Southern San Luis Valley Railroad

Last updated
Rattlesnake Trestle near Blanca, Colorado Rattlesnake Trestle.jpg
Rattlesnake Trestle near Blanca, Colorado

The Southern San Luis Valley Railroad is a fallen flag shortline railroad that was located in Southern Colorado. [1] Best known in its final years of operation, it served a connection with the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad at Blanca, Colorado. [2] The diminutive railroad in its final form was approximately 1.53 miles (2.46 km) in length. During its life freight traffic included farm produce, fertilizer and volcanic scoria (lava rock). [2] The railroad, as it was originally built, was 31 miles (50 km) long and besides freight it operated passenger service between Blanca and Jaroso, Colorado, until 1946. [3] The railroad formally ceased all operations December 31, 1996. [4]

Contents

History

The original rail line was incorporated July 3, 1909, as the San Luis Southern Railroad. It was a subsidiary of the Costilla Estates Development Company, whose purpose was to develop farm land in Colorado's San Luis Valley. [5] The railroad's business model was to serve the developing towns and farms set up by the Costilla Estates Development Company, whose business model was dependent on reservoirs it had built filling up with water for irrigation. The reservoirs have never filled up, owing to inadequate rainfall to fill them. Consequently, Costilla Estates never prospered, nor did the San Luis Southern Railroad. On January 6, 1928, the railroad was purchased out of bankruptcy by Charles Boettcher. He reorganized the line on December 13, 1928, as the San Luis Valley Southern Railway. [6] Under Boettcher's leadership, the railroad continued to struggle and its fortunes did not improve substantially. [7]

On January 24, 1949, the Boettcher/McLean estates filed a petition before the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) to abandon the railroad. [8] The abandonment was hotly contested by interests in the San Luis Valley. As the interested parties were fighting over the abandonment, San Luis Valley businessmen S. Yorimoto and W.W. McClintock were making arrangements to purchase the railroad, which happened two weeks before the abandonment hearing were scheduled. [9] Between 1949 and 1954 there were various machinations and financial arrangements made to keep the railroad afloat. On September 19, 1952, McClintock filed for abandonment of the railroad, however the ICC only granted a partial abandonment on September 24, 1953. [10] McClintock continued to operate the railroad after this ICC decision. [11]

McClintock and another San Luis Valley businessman George Oringdulf, decided to reorganize the line and tied up all the railroad's loose ends by purchasing all stock in the company. [12] On December 11, 1953, a new company was organized under Colorado law, and on October 22, 1954, it was granted a Colorado State Corporate Charter under the name Southern San Luis Valley Railroad (SSLV). [13]

McClintock and Oringdulph knew their two steam locomotives, #105 and #106, both Consolidation types, purchased from the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad were too costly to maintain. [9] They took the D&RGW steam locomotive tender frame (D&RGW #964) which they had purchased in 1950 and after an abortive attempt at building a locomotive on the tender frame, a successful machine was completed in 1955. [9] It was a strange-looking locomotive they called the D-500. It rolled on standard locomotive tender trucks which were powered by a sprocket and chain drive. Power was from an International Harvester, 1091 cubic inch, UD24 diesel engine. The power went through a Caterpillar hydraulic transmission, which in turn powered an old Euclid truck axle, which transmitted power through sprockets and chains to the axles. [12] The odd locomotive, which resembled a caboose, was built in a cupola style for visibility and to ease the installation of the prime mover. The locomotive was built by SSLV mechanics in Mesita, Colorado. [12] All steam trains on the SSLV ceased operating in 1957. [14]

By that time the railroad's traffic base remained close to Blanca, with little traffic originating in Jaroso. On March 15, 1958, the 29 miles of track from McClintock to Jaroso was closed and the rail was sold to the Climax Molybdenum Company. [14] What was left of the SSLV was roughly a 2.5-mile (4.0 km) stretch south from Blanca. The railroad served Colorado Aggregates Company at McClintock and the Mizokami lettuce packing plant just north of the McClintock wye track. [14] This became the status quo for the railroad until the closing of the Mizokami lettuce plant in the late 1970s and then the subsequent sale of the SSLV to the Hecla Mining Company.

In 1977 the SSLV purchased a second locomotive, a Plymouth ML8 (builder #4161) purchased from Utah Power and Light Company. [15] [2] The gasoline engine in the locomotive was defective and was removed in 1980 so a Caterpillar diesel engine could be installed in its place. The swap was never completed, however, and the locomotive sits derelict without an engine. [12]

The railroad owned various locomotives over the years. They include: #100 and #101 both Brooks 4-6-0 locomotives, bought used From Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway; #102 (2-6-0) built by Baldwin, bought new by the San Luis Southern; #103(DRGW 657), #104(DRGW 633), #105(DRGW 688), and #106(DRGW 683), all C-28's (2-8-0) purchased from the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad. [16] The railroad also operated a motorcar, built by Winter-Weiss in 1924, that was originally numbered the M-3, then renumbered the M300. It sits derelict at the Oklahoma Railway Museum in Oklahoma City. [17] Another piece of SSLV history, steam engine #106, which was restored to its original D&RGW number is on display at the Colorado Railroad Museum. [18] [19]

The ICC gave the railroad permission to remove rail in order to maintain operations in 1953, so the railroad was cut back to 1.53 miles from 2+1⁄2 miles in 1959. Some of the remaining track was still in place in 2009. Permian Basin Railroad's San Luis and Rio Grande Railroad purchased what was left in 2007, including the derelict D-500 and Plymouth ML8. In 2008, the SLRG started rebuilding portions of the SSLV trackage for freight car storage and railcar dismantling operations. [20] [21]

Notes

  1. ↑ Griswold (1980)
  2. 1 2 3 Lewis (1996) , p. 353
  3. ↑ Griswold (1980) , p. 104
  4. ↑ Railroad Retirement Board (2001). This document shows the date the SSLV ceased to be a legal entity.
  5. ↑ Griswold (1980) , p. 3
  6. ↑ Griswold (1980) , p. 56
  7. ↑ Griswold (1980) , p. 51
  8. ↑ Griswold (1980) , pp. 108, 109
  9. 1 2 3 Griswold (1980) , p. 112
  10. ↑ Griswold (1980) , pp. 115, 127
  11. ↑ Griswold (1980) , p. 116
  12. 1 2 3 4 Griswold (1980) , p. 127
  13. ↑ Colorado Secretary of State (1954). Articles of Incorporation Southern San Luis Valley Railroad Company has attached all SSLV corporate filings with the Secretary of State from 1953 to 1987.
  14. 1 2 3 Griswold (1980) , p. 131
  15. ↑ Griswold (1980) , p. 138
  16. ↑ LeMassena (1974)
  17. ↑ "Miscellaneous Equipment". San Louis (sic) Valley Southern Rail Bus. Oklahoma City, OK: Oklahoma Railway Museum. 2007.
  18. ↑ Nute, Donald (13 September 2004). "Denver and Rio Grande Western Consolidations". Donald Nute's Steam Locomotive Collection. Retrieved 8 July 2009. Nute has photographs of D&RGW 683 (ex-SSLV 106) at the Colorado Railroad Museum.
  19. ↑ "Narrow Gauge and Standard gauge Locomotives". Colorado Railroad Museum. 2001. Retrieved 8 July 2009.
  20. ↑ Holmes, N. D. (16 January 2008). "Mid Week News Roundup-SLRG Acquires Southern San Luis Valley Railroad". Rio Grande Information. DRGW.Net. Retrieved 7 July 2009. The sources on this website are sometimes uncited, however there is little reason to doubt the validity of this information, as there is substantial photographic evidence of the SLRG operating on the SSLV.
  21. ↑ Holmes, N. D. (7 October 2007). "San Luis Valley Southern Railroad". Rio Grande Information. DRGW.Net. Retrieved 7 July 2009. Uncited work gives brief SSLV history and mentions the SLRG purchase of the SSLV. Photo evidence of SLRG operation is at http://www.drgw.net/gallery/RebuildingTheSSLV and http://www.drgw.net/gallery/SSLVNews16Aug2008

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Luis Valley</span> High-altitude basin in Colorado and New Mexico in the United States

The San Luis Valley is a region in south-central Colorado with a small portion overlapping into New Mexico. The valley is approximately 122 miles (196 km) long and 74 miles (119 km) wide, extending from the Continental Divide on the northwest rim into New Mexico on the south. It contains 6 counties and portions of 3 others. It is an extensive high-elevation depositional basin of approximately 8,000 square miles (21,000 km2) with an average elevation of 7,664 feet (2,336 m) above sea level. The valley is a section of the Rio Grande Rift and is drained to the south by the Rio Grande, which rises in the San Juan Mountains to the west of the valley and flows south into New Mexico. The San Luis Valley has a cold desert climate but has substantial water resources from the Rio Grande and groundwater.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad</span> American railroad company

The Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad, often shortened to Rio Grande, D&RG or D&RGW, formerly the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, was an American Class I railroad company. The railroad started as a 3 ft narrow-gauge line running south from Denver, Colorado, in 1870. It served mainly as a transcontinental bridge line between Denver, and Salt Lake City, Utah. The Rio Grande was also a major origin of coal and mineral traffic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Costilla County, Colorado</span> County in Colorado, United States

Costilla County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,499. The county seat is San Luis, the oldest continuously occupied town in Colorado.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad</span> Heritage railroad in Colorado and New Mexico, U.S.

The Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad, often abbreviated as the C&TSRR, is a 3 ft narrow-gauge heritage railroad that operates on 64 miles (103 km) of track between Antonito, Colorado, and Chama, New Mexico, in the United States. The railroad is named for two geographical features along the route: the 10,015-foot (3,053 m)-high Cumbres Pass and the Toltec Gorge. Originally part of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad's narrow-gauge network, the line has been jointly owned by the states of Colorado and New Mexico since 1970. Today, the C&TSRR is one of only two remaining parts of the former D&RGW narrow-gauge network, the other being the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (D&SNG), which runs between the communities of Durango and Silverton, Colorado. The railroad has a total of ten narrow-gauge steam locomotives and two narrow-gauge diesel locomotives on its current roster. The railroad also operates two smaller former D&RGW steam locomotives, Nos. 315 and 168, for special events and excursions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad</span> Heritage railroad in Colorado, US

The Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, often abbreviated as the D&SNG, is a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gauge heritage railroad that operates on 45.2 mi (72.7 km) of track between Durango and Silverton, in the U.S. state of Colorado. The railway is a federally-designated National Historic Landmark and was also designated by the American Society of Civil Engineers as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1968.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colorado Railroad Museum</span> Railroad museum in Golden, Colorado

The Colorado Railroad Museum is a non-profit railroad museum. The museum is located on 15 acres (6.1 ha) at a point where Clear Creek flows between North and South Table Mountains in Golden, Colorado.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ghost Town & Calico Railroad</span> Attraction at Knotts Berry Farm

The Ghost Town & Calico Railway is a 3 ft narrow-gauge heritage railroad and amusement park attraction within Knott's Berry Farm, an amusement park located in Buena Park, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colorado Midland Railway</span>

The Colorado Midland Railway, incorporated in 1883, was the first standard gauge railroad built over the Continental Divide in Colorado. It ran from Colorado Springs to Leadville and through the divide at Hagerman Pass to Glenwood Springs and Grand Junction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rio Grande Southern Railroad</span> Former narrow-gauge railway in Colorado, US

The Rio Grande Southern Railroad was a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gauge railroad which ran in the southwestern region of the US state of Colorado, from the towns of Durango to Ridgway, routed via Lizard Head Pass. Built by Russian immigrant and Colorado toll road builder Otto Mears, the RGS operated from 1891 through 1951 and was built with the intent to transport immense amounts of silver mineral traffic that were being produced by the mining communities of Rico and Telluride. On both ends of the railroad, there were interchanges with The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, which would ship the traffic the RGS hauled elsewhere like the San Juan Smelter in Durango.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colorado Pacific Rio Grande Railroad</span> Short line railroad

The Colorado Pacific Rio Grande Railroad is a class III railroad operating in south-central Colorado. It runs on 154 miles of former Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad tracks on three lines radiating from Alamosa and interchanges with the Union Pacific Railroad in Walsenburg. Much of the railroad is located in the San Luis Valley. In 2022, it was purchased by Stefan Soloviev.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">D & RG Narrow Gauge Trestle</span> United States historic place

The D&RG Narrow Gauge Trestle, also known as the Cimarron Canyon trestle, is a narrow-gauge railroad deck truss bridge crossing the Cimarron River near Cimarron, Colorado. Located within the Curecanti National Recreation Area, the trestle is the last remaining railroad bridge along the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad's Black Canyon route, a narrow-gauge passenger and freight line that traversed the famous Black Canyon of the Gunnison between 1882 and the 1940s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rio Grande class K-27</span> Class of steam locomotives

The Denver and Rio Grande Western K-27 is a class of 3 ft narrow gauge 2-8-2 "Mikado" type steam locomotives built for the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1903. Known by their nickname "Mudhens," they were the first and the most numerous of the four K classes of Rio Grande narrow gauge engines to be built. Of the original fleet of 15 locomotives, two survive to this day and operate on heritage railways in the United States. No. 463 is operational on the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad (C&TSRR) in Chama, New Mexico and No. 464 is currently out of service due to a rebuild on the Huckleberry Railroad in Genesee Township, Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Utah Division (D&RGW)</span> Rail line in Utah and Colorado

The Utah Division of the former Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad (D&RGW) is a rail line that connects Grand Junction, Colorado and Salt Lake City, Utah in the Western United States. It is now incorporated into the Union Pacific Railroad (UP) system as part of the Central Corridor. The modern Union Pacific has split the line into two subdivisions for operational purposes, the Green River Subdivision between Grand Junction and Helper, Utah and the Provo Subdivision from Helper to Salt Lake City. Daily passenger service is provided by Amtrak's California Zephyr; the BNSF Railway and Utah Railway have trackage rights over the line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rio Grande class K-37</span> Class of narrow gauge 2-8-22 locomotives

The Denver and Rio Grande Western K-37 is a class of 2-8-2 "Mikado" type narrow-gauge steam locomotives built for the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad. They were all new steam locomotives rebuilt in the D&RGW Burnham Shops as a cheaper option to new Baldwin K-36s but were in fact more expensive. Burnham Shops was assisted in the construction of the class by the Stearn-Rogers Manufacturing Company. The class used components recycled from Baldwin Locomotive Works built Class 19 2-8-0 locomotives used on the Rio Grande's standard gauge; re-using the boiler, tender and other components salvaged from the C-41's. The engine components; particularly the frames, valve gear, wheels and counter weights, were constructed new for the locomotive class.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rio Grande Scenic Railroad</span>

The Rio Grande Scenic Railroad of Colorado was a heritage railway that operated from 2006 to 2019 in and around the San Luis Valley as a subsidiary of the San Luis and Rio Grande Railroad. The heritage railroad ceased operating excursions following a wildfire that damaged some of their facilities, as well as the parent company SLRG entering Chapter 11 bankruptcy in late 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rio Grande 315</span>

Denver and Rio Grande Western No. 315 is a class "C-18" 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type narrow-gauge steam locomotive that was originally built for the Florence and Cripple Creek Railroad by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1895. It was purchased by the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad (D&RG) in 1917 and later became known as No. 315. It was retired in 1949 and had been on display at two City of Durango parks until the Durango Railroad Historical Society restored the locomotive from 2001 to August 2007. It was operational from then until September 2021. On March 8, 2023 it has returned to service, following its FRA federally mandated 1,472-day boiler inspection and overhaul. Most "sister" locomotives to No. 315 were scrapped, but two others survive today such as is D&RGW No. 318 and F&CC No. 10. No. 318 is on display at the Colorado Railroad Museum and F&CC No. 10 is currently in storage at the Nevada Southern Railroad Museum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rio Grande 463</span>

Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad No. 463 is a 3-foot narrow-gauge class "K-27" 2-8-2 "Mikado" type steam railway locomotive built for the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad (D&RG) by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1903. It is one of two remaining locomotives of D&RGW class K-27, the other one being No. 464 at the Huckleberry Railroad in Genesee Township, Michigan. The class eventually became known by the nickname "Mudhens". Today, No. 463 is operational on the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad between Chama, New Mexico and Antonito, Colorado.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Juan Express</span> Former American train line

The San Juan Express was a narrow gauge train that ran on the 3 feet (0.91 m) Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad (D&RGW) route from Durango, Colorado via Chama, New Mexico; Cumbres Pass; and Antonito, Colorado to Alamosa, Colorado. The train ran from February 11, 1937 until January 31, 1951 as train numbers 115 and 116, though towards the end of the passenger service it took on the number 215 and 216.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alamosa–Durango line</span> Historic railroad line

The Alamosa–Durango line or San Juan extension was a railroad line built by the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad, following the border between the U.S. states of Colorado and New Mexico, in the Rocky Mountains. The line was originally built as a 3 ft narrow-gauge line between Alamosa, Colorado, and Durango, Colorado. Portions of the route survive to this day: the now standard-gauged segment from Alamosa to Antonito, Colorado, and a narrow-gauge portion from Antonito to Chama, New Mexico.

References

  • Colorado Secretary of State (1954). Articles of Incorporation Southern San Luis valley Railroad Company. Denver, CO: Colorado Secretary of State.
  • Griswold, Phelps R. (1980). Colorado's Loneliest Railroad. Denver, CO: Pruett Publishing Company.
  • LeMassena, Robert A. (1974). Rio Grande...to the Pacific!. Denver, CO: Sundance Publications.
  • Lewis, Edward A. (1996). George Drury (ed.). American Shortline Railway Guide. Railroad Reference Series. Vol. 17 (5th ed.). Waukesha, WI: Kalmbach Publishing.
  • Railroad Retirement Board (2001). Employer Status Southern San Luis Valley Railroad. Washington, DC: Railroad Retirement Board.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.