Some D&RGW Came to Me

I had planned a visit to Colorado last summer that would have been to Denver & Rio Grande Western territory. That got scrubbed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I still felt uneasy this year about making that trip.

Then on Tuesday the D&RGW heritage unit of Union Pacific passed through Painesville on the point of Norfolk Southern train 206.

Here is my catch passing over the Grand River at 11:45 a.m.

The same locomotive came back west Friday morning on the point of NS 205. A week earlier, the UP’s Missouri Pacific heritage unit led NS trains 22K and 23K through Northeast Ohio.

Photographs by Edward Ribinskas

Fall 1993 Outing on the D&RGW in Utah

A westbound at the Narrows, Utah.

During our October 1993 Utah vacation I wanted to spend at least one day scouting and photographing Union Pacific’s ex-Denver & Rio Grande Western line.

As what was becoming our regular routine, Ursula would focus on video and I would concentrate on still photographs.

What we saw was so overwhelming we had to return again later in the week. This series of images focuses on the first day on Oct. 12, 1993, between Thistle and Helper.

Article and Photographs by Edward Ribinskas

A westbound at the west portals of the Thistle Tunnels. They had been rebuilt after the destruction of 1983.

Helper motive power on the rear of an eastbound entering the eastbound portal of the Thistle tunnels.

Rear helper locomotives of a westbound entering the eastern portal of the Thistle tunnels.

Same as above.

A westbound heading eastbound at the moment on the lower level. 

A westbound heading eastbound at the moment on the lower level.

Rounding the horseshoe under Route 6 to head back westbound.

Highlighting 1982: Circle Trip in the Rockies

My only photos that I found from 1981 were a few so-so images of Chesapeake & Ohio No. 614 when it ran from Columbus, Ohio, to Russell, Kentucky. That trip and everything else from that year were regular movies.

So here are my favorites of 1982 which all are a circle trip with the National Railway Historical Society Convention in Colorado.

From top to bottom the photographs show the Rio Grande Zephyr in Gore Canyon on July 10.

On the Durango & Silverton on July 11 are K28 Mikado No. 473 departing and K36 Mikado No. 481’s train soon to be boarded at Durango on July 11; and K 28 Mikado No. 473 picking up an order at a McDonalds.

Shown on the Cumbres & Totec Scenic is K36 Mikado No. 487 during a lunch stop at Osier on July 13,1982; and a brakeman atop passenger-carrying converted boxcars at Cumbres Pass.

The series wraps up with Union Pacific 8444 (844) at Denver Union Station preparing for trip to LaSalle, Colorado, on July 15.

Article and Photographs by Edward Ribinskas

Rio Grande of the East: Part 3

At one point The Wheeling & Lake Erie had seven former Denver & Rio Grande Western engines on its roster and all still were painted for their former owner.

This included one GP35, four GP40s and two SD40T-2s. The GP35 has since been rebuilt and repainted as have two of the GP40s, one of which was destroyed in a wreck. That leaves just four engines still in Rio Grande paint.

Here are some photos of the former Rio Grande units from when they were still painted and lettered for the Rio Grande.

The top photograph was made in Glenwillow, the middle photograph in Parma and the bottom photograph in Carey.

Article and Photographs by Todd Dillon

Kachinko to Present May ARRC Program

Dave Kachinko will be giving his inaugural Akron Railroad Club program on Friday in two parts.

Part One is titled Escape from Colorado and will contain images from what was supposed to be his last road trip around Colorado in 1986.

The weekend trip found Dave visiting Phippsburg, Leadville, Winterpark and Canon City, Colorado, following the Denver & Rio Grande Western.

Part Two will contain 9 minutes and 23 seconds of video with music and is titled Curriculum Vitae. It contains a plethora of images that Dave has made over the past 47 years that will be presented in chronological order.

The meeting will begin with a short business meeting at 8 p.m. followed by the program at approximately 8:30 p.m. The club meets at the New Horizons Christian Church, 290 Darrow Road, in Akron.

Following the meeting, some members gather at the Eat ‘n Park restaurant at Howe and Main streets in Cuyahoga Falls for a late dinner, dessert or an early breakfast.

Visitors are always welcome at Akron Railroad Club meetings.

What a Catch! A Pair of Tunnel Motors

Since the weather has been perfect this week I drove to Wellington after work on Wednesday.

I figured I would hang out and catch some CSX action and, hopefully, a Wheeling & Lake Erie train.

While there I saw a post on Facebook that a Wheeling train was headed west from Brewster with the 5413 leading.  I recognized that was one of the remaining Denver & Rio Grande Western-painted tunnel motors.

The 5413 and sister 5391 are the last two Rio Grande-painted tunnel motor engines in service.  They are pretty common in our area and are often paired together as they were on this afternoon.  That said, they are quite a special catch in 2015.

These two had many trips through Moffat tunnel and Tennessee Pass during their careers.

Since coming to the Wheeling and being put out to pasture, so to speak, they still haul freight in daily service.

How long until the Wheeling decides to repaint them I don’t know, but it will happen eventually.  The Wheeling had seven engines in original Rio Grande paint and now just four remain, including two GP40s.

I decided to drive to Spencer and intercept the train.  It had already finished switching and was tying back onto its train when I arrived.

I caught it at the Ohio Route 162 crossing and then chased it west as it took the Akron, Canton & Youngstown route to New London.  I caught it several more times, finally passing a farm before I gave up.

Article and Photographs by Todd Dillon

 

All I Wanted for Christmas was Some Sunshine

Instead of dreaming of a White Christmas I just wanted some sun.  After having precious little sunlight for the last month, on the Friday after Christmas the sun returned.

A trip out to Willard and Attica yielded quite a few colorful consists.

First out was a Wheeling & Lake Erie train parked at New London with the two Rio Grande tunnel motors.  They still look good but had no crew at this time.  Later we would catch them on the move to Willard.

Next was a CSX westbound with 2 BNSF units and a Kansas City Southern Belle. Then we caught a CSX eastbound with a mix of leasers.

We then went to Attica Junction (Siam) and caught four CSX and two Norfolk Southern freights.

Back to Willard we went for another six-unit lash up with some leased SD90MACs.  On the way home the two Rio Grande units brought their train into Willard.

Lastly, we caught an NS lashup from Hudson on Saturday with a cream and green SD70MAC on a coal train.

Photographs by Todd Dillon