Western Railroad Discussion > Pueblo by the River

UP rail empty arrives Pueblo on the Mop side. Hostlers at work. 12-24-07

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I am surprised no one has comment on the MoP side! This goes back a long way, naturally. You see, once upon a time, the MoP entered town on their own alignment because their yard was off the the right near the south end of the hill in the background. Their interchange connection came into this picture near the rear of the train entering the track the train is coming in on. Thus it became the MoP side. The next track to the left is the Rio Grande Side, then the ATSF loop track. Either way, trains reached the yard and a couple or crossovers could correct issues if the did come in the wrong way. I could go on a long time telling more, but I won't.

KK

I see the remains of an old Roundhouse and turntable. And I see the Rio Grande Painted Locomotive on the far right in the consist with the patched CN&W and SP Locomotives

Me too. When I visited a few years ago the place looked like a big show had left a few years ago. Is there a good History/ RR pictorial of what had been there?
Also noted the very substantial concrete on the river banks, flood problems?

That is so cool . . I was 'close' a few years ago when I went out to Canon City to catch the Royal Gorge train.
Should have stuck my head in there . . but it was off to The Dunes next day. 'Dogh

TCnR and yarddogh:

Let me get on my home computer and I can type in a lot more. I can't do it on this lap top.

KK

KoloradoKid Wrote:
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The next track to
> the left is the Rio Grande Side, then the ATSF
> loop track.

No, KK, there was no "ATSF loop track" in downtown Pueblo. The track that looped around buildings and streets in downtown Pueblo was MoPac's to get their westbound Eagle passenger trains headed toward Denver upon departure (via D&RGW from Pueblo Jct. to Bragdon). Today, BNSF may use a tiny remainder of it to reach a carload customer (Pueblo Press newspaper?). Southward MP psgr. trains, in reverse order -- take the loop track "north or west" out of the depot to reach their own track near the background of your photo.

Anyone here have any pictures of. what that roundhouse use to look like? And does anyone remember when and why it was demolished?

TCnR Wrote:
Yeah, it was built to keep the Arkansas from flooding the town again. Don't know when the Roundhouse was taken down. I don't remember the flood date, 1906?-------------------------------------------------------
> Me too. When I visited a few years ago the place
> looked like a big show had left a few years ago.
> Is there a good History/ RR pictorial of what had
> been there?
> Also noted the very substantial concrete on the
> river banks, flood problems?

> The next track to
> > the left is the Rio Grande Side, then the ATSF
> > loop track.
>
> No, KK, there was no "ATSF loop track" in
> downtown Pueblo. The track that looped around
> buildings and streets in downtown Pueblo was
> MoPac's to get their westbound Eagle passenger
> trains headed toward Denver upon departure (via
> D&RGW from Pueblo Jct. to Bragdon). Today, BNSF
> may use a tiny remainder of it to reach a carload
> customer (Pueblo Press newspaper?). Southward MP
> psgr. trains, in reverse order -- take the loop
> track "north or west" out of the depot to reach
> their own track near the background of your photo.

As I mentioned earlier, there is a lot more to Pueblo's history than is obvious to a fan just visiting Pueblo for the first time about now. When the SF built into town, they crossed the fledgling D&RG at what is now Pueblo Junciton, and continued across town to their yard which was north-northwest of where Midtown shopping center is now. That was their main line! When the first union depot was built, the SF built a loop line along the west side of the D&RG to the depot whick was near the D&RG roundhouse.. The D&RGW rip yard was originally Walker Yard. Anyway, the loop line did loop on west to the SF yard. Only years later would this become the mainline of today. Also remember, the Arkansas River was through the area that is now a lake and canal like pond with park area about 4 blocks from the current tracks at Union Avenue. The SF main line was north of the Arkansas River then.

The flood wall and river relocation came about in the 1920s as a result of the massive flood in June of 1921. The D&RG yard was moved a bit northeast to clear the path for the relocated river. They even put a notch in the flood wall for the D&RG roundhouse! The roundhouse was still full circle at the end of steam, but was reduced to about 8 stalls by the early 60s, with the last portion dismantled in the late 90s. The fueling area was rebuilt in the early 80s.

As for the MoPac loop line, this is a whole other animal. MPs yard was in the east end of town and they brought over interchange into the D&RG yard through Block One and then via the track the CWR train pictured is on and into Roger Yard, the yard West of the depot we know today. Now to turn MoPac passenger trains, they built the loop line with ran along the South bank of the Arkansas River, past the power plant and then looped into the west side of the depot. This really helped with the Colorado Eagle starting in the late 40s. MP train 11 (the CE) entered via the loop line, and came into the depot from the west end and then left out the east end as D&RGW train 4 to Denver, out through block 2 and onto the D&RGW main line, once again going through Block one, crossing its own earlier path. COming back later in the day, now as D&RGW train 3 entered the depot and became MP train 12 which departed out the west end of the depot. Confused yet? Well, block one was a switch tender location where the MP crossed the D&RG and the AT&SF loop line, whcih ramains squeezed between the depot tracks and the D&RGW yard leads/main line. Block two is the switch tender station for the actual entry into the east end of the depot.

Hope this helps. Certainly not a full history, but some of the basics of Pueblo railroad history.

KK