Nostalgia & History > Rio Grande incline transfer trestles

Having only seen the DRGW narrow gauge operations once or twice before becoming today's tourist railroads, I enjoy seeing photos of old steam-era facilities. Here is one neat looking transfer facility on the dual gauge area of Alamosa, CO. in 1953. Earl Cochran photo. - Tony J.

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Here's a nice looking structure at Sargent, Colorado in 1952. Earl Cochran photo. - Tony J.

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Photo No. 2 of the trrestle at Sargent, CO. Earl Cochran photo. - Tony J.

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Phoito No. 3 at Sargent, CO. in 1952. Earl Cochran photo. - Tony J.

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Last photo at Sargent, CO. in 1952. Earl Cochran photo. - Tony J.

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Really interesting photos. When they shoved a load up the trestle, did the loco run all the way up? Or did they use emptys or idler cars so the loco weight was on the ground? What do you suppose the grades were on those trestles?

hotrail Wrote:
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> Really interesting photos. When they shoved a load
> up the trestle, did the loco run all the way up?
> Or did they use emptys or idler cars so the loco
> weight was on the ground? What do you suppose the
> grades were on those trestles?


Most of the in-service photos I've seen show the locomotive nearly all the way up to the top, and in a few cases, they went a bit too far! = Tony J.

The Rio Grande had at least two other coaling trestles like the two presented here. one was at Salida, and the other one was at Malta. I don't have their images scanned yet, but I'll try to get a "round-to-it" soon and post pictures of them. There were probably others very similar to these at even more places, but I don't know for sure nor where.

Con

TonyJ - This is a great structue for a modeling project. Thanks for posting the pictures.

Ray

Ray_Murphy Wrote:
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> TonyJ - This is a great structue for a modeling
> project. Thanks for posting the pictures.
>
> Ray


Yes it is... if you have the patience to do it. Good luck! - Tony J.

The SP had a similar transfer facility at Owyeno in the Ownes Valley where the narrow and standard gauge lines met. The narrow guage track is on top and the standard gauge track below. These pictures are from September, 1957.

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A second view.

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Great looking photos gentlemen!
However, I was wondering why those structures were not constructed of steel? Wooden trestles always looked kind of rickety to me, especially the larger ones. I am thinking of Goat Trestle on the old SD&AE in particular. Brrrrr!!!!!

BaltoJoey<------Chronic acrophobiac

Wood pilings not only had the necessary strength but were cheaper than structural steel. And you can assemble wood structures with fairly rudimentary tools, saws, drills, and then wrenchs for the nuts and bolts. You could even dig the footings by hand if you really really needed to and then back fill and tamp around the piles. Structural steel almost always needs power tools, drills, rivet heaters and rivet guns, etc. Although the structure could be pre-built at the back shops and then final assembly on site.

Remember the narrow gauge strutcutres were often way out in the boonies. Owenyo is probably the least remote and that isn't saying a whole lot.

One other thing, is that many folks haven't held a oak (or other strong wood) beam. If you idea of wood is defined by the pitiful pine junk that most lumber outlets carry, I can understand your lack of faith in the structure! Oak is almost twice as heavy, and it's so hard that it can be difficult to saw, drill and nail after it's thoroughly dried.

Robert

The D&RGW structures were not for transloading freight (i.e, Ore) but actually all coaling trestles.