I'm watching closely.

I had a feeling that this was coming.  We just can't get the desert sand out of Verne's shoes.  I like the idea.  The MS was getting coal from fields to the West.

Den

Thanks, Den...

Den, we will get you all the coal you need...and some nice woolen garments to keep your crews warm, and all the Frijolene you can handle. We serve the entire southwest!

I was actually considering a line all they way down to Gallup, where they mined low-quality coal that the Santa Fe gave up on purchasing, their locos wouldn't steam with it very well. I decided to be a bit more conservative, but there's always the connection at Santa Fe to Lordsburg that can reach your line!

You are right, I kind of expected this in my gut as well...as much as I enjoy the Rockies, I have been a desert rat too long, and can't resist the challenge of 'casting' favorite D&RGW characters in a different setting. A D&RGW layout without aspens, firs and pine? Oh no, there he goes again...

An extension of the Farmington branch?

Chris S. replied in another thread asking if this would connect with the Farmington branch. I considered that, but the logical connection to me seems around Ignacio on the D&RGW's 4th Division main line between Durango and Antonito. The Farmington branch is a bit sparse on spectacular scenery, and I want to push things a bit towards the more remarkable geography in the vicinity.

It seems the main line just east of Durango was photographed relatively less than other portions of the its main lines, and that places my proposed line just south of the Mesa Verde National Park...where interesting rock outcroppings and abandoned cliff dwellings are in abundance. That way, I'm not stretching reality 'much'!

Mmm this is going to be 

Mmm this is going to be  spectacular, Im sure with your  fine attention to details and creating outstanding scenes.

Nearly went  with DRGW. But  went for Uncle Pete  instead.

Regards Phil

Where It's At

Ah, but knowing the geography of the area as I do, an extension of the Farmington branch is a logical idea.  The San Juan River drains to the west from Farmington, where it's joined by the Animas River flowing south from Durango.  To reach the country south and west of Mesa Verde, just head west from Farmington and you're there!  You don't need to play fast or loose with reality even. The countryside becomes much more like what you're intending to model out toward Shiprock and the Four Corners than anywhere south of Ignacio (where things become LESS spectacular).

Cliff dwellings and other such habitation have been found in abundance out that way too.  In addition to the better known Mesa Verde, there are dwellings galore in the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, encompassing scattered locales on the Colorado side of the Four Corners, and Hovenweep National Monument next door in Utah.  The Ute tribe manages access to still more inside its reservation, both on the Mesa Verde side of things and around Ute Mountain.

I've included a couple views I took at Hovenweep.  The architecture is very similar to what you'll find at Mesa Verde (note the shape of the doorway for example), but all these are on top of the cliffs.  At least four dwellings are visible in the first photo.

Here's the escarpment on the southwest edge of the massif that encompasses Mesa Verde, right where US 491 and 160 intersect near the Four Corners, just inside Colorado.  John Wilcox photo  https://ssl.panoramio.com/photo/45386683 .

Down the San Juan, you reach places like this, where the highway crosses the river at Mexican Hat, UT.  Photo by Randy Sherman  https://www.google.com/maps/views/view/111731691656437930445/gphoto/5279122210227453538?gl=us .

Anyway - some food for thought.

Thanks

Thanks for sharing!

Looks like a great project!

Hi Verne, can't wait for the future installments of your new project. The opening photos are really well done. You sure have mastered the art of NG! 

This is going to be great

I really like the way you're headed here, Verne. A chance to model classic D&RGW narrow gauge equipment in a very different and yet plausible context. Excellent imagineering, amigo! I like the name Ute Mountain Branch. Others that spring to mind are Four Corners Branch, Red Canyon, Rio San Juan and Navajo Branch. 

Can't Wait!

With all of the inspirational comments you should have plenty to think about.  My around the wall dual gauge garage shelf layout only goes  from the yard at Chama to the yard at Alamosa with lots of off the layout activity to give it some oomph. No town buildings. NBR- nothing but railroad.

Lots of Aspen and Cottonwood.

I started with a section of a friend's layout when he died.  It was a memorial section and was to be the start of a switching layout.  I was going to have a wall set aside for my precious narrow gauge. My grandchildren were fascinated by the train but we're less than enthusiastic about switching.  So the layout was going around the wall but how? Narrow or standard gauge? Why not dual gauge?  Why not!  It is plausible.  Alamosa to Antonito was dual gauge and The Farmington branch was first standard gauge before being switched to narrow gauge so why not imagineer to dual gauge all the way?

 Now when the grandchildren come they can have HOn3, HO scale or even On30.  Make that HO or On30.  Not grandpa's narrow gauge!

The yard coaling tower, water tower and sand house are at the back of the shelf out of reach of the younger railroaders. So model railroading is serious fun in Mandeville Louisiana!

Sam Urrate 

Great concept, Verne! Should

Great concept, Verne! Should be lots of fun!

Rob, That's exactly the kind

Rob,

That's exactly the kind of stuff I had in mind when I suggested the Farmington area.  There were also some very photogenic little agricultural towns along that branch.  But Verne, I think your idea of setting it in the Ignacio area would be perfectly believable as well.  The main difference that I can think of there is what kind of traffic might pass by your interchange - along the 4th Division main you'd obviously see much heavier traffic, to include the San Juan (which could be a good excuse to buy one of Blackstone's K-28s when they arrive later this year).  I'm not super familiar with operations on the Farmington Branch, but I would guess in the 1940s it may have been primarily mixed trains powered by smaller engines.  I remember seeing some pictures of #375 working trains with C-16s or 19s.  In that era, I don't believe the oil boom had really started yet, so it would be mostly agricultural products - I think apple orchards were one of the early industries in the Farmington area.  Of course, you might not care to replicate that traffic strictly following the prototype anyway, so perhaps it's a moot point.

Regardless, I'm certain it will be a spectacular layout and am REALLY looking forward to watching your progress.  Did you ever settle on a trackplan?

Chris

Looking foward to this, Verne

I get bouts of narrow-gauge fever, particularly the RGS and D&RGW strains. So I look forward to your project as a means of treating the symptoms!

But the best part will be watching your new slim rail kingdom come to fruition.

A quick correction to my last

A quick correction to my last post.  Looking at the final issue of The Narrow Gauge Annual, which covers several D&RGW branches, I realized I was mistaken about one point on the Farmington Branch's commerce - the oil boom was underway by the 1940s, and was in fact the motivation for narrow gauging the branch in 1923, to allow oil to be moved in narrow gauge tank cars from Farmington to Durango, over the RGS to Ridgway, and up the Ouray Branch to Montrose, where it was loaded into standard gauge cars for the trip to a refinery in Salt Lake City.  I was thinking of the natural gas business, which didn't begin until the 1950s and was the reason behind the well-known pipe trains. 

Lots to consider here

Sam, that sounds like fun for you and the grandkids. I get that about your narrow trains not being part of that particular deal when the kids are running trains, makes perfect sense to me!

Thanks to each of you who have weighed in with encouragement and advice, all well worth considering very carefully. Right now, this process is like walking a minefield (not as serious, mind you, as a real minefield, but still fraught with peril). One or two false steps could really mess up the final solution. So, time to ponder, spend time over maps, and hopefully visit this area to see for myself what will work. Having done that before, I know there are few things more enjoyable than standing in a spot where 'your' railroad would be if history had turned out a bit differently!

Chris, I could indeed get away with K-28s, they were almost a given on the passenger trains of the period, and were common power on the Chili LIne and Silverton branches. The Farmington branch tended to get heavier K-36 and K-37 mikados, but variety is a good thing.

As for a route, I want to have the branch tie into the D&RGW, which is a bit more of a trick, as the RGS is the road passing closest to Mesa Verde or Gateway, two possible regions of interest. While the RGS is super cool, it was under severe financial distress in this period, and things were pretty run down by the 1940s. I would prefer a story without so many hard-luck characters in the cast.

The oil and gas booms are another interesting factor in the area between Farmington and Chromo...especially for someone looking to locate a Frijolene plant!

More to come, stay tuned. I appreciate the ideas, keep 'em coming!!!

I like it!!!

Verne.  I like your idea!  I'm looking forward to following your progress!  Thanks for sharing!

Tom

Always exciting...

starting a new project. Can't wait to follow you along Verne.

Should be a fun ride.

Good point on the K-28s.  As

Good point on the K-28s.  As for the larger Mikes, I could be mistaken but I believe they started working the Farmington Branch as a result of the natural gas boom in the 50s.  In earlier photos I only see K-27s and Consolidations.  I also discovered something interesting about the branch the other day looking at Dorman's Durango book - there's a 1936 timetable that shows Farmington served by one train a day, departing Durango at 1:00am to reach it's destination at 4, then leaving for the return trip about an hour later to arrive back in Durango before 9.  It's the only example I've seen of a narrow gauge line operated mostly at night.  Not sure what the rationale was, but it would be an interesting operation to model.

Interesting project

That's an interesting project. I will follow it with interest.

@Vern...............are you sure your................

....................eyes are up to HOn3???  I looked at some at a show and thought, hey, when did they start getting such good looking N scale locomotives!!?? 

Good luck-sounds like a fun change for you.

Peter

Thanks

Thanks very much for your input, all of you who have shared ideas. Rob, your tip on Gateway is greatly appreciated, that is a fascinating area I wasn't at all familiar with. 

Peter, my Optivisor and I are ready for the challenge. HOn3 reminds me a lot of my N scale days, you're right!

I am excited about the prospects for this new project, watch for some news on the branch name and location within the next few days!

'Gateway to the Rockies' - the Maverick Canyon Branch

I put all the suggestions, givens and druthers into the blender, turned it on high and came back a few hours later. This is what I got: the Maverick Canyon Branch of the D&RGW:

The branch line is exactly 100.0 miles long, from Ridgway to the mouth of Maverick Canyon. All place names are actual names on the map. In fact, the entire route follows existing railroad lines, or the San Miguel and Dolores Rivers. The entire route (except Maverick Canyon) can be driven in a passenger car, and I hope to make the trip this summer.

The west end of Maverick Canyon is dotted with mines with fascinating names: Maverick Mines, Outlaw Mine, Peach Mine, Yellowbird Mine, Stormy Treasure Mine, etc. The promise of riches in this mining district drove the D&RGW to build this branch to block the Rio Grande Southern from profiting from the region. They used their influence to persuade the struggling RGS to accept revenues for the through traffic between Placerville and Ridgway, which helped defer the fees they paid the D&RGW for locomotive rental and use of service facilities.

In the end, the ore mines were short-lived, but the coal found further up the canyon was abundant, and perfect for coking...just what the region needed to fuel blast furnaces and smelters. Local ranchers shipped livestock (mostly sheep) to and from the high country, and farms along the San Miguel and Dolores Rivers shipped produce in the late summer.

Operations included daily (except Sunday) coal trains originating at Maverick. Crews would take a loaded train to Montrose, lay over, and then return the next day with empties. A daily passenger train, a daily local turn, and extras to handle stock and produce shipments completed the timetable.

The branch has a spectacular range of scenic possibilities...from the high country grandeur of Mt. Sneffels, to the arid, red cliffs south of Gateway. Eastbound trains would require helpers to get over Dallas Divide, just west of Ridgway. The line departs from existing railroad right or way west of Placerville, following the San Miguel river northwest to a point north of Naturita. There, the river meets the Dolores River, which flows northwest to join the mighty Colorado just beyond the state line in Utah.

The modeling possibilities in this plan are frankly exciting...a chance to mingle in some RGS equipment here and there, and great scenic potential. There's even a natural arch, Juanita Arch, near the mouth of Maverick Canyon.

I'd like to thank all who provided encouragement and suggestions...and Rob, I owe you a chimichanga or other dinner of your choice if you ever find yourself in Phoenix, Arizona. Your suggestion of checking out Gateway, Colorado turned me in a direction I hadn't anticipated. Thank you.

This is really good, Verne

You've knitted together an imaginative, plausible theme; "surveyed" the route as an engineer would; and you've worked in the RGS. What's not to like?

You're probably abuzz with creative juices right now. I know that feeling well.

Say, the daily passenger train could have a name akin to the San Juan Express! The Maverick comes to mind readily, or the San Miguel Express. I'm sure other have some good ideas.

OK, I've reached my "two-beer" limit for the day with Colorado narrow gauge -- I'd like to have more but this is intoxicating stuff and I'm really trying to not think about the Blackstone Models ads!

Thanks Paul

Paul, your comments are much appreciated! A red ale in a frosty glass will follow this post, to toast the Narrow Gauge, high-hooded tuxedo-clad Southern Railway geeps, and everything else wonderful about this magical hobby we share.

Good luck resisting Blackstone...if you can do that, you are a better man than I. After seeing their first demo K-27 at their Durango plant in 2006, I knew I could have my fun in On30, but it was only a matter of time before I yielded to HOn3!

I hadn't considered a name for the passenger train, but your suggestions are thought-provoking. It will take a while to shut down the creative juices tonight, and considering that will be a nice way to end the day.

Coal trains are good. Lots of

Coal trains are good. Lots of luck getting this cut down to size Vern. This has all kinds of possibilities. And trimming the list on what has so much that is desirable will likely be a tough undertaking. You might want to represent a short section of the route and have the origination and termination of the trains be in staging.