Nostalgia & History > Yampa Valley Mail

I have not seen much Rio Grande on the Nostalgia and History board lately.

I thought you might like to see this one. It is the last Yampa Valley Train with F9 D&RGW 5771 on the point. It came down the Craig Branch and then they backed it into Bond for some servicing before heading it to Denver. It was taken April 7, 1968.

Photo by Ed Fulcomer.

HB

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That is a very nice photo HB. I wish that she was still running!

Paul H. Liddiard, a Rio Grande fan.

How many cars would that have? Looks like a nice little operation but can't imagine it covering expenses.

I think we may have a photo of the final trian here. I don't have my books handy but that usually ran with a baggage car and a dome coach. The presence of several coaches means that there is a very heavy load for some reason and seeing it is 1968 tells me this might be the last run.
Cheers,
Nick

HistoryBuff Wrote:
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>It is
> the last Yampa Valley Train

NGotwalt Wrote:
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> I think we may have a photo of the final trian
> here. I don't have my books handy but that usually
> ran with a baggage car and a dome coach. The
> presence of several coaches means that there is a
> very heavy load for some reason and seeing it is
> 1968 tells me this might be the last run.
> Cheers,
> Nick

Maybe the additional cars were for railfans wanting to ride the train one last time.

Dave

RuleG Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> NGotwalt Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I think we may have a photo of the final trian
> > here. I don't have my books handy but that
> usually
> > ran with a baggage car and a dome coach. The
> > presence of several coaches means that there is
> a
> > very heavy load for some reason and seeing it
> is
> > 1968 tells me this might be the last run.
> > Cheers,
> > Nick
>
> Maybe the additional cars were for railfans
> wanting to ride the train one last time.
>
> Dave


Actually that is exactly what happened. The Yampa got to like seven cars its last run, probably the most number of cars carried on that train for just a "regular" day. It got bigger when there were special tours on the line though.
Cheers,
Nick

A similar situation applied on the last Saturday (24 Apr. 1971) before Amtrak with the SP San Joaquins--I took my daughters from LA to Bakersfield, knowing this was the last chance for them to ride around The Loop in daylight (they had been on the SF Chief a year earlier). SP "cleaned out the yard" to have enough cars, and even then it was standing room only from Bakersfield to Tehachapi on the return trip. We wound up in a sleeper compartment, and then got stuck for a few hours west of Mojave by a freight derailment. Adding to the fun, it started to snow! Since this was long before cell phones, my wife was a bit upset when we straggled in long after dark.

I remember my dad going through his Herald-Examiner around dinner time, as usual, and casually saying "This is the day all the passenger trains go into Amtrak."
Ho hum... it was a bit late to get that news, but I didn't know enough at the time for it to have made much difference.