Item #13035 - what is it actually?

[BlueFox]

Item #13035 here in the Bachmann catalog is listed as a Royal Gorge Full Dome lighted passenger car.  I have also seen it listed as a D&RGW on some sites.  Which is correct?  I have a full 7 car consist of D&RGW passenger cars (HW 6 wheel trucks "Ski Train" by Athearn) but have no "Dome" car.  I'm using Bachmann's FT A-B-B-A D&RGW (all powered) to head the train.  I would love to have a Dome car or 2 if any are made (I'm not sure if the real train had any).  Does anyone know?

[ACY]

The Royal Gorge Route Railroad is located in Cañon City, Colorado. It transits the Royal Gorge along what is considered to be the most famous portion of the former Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad. Here is what the item looks like:

[Doneldon]

Blue-

There weren't any heavyweight domes as far as I know. I believe the car you're looking at is a later, lightweight (i.e., streamlined) dome car that is now in service on a tourist line. I'm not 100% sure of this but the D&RGW may have had a train named the Royal Gorge at one time. The railroad did operate passenger service through the RG; it was one route, albeit an indirect one, through the Rockies. The other was the route over Loveland Pass and eventually through the Moffat Tunnel. The ski train never went through the RG because that ran more or less south from Denver but it was shorter to go west over Loveland to reach the high country ski areas in the vicinity of Aspen and Vail. In any event, I've been through the Royal Gorge on a raft and, while it sure is beautiful, the Durango and Silverton is a better train ride, IMHO. There is some pretty exciting engineering down in the gorge, like tracks suspended over the river (Arkansas) and wooden catwalks clinging to the cliff face. But my advice is shoot the Arkansas rapids and ride trains everywhere else in the Rockies. The Cumbres and Toltec is a great ride and the Georgetown Loop has its moments. The cog railroad up Pike's Peak is thrilling and you don't have to drive down from 14,000 feet while you are still whoozy from altitude sickness. That's a plus.
                                                                                                                                                                                  -- D

[jward]

don,

it is my understanding that the ski train only went as far as winter park. that is right at the west portal of moffat tunnel and well short of aspen and vail.

[Doneldon]

jeff-

You could be right about that. I was only making the point that the ski
train went mainly west to the high country while the Royal Gorge route
went mainly south in order to cross the mountains at a lower elevation.

                                                               -- D

[jward]

good point, except that tenessee pass on the royal gorge route is actually about 1000 feet higher in elevation than moffat tunnel.

but yes, they are two completely different routes. royal gorge goes to pueblo, quite a distance south of denver, and which had direct connections with the east via  the mo pac and santa fe. the east slope isn't bad, but the west slope up from minturn is 3%.

moffat tunnel route is straight west on about a 2% grade from denver to moffat tunnel, and then down 2% to tabernash. it is much shorter as you'd mentioned.

when union pacific took over the rio grande one of the first things they did was abandon to mo pac east of pueblo, and discontinue the use of the royal gorge route due to the grades.

[Johnson Bar Jeff]

I've been through the Royal Gorge on a raft and, while it sure is beautiful, the Durango and Silverton is a better train ride, IMHO.

You can say that twice and mean it! I just made my first visit to the Durango & Silverton over this Memorial Day hoiday, and I can't wait to go back!

The Cumbres and Toltec is a great ride.                                                                                                                                          

Hoping to do that next year; maybe by then they'll have the Lobato trestle repaired.

[ebtnut]

The Lobato Trestle on the C&TS is now back in service, so the full train ride is again available. 

[ebtnut]

BTW, the Rio Grande did have a passenger train named the Royal Gorge that ran well into the streamline age.  It originally ran Denver/Pueblo/Royal Gorge/Grand Junction/Salt Lake City.

[jward]

did the mo pac have an eagle train to connect with it @ pueblo?

[BlueFox]

Thanks guys for all the info.  One questions still remains:  Did the Ski Train have a Dome car?  I've searched the net and all the pics and articles I've found don't show or mention anything.

Frank

[jward]

photos on the following site:

http://www.skitrain.com/history.html

show dome cars in use on the ski train when operated by the rio grande.  they were not full length domes like the bachmann model. it also appears short domes were used under the later, privately owned, ski train. i was unable to find any photos of full domes on the ski train.

[BlueFox]

Thanks jward;

Are those dome cars streamlined and/or D&RGW cars?  I've found Zepher Dome cars but they are not in the Ski Train paint scheme.  Did they mixed them together?

I have a 7 car passenger HW consist by Atheran: RPO,  Baggage, Pullman, Diner, Round roof coach, Celestry roof coach and Observation, all in the Ski Train paint scheme.  At the head end I have a FT-A-B-B-A (Bachmann) consist (I plan on replacing them with Alco PA/PB's when I can afford them.)  Right now when all put together it makes for one long train on the local MRR club layout!  Adding just one Dome car will make it even longer but I'm trying to make it as prototypical as possible.

Frank

[Doneldon]

Blue-

The Ski Trains and the Zephyrs were completely independent of one another. The Ski Trains were basically shuttle service operated by the D&RGW from Denver into the mountains about 50 miles west of the city. The Zephyrs (there were many) were CB&Q trains. The most famous of the Zephyrs was the California Zephyr (CZ) which ran from Chicago to California. You've heard the slogan "Santa Fe, all the way," haven't you? That expressed the fact that the Santa Fe was the only railroad which both owned all of the tracks it ran on from Chicago to California, and operated its own trains over that route. The same couldn't be said of the California Zephyr, or any other railroad between the Midwest and the west coast. So the California Zephyr was a joint operation of three railroads: The Burlington (CB&Q) operated the train across the prairies from Chicago to Denver where the D&RGW took over. The Rio Grande lifted the train over the Rockies and then ran across part of the Great Basin to Salt Lake City. In Salt Lake, the Western Pacific got the train and carried it over the Sierra via the spectacular Feather River Canyon. Thus, the three railroads cooperated to run this deluxe train. Although the Santa Fe could boast "all the way," the CZ arguably had the more beautiful scenery en route. Plus, the CZ's schedule was designed to cross less scenic areas by night so the passengers could see the good parts in daylight. The Santa Fe, however, offered the dastest schedule.
                                                                  -- D