Alternative Dates

Acquisition dates based on the C&S
passenger car diagrams and various authors.

The dates in the following table have been published in various sources as either the date cars were built or the date they were acquired by the South Park. In many cases, no distinction is made, as if the two were interchangeable. In many cases, the South Park acquired cars new from the builder, but in others it acquired used cars, as in the case of the six Gilbert, Bush & Co. cars—second #2, and coaches #11-15—which were purchased from the New York Elevated Railroad.

The basis for most of these dates is the C&S passenger car diagrams, which were probably not started until 1899, if then, and the basis for which we do not know. If the South Park or the Denver, Leadville and Gunnison kept any such records, they are long lost. The purpose of these diagrams was to give the railroad’s engineering department basic knowledge for operation and repair of the cars. The builder name and date would have been of little importance to them other than to tell where to go for repair parts, suggest construction techniques which had been employed, and give an idea whether or not the car was worth repairing. No one creating such records had any idea we would be looking at them today as historical records. (No doubt had they done so, they would have been much more careful!??!)

Note: Red characters in the DSP&P Numbers column indicate the information corresponds with what is presented on the Fleet Information page.
 

Our hope in presenting this table is to show this information cannot be depended upon.

IF the builder information in the C&S passenger car diagrams are worth anything at all, it virtually has to be the date the car was built, not the date acquired, and even then it is highly suspect.
 

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