I would appreciate it if someone could tell me what a typical consist for the D&RGW’s Royal Gorge passenger train would be in 1967. 1967 was the last year of operation and it only went from Denver to Salida.
Thanks,
biologybob
Between Pueblo and Salida, probably one Alco PA or GPsomething with Alco ex-B-unit heater car (later used on Rio Grande Zpehyr at times, see the book Never on Wednesday) a lightweight combine and an ex-Chessie snack-bar dome coach, snack bar in the area under the dome. If the Santa Fe Denver connection was still running at the time, its equpment was combined with the Royal Gorge between Pueblo and Denver. The snack-bar coach was stainless, but the combine yellow with black trim and lettering, ditto the heater car and the PA. the GPsomething was freight power, the usual black with yellow lettering.
Thanks for responding, Dave. I appreciate it.
I just purchased that train as done by Division Point. These are mostly sold out but a few sets in the 1967 single stripe paint can still be found.
The set consists of a baggage/mail, the dome-coach (from C&O) modified to have the rear door, a lunch counter, a sleeper 5-5-6, and a regular coach (apparently disccontinued in 1965). I am going to add a plain two door baggage car.
check out this roster:
I am looking at the near final answer in McMillian’s May 2010 Rio Grande calender. Nice shot of the Royal Gorge at Littleton in May of '67 with a PA, baggage and 2 coaches. Baggage is a Harriman / arch roof heavyweight. Baggage and first coach are in the 4 stripe scheme, PA and rear coach in single stripe.
Phil
Thanks, Zeph. I appreciate the response. I am trying to put together a consist for Bob Wirth’s MSTS Tennessee Pass route.
That will be a whole lot cheaper than the Division Point cars were [;)]
I doubt the sleeper was in the consist when the train was cut back from Grand Junction to Salida. When the Prospector ran and the Royal George ran to Grand Junction, a coach and the sleeper were combined at GJ with the Prospector and ran through to Salt Lake City. Also combined with the Sante Fe train between Denver and Pueblo. This included a sleeper and coach for LA.
Phil,
Thanks for the “proof” via calendar pic. I appreciate the info.
Bob
The Division Point cars cost a small fortune or large fortune depending on your circumstances. They are gorgeous but I new they were far beyond this po boy’s ability to buy!
If there was any passenger car I’d get from Div Point it would be the ex-C&O dome-chair cars. I managed to get couple of the Palace Car Company combine cars (one without side skirts and no dorm windows, and the other original configuration). With those and the Walthers 52 seat P-S coach, one could model an accurate 1960’s Yampa Valley Mail.
The Royal Gorge ran with an assortment of heavy weight (stream styled) and P-S light weight equipment. I have a number of pictures in my Rio Grande Diesels Volume 1 and other books. The dome-chair and one of the P-S buffet lounge was often in the 1960’s consist. Another Royal Gorge ran with a heavy weight baggage and stream styled coach?
Not sure of the year that CB&Q discontinued the Colorado Springs section of the Denver Zephyr but the Royal Gorge hauled the four cars from Denver to Colorado Springs and back each day starting in 1956. That would make for an interesting addition to the rear of the Royal Gorge.
Al - in - Stockton
And that was in addition to the Sante Fe equipment hauled to Pueblo. The Denver Zephyr’s Slumbercoach ran through to Colorado Springs when I rode it. But this is all before the train was cut back to Salida. And at that time, much later, the consist was certainly all lightweight.
HA! that was my original plan, but the best laid plans. After I decided to get the dome, I went hunting for the RPO/baggage to make up a Yampa Valley Flyer and found Division point are the only ones who made that. But the RPO/B are all sold out except those in the Prospector and R/G sets. So by getting a R/G set plus one car I can now make either the Royal Gorge or many of the Yampa’s. If I would add the diner then I could make the Prospector as well but that was yet that much more $$. Maybe I can pick one up later. The only thing I don’t like about the dome coach is that the marker lamps aren’t lited or even a jewel but round bumps painted red. 
As near as I can tell the D&RGW was not nearly as picky as to what equipment was used for what train. I am even beginning to think that some yard master just choose the equipment almost at random from whatever was sitting around the coach yard at the time the train was made up. 1 loco, check; 1 baggage, check; 1 coach, check; 1 dome, check; etc. to H ll with whether they matched or not.
The latest picture I’ve been able to find for the Royal Gorge is May 19, 1966 in James Sandrins book Rio Grande Trackside with Jim Ozment. It shows the following:
PA (4 stripe)
F7A (single stripe)
HW Harriman? baggage (4 stripe)
P-S chair car (same as Walthers 52 seat coach - 4 stripe)
The caption labels it as an abbreviated No. 1 rolling west through Portland CO and a harbinger of the future short consists which would be typical after the cut back to Salida later that year in December 6.
The RG equipement generally did not match, as in all light weight passenger cars. I have seen the odd example of matched passenger cars on the RG in photo’s from the 1960’s (one example is given below). The Prospector was the premier home grown train and second only to the CZ, so it got all matched P-S equipment from the very beginning that is was purchased (~1950) and maintained top notch appearances until it was discontinued in 1967.
It is a shame the Div Pt cars didn’t get lights. The BLI CZ cars all got lights and they were around $65 MSRP, but weren’t the Div Pt cars around $500 ea? They were gorgeous but I simply couldn’t afford approx $500 on a passenger car. I used to have a full set of 11 kumata OMI/Challenger/HCB CZ set but sold it and replaced it with a BLI set. The only thing I have by Div Pt is a D&RGW 01400 series 3 window caboose. I bought two at first but didn’t care for how they did the moderized windows and returned one of them. Technically they were correct but the insert they used to make the modernized windows was way too deeply recessed and didn’t look right. Div Pt did a lovely job on their cars in photo’s I’ve seen.
What I’m using to make a Yampa Valley Mail is a P-S combine (same as those used on the RGZ) and a P-S 52 seach chair car, although this was f
Bringing this back to the top. To anyone who was interested in the Division Point D&RGW cars. In December 2011 Division Point announced a re-run of these.