea. Stock trains were common in the Spring and Fall. These generally operated from Gunnison to Pueblo/Denver and northern NM/Durango to Pueblo/Denver in the Spring and the reverse order in the Fall. D&RGW narrow gauge operated both single deck (cattle) and double deck (sheep) stock cars.

Of course, strict compliance to Rule #1 must always be observed - HAVE FUN OPERATING AT ALL TIMES!









Jerry
Colorado Springs, CO


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## Trains West (Oct 4, 2008)

D&RGW was known for running unit trains .... all tanks or all flats or all gons


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## curlyp (Sep 4, 2009)

Gary we will have to run together. I am bringing a K-27 pulling a mix of stock, box, tank, gondolas and flats and a caboose. They would block cars together based on destination. Stock cars were often at the head end. Empty cars would often be at the rear for better train handling. 
It should be a fun show. 

Paul Deis


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## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

That sounds great Paul! Did you run this same train in June? 

A big thank you to everyone for the suggestions. I just found it very interesting to see how the "special run freights" are set-up on the Cumbres & Toltec. That's what I was trying to accomplish.


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## Ironton (Jan 2, 2008)

High side gons also carried low grade ore. This included pitchblend, from which uranium is smelted. There are pictures of the RGS (A D&RGW subsidiary) with secret service agents riding on the cars during world War II. 

High grade ore was usually shipped in boxcars because they could be locked. An interesting modeling idea for somebody.


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Gary, 
The caboose goes on the end! 

If it were a local, picking up and setting out the cars were arranged for easiest handling. Stop, uncouple pull ahead throw a switch and back the car in. Rarely would they back a whole train in to leave a car, sidings were built to lower standards and too risky for extra cars to traverse. Facing points and short passing sidings also determined where cars were located. 

For example a facing set of points and a short siding. Stop on the main, break the train just after the desired car, pull into the siding, run around get the car off the end of the cut, then push into the siding. Then reassemble, pump up the air and go. 

your pal, 
John


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## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

"Gary, 
The caboose goes on the end!" 

Smart-a$$, I love you too! Hehehe 

Good ideas John. Thanks.


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## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

Stan, 

It's too damn hot right now in Burbank to take my "stuff" outside for some pictures. Its supposed to cool off a little in a couple of days. I'll take some pics then with some combinations of cars. Great idea!


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## San Juan (Jan 3, 2008)

What paint scheme is your C-19 in (flying Rio Grande, or the round herald)...and what road number?

With this info I can narrow down an accurate year and help with the consisit.

Also what flat cars do you have? If they are the early 6000 series (like the Bachmann Model or the AMS Model) then they would be mostly off the roster by the early 1940s replaced by the 6500 series fishbelly flats.


For future purchases, you might want to consider getting some stock cars your C-19. The C-19s pulled lots of stock trains (primarily sheep) on the lesser branch lines. These would have been unit trains of all stock cars and a caboose.


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## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

Matt, 

My Accucraft loco is #346 like at the Colorado Railroad Museum. Post 1935 accident with the odd replacement sand dome. Round herald. All flats are the early 6000 series. I've been thinking about picking up some stock cars. Thanks for the help.


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## San Juan (Jan 3, 2008)

Posted By Gary Armitstead on 27 Aug 2010 12:40 PM 
Matt, 

My Accucraft loco is #346 like at the Colorado Railroad Museum. Post 1935 accident with the odd replacement sand dome. Round herald. All flats are the early 6000 series. I've been thinking about picking up some stock cars. Thanks for the help. 
346, nice loco









The round herald limits the era to about 1939 as the most modern. I don't know for sure when 346 got the flying logo, but 1939 is the generally presumed cutoff for most locos. So shooting for a mid 1930s train would be good. That also works great with your flats.


Here is a really useful link with info on all of the D&RGW steam locomotives. When you click on a particular number you get the info for that particular loco. Many of them include pictures with the year listed. An invaluable source for replicating accurate consists:

D&RGW Steam Loco Roster

This link has the section where the C-19s are covered:


D&RGW #'s 287-473 


Here is the direct link for #346, with some photos (unfortunately only one with 346 pulling a train, and it's while she was leased to the C&S) 


C-19 #346













But if you look at that second link (the one that covers the C-19s) click on #340 or #345 to see some other photos of C-19s pulling trains. I'd also suggest looking at the C-18s (very similar loco class) to see those photos to get a feel of the length and placement of freight cars.


Here is one of D&RGW #315 (a C-18) on the RGS with an 11 car train (February 1940):











Looks to be two high side gons, a tank (with two domes), two boxcars, four more high side gons, another boxcar, and what looks to be a short caboose (maybe RGS).


Hope this helps.


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## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

Wow! Matt that was exactly what I was looking for. That last photo of 315 just about nails what I have now. Beautiful! I'm going to take a look at the links you provided. Very helpful indeed! Thank you very much. Are you going to be able to get to the Fairplex Run on November 6th! Be good to see you.


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## San Juan (Jan 3, 2008)

Glad to help Gary.

We're back in SoCal until next summer so we should be able to get to the show.

I'll have to look into what is required for the Fairplex run. I brought our Goose #5 back with us as it needs a new battery, so maybe I could run it at the show.


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## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

All you need is what you are bringing to run-battery or track power. The group at Fairplex are great to work with. Last time we ran in June, we had a choice on which line we wanted to run. A couple at 600-800 feet, some over 1000 feet plus. You will have a ball! Hope you can make it.


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## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

Matt,

I just did a quick and dirty drawing of the consist I can run at Fairplex in November, per your photo.









I had to do a couple of fancy conversions to get it here. From Mastercam to Cute PDF to a converter that does PDF to JPEG. Hope this works.

I guess it worked! Starting from the right: two high-side gons, 1 Conoco tanker, 1 3300 series box, 1 30 ft. reefer, 1 early 6000 series flat, 1 drop-bottom gon, 2 more 6000 series flats and the shorty caboose #0524.


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## San Juan (Jan 3, 2008)

Looks real good to me. Should be a crowd pleaser no matter how the consist is arranged.


For a quick photo run, I grabbed a few of our freight cars and ran this train last summer:











Not sure of how accurate it is, but that's the fun of model trains.


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## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

Real nice! I have a couple of loads for the flats if I can just get them done! Still trying to complete my #212 combine project. I should contract Steve Stockham to work his magic on it. Even though I'm retire, there is STILL never enough time to finish things.


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