Western Railroad Discussion > Trainorders Era Phone Booth at Gilluly

The Denver & Rio Grande Western upgraded from ABS to CTC along the west slope of Soldier Summit in the mid-1970's. Long before that (in the 1960's), radio communications replaced the need for line slide telephones. For reasons lost to history, the old D&RGW trainorders phone booth at Gilluly has survived the ages. The tiny shack is pictured in deep snowdrifts on the afternoon of Jan. 30th, painted in D&RGW signal department silver. These home grown booths were placed at the east and west end of all the passing sidings along Soldier Summit (Sutro, Gomex, Thistle, Rio, Narrows, Detour, Gilluly, Scenic, Soldier Summit, Kyune, Nolan, Lynn, Castle Gate, URJ, & West Helper). The Helper Railroad & Mining Museum has one preserved one on their property. It was recovered in the late 1980's from the switches at West Helper where two (count them...TWO) branch lines once connected to the mainline (to Spring Canyon & Kenilworth).

Thought y'all might enjoy this tiny snippet of history,
James

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I'll be happy to stand corrected, but it's my understanding that a few of these boxes are actually still in service, in locations of difficult radio and cell-phone reception, Glenwood Canyon and Gore Canyon, for example. I'd be surprised if Gilluly is such a location, but there could be other reasons. It certainly looks like an at least recently-active facility, if the pole with the mercury vapor light and conduit right behind the box is as related to it as it looks. Is the pole line in the background railroad or commercial power/telephone? Has UP replaced code-line CTC/ABS support with radio over Soldier Summit yet? That might have something to do with it as well.

Sure is a lot more snow there than there is here at 5,642 ft in ColoradoWest.....

lowwater

Many railroads still used them after radio. They usually had a set-up so you could call the dispatcher, tower operator or even make long distance phone calls to book an away hotel etc.