In the eight years prior to 1906 the D&RGW railroad company purchased over 1200 new Gondolas from the American Car & Foundry Company to replace old and worn out gondolas that had been converted and patched together and were no longer capable of carrying the much heavier and larger loads that customers wanted. These new gondolas became part of the fleet of bulk carriers of coal and ore right up to the end of operations in 1968.
The D&RGW high side gondolas were delivered with four 10-inch boards giving a total height of 40 inches and were capable of carrying up to 25 tons of either coal, iron ore or limestone. The gondolas were 32 feet in length.
In the 1920’s there was a need for carrying more tonnage and the D&RGW railroad company embarked on a rebuilding programme that saw the sides re-fitted with five 10-inch boards with additional side stakes and stake splices were added to eliminate the need to replace damaged stakes. The total height of 50 inches produced an increased carrying capacity to 32 tons. In addition changes were made to the wheelbase lengths and many of the gondolas received replacement cast steel Cardwell draft gear.
D&RGW high side gondola #1149 dating from 1902, conserved on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad as it appeared between 1936 and 1939. Note the additional stake splices added to the original stakes. Photo by Benoit Poulin
- D&RG high side gondola #9378, seen on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad in the appearance it had between its building in 1902 and 1921. Photo by Benoit Poulin
D&RGW high side gondola #1246, converted to a pipe gondola with open ends for the transport of drilling pipes in the fifties. Photo by Benoit Poulin
High side gondola #1610 in Chama. These markings were in use between 1939 and the end of freight operations on the Rio Grande narrow gauge. Photo by Benoit Poulin