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Category: rail

1969 Abandonment of the Rio Grande between Farmington, NM and Antonito, CO rail

Finance Docket No. 24745 THE DENVER AND RIO GRANDE WESTERN RAILROAD COMPANY ABANDONMENT BETWEEN FARMINGTON, N. MEX., AND ALAMOSA AND ANTONITO, COLO.

Decided July 14, 1969

DENVER & R. G. W. R. CO. ABANDONMENT 539 Finance Docket No. 24745 ' THE DENVER AND RIO GRANDE WESTERN RAILROAD COM PANY ABANDONMENT BETWEEN FARMINGTON, N. MEX., AND ALAMOSA AND ANTONITO, COLO. Decided July 14, 1969 t.In Finance Docket No. 24745, subject to specified conditions, present and future public convenience and necessity found to permit aban donment by The Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad Company of that portion of its narrow gauge line of railroad between Farmington, N. Mex., and Antonito and Alamosa, Colo. 2. In Docket No. 34843, The Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad Company found not shown to have failed to provide transportation or reasonable facilities therefor. Complaint dismissed. Ernest Porter and John S. Walker for applicant-defendant. James D .Childress, Floyd Cross, Howard L. Frisbie, and Ralph B. Harlan for complainant and the State Corporation Commission of New Mexico. Robert Lee Kessler, Ralph Keull, and John L . McNeill for the Public Utilities Commission of the State of Colorado. Herbert M. Boyle, James I. Davidson, M . Carl Feather, Edward Hamilton, Philip F. Icke, LaV erne McKelvey, R. Franklin Mc- Kelvey, and Linville 1. Prell for railway labor organizations and other protestants. Report of the Commission Division 3, Commissioners Tuggle, Deason, and Hardin

The Rail Line 3000 Series, Box Car Kit, Styrene, As Rebuilt rail

Note: these instructions are here to help people assemble their excellent Rail Line kits, but the instructions are in a teensy font to fit the well thought out details. Refer to the photos in the kit for locations.

    Read instructions & study parts before starting.
    Trim flash from parts before cutting off.
    Avoid loss of parts. Put inside one of small plastic bags. Reach inside and cut off.
    Remove parts from bag with tweezers.
    Parts will be replaced only in a stamped self-addressed envelope, description of part needed and 25c per part handling const.
    Deburr ends of wires.
    Gluing, for plastic to plastic use liquid. Applicator, a 00000 spotting brush is ideal. A touch to small part is enough.
    Mark off numbers as finished.
    GRABIRONS(1) 5 each side only. Make a mark with pointed tool to start holes. Drill holes with #79 wire drill. Install pre-formed grabirons using a #65 wire drill to space the rungs away from teh car side; bend ends to center and spot glue with Expoxy to hold in place.
    UNDERCARRIAGE Drill 8-#77 holes through the floor at marks (2) located inside the truck bolsters. Place end with 4 nuts (3) on center beams on your left side. Glue only the left queenpost timber (4) in place inside the center casting (5) on outside timber, with blocked up queenpost (6) and square hole towards you. AIR BRAKE CYLINDER (7) place clevis end to your left, the hanging side down. With the three nuts of LARGE HANGING PLATE (8) toward you, glue cylinder peg through hole in plate.
    SMALL PLATE (9) glues to lip on other end. Put clevis, "angled" through square hole, under blocked up queenpost and toward 4 nuts. Do not glue yet. Glue RIGHT QUEENPOST TIMBER (10) in place. With end of cylinder almost touching timber, glue cylinder in place.
    SHORT LEVER HANGER (11) Lay SMALL PLATE (12) with nut up toward you; glue nub on flat end of hanger into hole of plate. Angle hanger 90 degree to left from the plate. Rounded end glues to queenpost timber, nut on plate over second beam.
    LONG LEVER (13) End with 2 holes glues in cylinder clevis, second hole under nut, and lever angled left.
    SHORT LEVER (14) Glue end hole in hanger (11) under pivot head, angled right. LEVER SUPPORT WIRES (15) Use 3-1 1/4 inch wires; bend legs parallel, leaving 1/4 inch flat; drill 3 #79 holes, each 1 each outside timbers as shown. Put one end of wire in hole, mark other end, drill, install wire, cut off ends.
    TRUSS RODS (16) Tie knot in one end of fishline. Run other end through corner hole.
    TURNBUCKLES (17) Do not cut off. Put #78 drill into pilot hole in end, turn until turnbuckle comes off on drill; slide it of the drill onto fishline. Center turnbuckle between queenposts and run through hole in other end. Move over to adjacent hole and repeat until finished. Be sure all lines are taught. Tie through last crossover.
    ASSEMBLY - First paint car floor, side doors, and coupler pocket covers. (41) Place undercarriage in car body at an angle with projecting lip on floor in door. Place 4 nut end of undercarriage to "B" end of car.
    OFF SET GRABIRONS (18) On car sides, the left leg is up. On ends, right leg up. With legs pointed away from you, bend the one needed, up, and 1/32 inch above top edge of the rung, bend back. Cut the leg not bent to 1/8 inch long. Use a pointed tool to locate holes at Detail. Match surfaces of coupler pocket before drilling. Extend drill 3/32 inch from end of pin vise for proper depth. Install grabiron.
    BOTTOM GRABIRONS (19) Two each end. Use pointed tool to locate holes on square edges of the car at detail. With #79, drill hole at 45 degree angle, 3/32 inch deep. Cut both legs of grabirons 1/8 inch long. Install. Carefully bend up until parallel with bottom of car.
    "A" END OF CAR Glue nub on DOOR STOP (20) in hole provided. Glue on COUPLER POCKET END (21), match to inside surfaces. Repeat on "B" end.
    ROOF WALK SUPPORTS (22) Glue the abrupt angle to the small board under end of walk, other end to car. Repeat on "B" end.
    END ROOF WALKS (23) Locate with the outside strap of walkt to end of corner strap on car. Glue on. Do not add grabirons yet.
    CAR SIDES, Locate DOOR LATCHES (24) by cutting off the second bolt from the bottom of door stop timber, also third bolt on one side for the straight up latch. Put the bottom bolt of casting in place of second bolt.
    BOTTOM DOOR SLIDES (25) Four each side. Glue on, with nubs in holes provided.
    TOP DOOR STOP TIMBER CASTING (26) Locates by laying side door in place and glueing casting on timber between 3rd and 4th nuts from top of door.
    SIDE DOOR STOP (27) Glue nub on stop in hole provided.
    "B" End of car. With #79 drill make the pipe hole in AIR VALVE (29) Form 1 1/4 inch wireas shown on photo, bending lower end 5/64 inch into car. 1/16 inch above bottom of car. After wire is fomed, lay into place, mark for lower hole, #79 drill and install.
    LOWER BRAKE HANGER (30) Locates against coupler pocket plate.
    CHAIN ROLLER (31) Locates behind the lower hanger, square edge at coupler pocket.
    GRABIRONS ON END ROOF WALKS (32) Mark to start holes at detail, drill #79 and install.
    TOP BRAKE HANGER (33) Drill with #78 through hanger using pilot hole in the top.
    BRAKE WHEEL ROD (34) Stone burrs from end of 1 1/2 inch wire; put wire through hanger. Adjust to fit at roof while seated in hole of lower hanger. glue on car directly over lower hanger.
    STIRRUPS (35) The outside leg lines up with the inside edge of 2nd board from end of car. With sharp tool, mark center on four corner strap (36) ends. Drill with #80. PAINTING - Lay TOP DOOR SLIDES (37) in place; d not glue. Paint the undercarriage. Make 2 small blocks 3/4 to 1 inch high. Drill a #51 hole in each one. Set the truck mounting pegs in holes to hole the car.
    BRAKE WHEEL (38) Carefuly cut wheel from the protective ring. Lat wheel on a flat surface. Open center hole with a #78 drill. Put a small trace of Epoxy on the brake rod end. Pick up car, turn over and push the brake rod into hole in brake wheel. be sure wheel is level with top of car. Allow Epoxy to dry; set car on blocks and finish painting.
    TACK BOARDS (39) Paint black. The locate center end to outside edge of the 2nd board from door stop timber; center with the middle bolt on timber.
    SIDE DOOR INSTALLATION Remove the top door slides (37) Hook the lower ledge of slides into castings onthe top ofdoors; set door into bottom sides (25); top slides back into place.
    COUPLERS (40) The non-operating couplers provided are sharon style, made of nylon, are vailable for your other cars; cat. no 115. Straight shank for engines etc. cat. no. 116, and On3 is cat. no. 120. There are provisions for magnetic couplers; cut out pivot pint outlinde in cover and install.
    COUPLER POCKET COVERS (41) Locate in holes provided. Cover at "B" end must be notched to clear chain roller (31). Glue lightly at corners.

    TRUCK INSTALLATION Place trucks on pegs (42) and slip on RETAINING WASHERS (43) provided.

Hear that lonesome whistle blow rail

(Duplicated from Soldiersdisease.com when it went down).

Damion Romero DJ'ing on KXLU Los Angeles

Air Check Here

  1. c11 439 – 1972.09.23 – (toshiba records – toct-8731)
  2. high country steam – #484 2-8-2 great freight ’79 in thunderstorm – (arkay – ar-1058)
  3. all steamed up! – #5506 burlington 2-8-2 – (howard fogg recordings)
  4. twilight of steam – #15 2-8-2 – (mobile fidelity – mf 13)
  5. steam echoes – u.p. #4005 “big boy” – (award high fidelity – e.p. ripley)
  6. sunday only – #5632 4-8-4 – (mobile fidelity – mf 9)
  7. steam railroading under thundering skies – #300 mikado 2-8-2 – (mobile fidelity – mf 8 )
  8. hear that whistle blow – #25 2-6-2 & #19 2-8-2 doubleheader to pondosa – (mobile fidelity – mf 12)
  9. ghost train – special whistle effect, grand trunk western #6323 4-8-4 – (mobile fidelity – mf 10)
  10. steel rails under thundering skies – extra 1702 east with rear helper engine #11 – (bainbridge records – bt 6243)
  11. whistling thru dixie – buffalo creek & gauley #4, 2-8-0 dundon to widen, west virginia, summer 1960 – (mobile fidelity – mf 6)
  12. whistles west – s.p. 4436 northern 4-8-4 – (railway & locomotive historical society inc. – r-1319)
  13. remember when? – aboard southern pacific’s starlight with daylight type 4460 – (mobile fidelity – mf 5/m)
  14. the fading giant (sounds of steam railroading vol. 2) – train 42, the pelican, arrives rural retreat, va. with background of chimes from the lutheran church – departs. – (o. winston link)
  15. highball – mainline 2- (mobile fidelity – mf 4)
  16. freight service only – denver & rio grande western 488, 493 & 494 (2-8-2’s) – (s.k. railroad recordings – sk-103)
  17. steam in colorado – freight extra, northbound for fort collins, with colorado & southern’s 282, #804, leaves boulder yard limits at 1:30 a.m. and works up a ruling grade, a mile from the microphone. – (mobile fidelity – trains#2)
  18. great moments in steam railroading – side 2, track 1 – (mobile fidelity – trains#3)
  19. berkshire in the alleghenies – scranton grade (on train) – (pilot to tender record co – pc 109)
  20. the pennsylvania railroad – horseshoe curve spectacular – (semaphore – dlp-6001)
Sergent Couplers in Sn3 rail

Putting Sergent 1:64 Couplers on P-B-L cars

The trick I found to getting a secure Sergent Engineering scale coupler in P-B-L equipment is to add a 2.5mm O.D. styrene sleeve around the coupler screw to secure the coupler and allow a little play. I had to ream out the Evergreen styrene stock a bit to get it to fit, but has a great action now.

of space and time rail

Modeling Long Ago

Advantages:

From 1900-1950 is a Halcyon period of steam engines, a variety of operations, shortlines, narrow gauge, passenger operations.

Disadvantages:

Do you like brown boxcars? Do you hate Helvetica and anything jet set? Do reliable diesels seem too easy to you? Do you like squinting at silver nitrate negatives to try and discern what color to paint something?

Modeling Your Youth

Advantages:

Those good old days when you had plenty of time to watch trains and no money to buy them.

Disadvantages:

Does it give you a concept you can work what you want into? Are you in the demographic that manufacturers are catering too?

Modeling the Present Day

Advantages:

It is what you are appreciating now. You can go take a nice color photograph of it, or better yet, someone else already has and posted it on the internet.

Disadvantages:

Limited switching and shortlines. Most trains 3+ engines and 100+ cars, difficult to model on a modest layout. Really easy to just spend your way into a layout.

Modeling Your Neighborhood

Advantages:

Easy to get materials

Disadvantages:

In your basement is the same as outside.

Modeling Far Away

Advantages:

Tropical port / city? Icy Alaskan tundra? South American mountainside?

Disadvantages:

May look nice, but have limited operation potential, and be harder to get accurate detailing of.

Modeling Idealized

Advantages:

Exactly what you want

Disadvantages:

May be hard to keep coherence when you keep piling things on.

Great Model Railroading sites to read rail

New Castle Industrial Raiload A classic look at small area switching and all the details and time that can go into even the simplest shelf layout.
Lance Mindheim Layout Builder Great advice on layout design and detailing.
Some Railroad You have never Heard of.. building small layouts in your 30's, making decisions and balancing model railroading and life.

Helpers rail

BNSF 2897 & 1444 wait at Englewood, CO to return to Denver to push another coal train uphill. Baggage

Survivor Baggage rail

Baggage