D&RGW Heplers Coupleing On & Run Up To West Portal Of Moffat

I want to make sure that all who watch this video know I'm NOT taking credit for filming this video. It was shot by WB Video Proudctions (http://www.railfanvideo.com/catalog/vie wall.aspx). I have no intent of infrenging on somebodys copyright. I only wish to share these clips with fellow railfans who appreciate these shots for what they are.

Now that I've placed my disclasmer, here we go:

Here we see helpers coupleing on to the rear and giving the big push up to the west portal of Moffat Tunnel at Winter Park, Co

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• D&RGW
• Denver
• RioGrande
• Western
• RR
• Railroad
• Train
• Moffat
• Tunnel
• Tabernash
• Helpers
• Winter
• Park
• Colorado
• West
• Portal

[RRSloth]

Hoooly...helpers shoving on the cab? That's one crummy I would NOT want to be in!

[hoolg]

Could you imagine heading up the grade, concentrating on the job at hand, and you happen to forget to close the window as you enter Moffat Tunnel. I would figure the cab would fill fairly quickly with the lead units exaust. I don't know what the ventalation is like in the cab but that wouldn't make for a fun situation.

Thanks for the comment and btw, you have some great vids yourself.

[VFB1210]

Aren't the helpers supposed to be cut in in front of the caboose?

[VFB1210]

@digitalqw33r It bought the Southern Pacific and chose to take the SP name because of reputation with shippers. Then the SP (D&RGW) was bought by the Union Pacific.

[digitalqw33r]

what happened to the rio grande railroad?

[adriaan880121958]

@RRSloth I was thinking the same thing, that Caboose has no weight to it, how can you push against that?

[ColoradoRailroads1]

RRsloth,

The Rio Grande would not allow steam engines to shove on wooden framed cabooses, but they allowed it with the diesels and steel framed cabooses. The thinking being that the cabs are at least as strong structurally as the gons, hoppers, etc that they're shoving on.

To extend that thinking, riding a caboose through a coal hopper must be some experience!

Thanks for the great contemporary look at the Grande I love and grew up with! I'd always look at the WB tapes and think "Someday ..."

[shadowknight227]

uh oh. UP on the D&RGW coal train. Little did they know that they would be together.

[robertgift]

@garandguy000 What's a "broken frame"?

Did they have to stop the train to push?

Could helpers not have caught up and gently coupled on - no brake hose connection - then uncoupled when not needed?

6 wheels, even though less weight per axle, would have better traction than 4?

Thank you.

[garandguy000]

@hoolg The windows usually got closed. The Moffat Tunnel has fans that remove a lot of the smoke, so it wasn't too bad, but the shorter tunnels at alttiude (i.e. Tennesse Pass) could be really bad, becuase the locos would be straved for air and running rich. In that instance you had to close the windows so you would only get parially gassed.

[garandguy000]

It was pretty common to see tunnel motors (SD40T-2) pushing on the caboose when the train was empty coal hoppers. If the train had loads, the horsepower had to go mid train or ahead of the caboose. GP-40's could push on the Caboose OK, they didn't grab the rail as hard as the six axle units. I've seen a few broken frames though.

[garandguy000]

@RRSloth The Rio Grande was always shoving on the Caboose. They never crushed one, but the broke a few frames.