Nostalgia & History > Denver Zephyr Colo Springs section

Back in the '60's when Burlington's Denver Zephyr ran a few cars thru to Colorado Springs, how was this handled?
Did one of the E-units that brought the train in from Chicago handle the COLSP cars, or was there a dedicated engine at DEN for this purpose?
Did the COLSP section need to back out of the station?
How was the patronage on the Q COLSP section compared with the Rock Island's COLSP section that cut off the Rocky Mountain Rocket at Limon?
Thanks!
Andy

I believe they were handled between Denver and Colorado Springs on D&RGW's Royal Gorge train.

knotch8 Wrote:
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> I believe they were handled between Denver and
> Colorado Springs on D&RGW's Royal Gorge train.

Yes, they would be cut off in Colorado Springs, and a switcher would take the cars through the interchange track to the Santa Fe station where D&RGW train 2 would pick them up about 1330 hours.  The D&RGW switcher probably shoved the cars onto the interchange track and the ATSF switcher would take them the rest of the way.  

Back in those days DUT was still a double ended station and still seved both lines south.  The Denver switcher would trim the carss off the DZ and put them on the rear of the Royal Gorge, train 1.  Reverse that on the return trip.

Rob

according to my April 1957 Official Guide, the DZ carried one 10-6 sleeper, one Vista Dome Chuck Wagon, one slumbercoach and one reclining seat coach through to Colorado Springs. Eastbound the DZ left CS at 1:10, ar Denver at 2:5 0, ex Denver at 4P. Westbound DZ ar Denver at 8:30 ex Denver 9A, ar CS at 10:45. Checked baggage through to Denver and CS only. Royal Gorge was quite a long train Denver - Colorado Springs in those days.

I beleieve the Colo Spgs Thru cars started when the CB&Q got the new cars in 1956 for the DZ and 
ended in the mid-60's when the D&RGW discontinued their Royal Gorge train. 

 switched to a bus, trailwys , a few years before the royal gorge came off

If you look at aerial photos, you can see that the leg of the wye is still intact that was used by the switch engine(s) when they hauled the CB&Q passenger cars from the D&RGW station to the C&S-AT&SF station.  The track still extends almost up to where the C&S-AT&SF station was / is (now converted into an office complex known as "The Railroad Station.") to serve some industries and team tracks.  There does not appear to be a tremendous amount of business on these tracks at the present time.  

From recollections from a 1972 vacation to Colorado Springs, I seem to remember that the major east-west thoroughfare that ran adjacent to the former C&S-AT&SF station, East Pikes Peak Avenue, featured an underpass that ran under the then-active AT&SF-C&S tracks that were used for northbound traffic in directional running days.  After that line segment was abandoned, there was no longer a need for that underpass and it has apparently since been "filled in" and leveled out for the street traffic.

http://atsf.railfan.net/depots/colosprgs.html      



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/20/15 21:51 by CA_Sou_MA_Agent.

Right, the Colorado Springs section was all together in the center of the DZ train.  The Colorado Springs cars; the 50 seat coach, Slumbercoach, Vista Dome Coffee Shop Dorm "Chuck Wagon' and 10-6" could be easily switched out from the train leaving the Baggage, RPO, 50 Seat Coach, Vista Dome Coach, Slumbercoach (for Denver) from the front of the train. Then the  48 seat Diner, 6-5 Pullman,  10-6 Pullman, 10-6 Pullman and Vista Dome Parlor Buffet Observation would be switched out as well.   The remaining Colorado Springs cars would then be made up for forwarding by the D&RGW. xi

As business dropped off this was revised over the years.  For example the Vista Dome Coach went thru to Colorado Springs in the early sixties and the Vista Dome Chuck Wagon stayed behind in Denver to be turned with the other cars to return to Chicago later that day.

CA_Sou_MA_Agent Wrote:
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> If you look at aerial photos, you can see that the
> leg of the wye is still intact that was used by
> the switch engine(s) when they hauled the CB&Q
> passenger cars from the D&RGW station to the
> C&S-AT&SF station.  The track still extends
> almost up to where the C&S-AT&SF station was / is
> (now converted into an office complex known as
> "The Railroad Station.") to serve some industries
> and team tracks.  There does not appear to be a
> tremendous amount of business on these tracks at
> the present time.  
>
> From recollections from a 1972 vacation to
> Colorado Springs, I seem to remember that the
> major east-west thoroughfare that ran adjacent to
> the former C&S-AT&SF station, East Pikes Peak
> Avenue, featured an underpass that ran under the
> then-active AT&SF-C&S tracks that were used for
> northbound traffic in directional running days.
>  After that line segment was abandoned, there was
> no longer a need for that underpass and it has
> apparently since been "filled in" and leveled out
> for the street traffic.
>
> http://atsf.railfan.net/depots/colosprgs.html  
>    

Only thing is, the move was made in 1974.

NYSWSD70M Wrote:
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> Only thing is, the move was made in 1974.

Correct.  The underpass and the active AT&SF-C&S line was still in use when I was there in 1972.