The Coach-RPOs
| Before
1892 |
UPD&G
1892 |
C&S 1899 |
C&S 1906 |
| |
|
Coach-RPO
#115
(2nd #115, New 1906) |
#40 |
DSP&P
Pullman
Bonanza |
Coach
#177 |
Coach
#146
Coach-RPO #116 |
#41 |
U&N
Pullman
Rambler |
Coach
#178 |
Coach
#147
Coach-RPO #117 |
#42 |
DSP&P
Pullman
Leadville |
Coach
#179 |
Coach
#148
Coach-RPO #118 |
#43 |
 |
(1) C&S Coach-RPO
#41 or #43 at
Shawnee. Poor says this was 1903, but this date is questionable: the Pullman sleepers,
turned coach, weren’t given an RPO compartment until 1906.
L.C. McClure photo at
Poor-142(ME) and
online (Image
MCC-564 in the Denver Public Library's Western History Collection). (Click pic for enlargement.) |
In 1892, with no sleeping car service left except on the
Denver-Leadville route, Pullman Palace
sleeping cars South Park,
Bonanza and
Leadville,
together with Utah & Northern sleeper Rambler,
had been converted to coaches and sold to the Union Pacific, Denver & Gulf. They
nevertheless continued to be operated primarily on the Denver Leadville &
Gunnison, as by that time both railroads were under the control of the Union
Pacific, and from August 1894 on were operated as virtually one railroad under
the same bankruptcy Receiver.
In 1906, with only the Denver-Leadville RPO
contract remaining, and passenger service in decline,
Bonanza
(now coach #177), Rambler
(now coach #178) and Leadville
(now coach #179) were sent to the Pullman shops at Denver to have a mail
compartment added. (South Park
had been turned into a business car and sold off line.) The three were returned 14 July 1906 as coach-RPOs #41, #42 and
#43 (in the same order).
A fourth coach-RPO
was delivered new from Pullman in August and briefly replaced former DSP&P
baggage-mail-express car #44
on the roster as C&S #115 before being renumbered #40. It looks very much like a
similar plan 73 Pullman sleeper that might have been built for someone else,
though we now know
South Park,
Bonanza,
Leadville,
and the ill-fated
San Juan were the
only [narrow gauge] sleepers Pullman built to this plan.
Photographs #1 and #2 may show one of the former Denver, South
Park & Pacific Pullman Palace sleeping cars, or they may show one of the two
non-DSP&P cars. Photographs #3 and #4 are definitely
not the
former DSP&P cars. But all reflect the same characteristics.
 |
 |
|
(2)
Unidentified Coach-RPO at
Jefferson (left) and in South Platte Canyon (right), August 1929. These
have
to be either #42 or #43 because #41 was dismantled earlier that year, and #40 has
a noticeably wider space between the pair of windows in the RPO
compartment—the two beside the door—than between the other pairs
(see photo #4 below).
Richard B. Jackson photos at
Chappell-213(d).
Left photo also at
Digerness1-201
and Kindig-277.
(Same train, different photo, at
Chappell-216 and
Kindig-408.) |
 |
|
(3)
C&S Coach-RPO #42 at
Denver, 1932.
Former Utah & Northern Pullman Palace sleeping car Rambler. Since Rambler was reportedly a plan 73A Pullman, one would
have expected a single window at the left end where this car has a pair.
This car has the appearance of a plan 73 Pullman such as Bonanza or
Leadville, which became #41 and #43. Photo at
Ferrell/C&S-208. |
 |
|
(4)
C&S Coach-RPO #40 at
Denver, 1938.
Built (or rebuilt?) by Pullman, 1906 to match the C&S' other coach-RPOs.
Note the wider panel between the pair of windows in the RPO section than
between the other pairs. Photo may be found at
Ferrell/C&S-208. |
 |
|
(5)
C&S coach-mail #118 at Buffalo, probably between
1906 and 1910. A hitherto unknown photo. (Ken Martin collection) |
|
In 1928, there was apparently some consideration of rebuilding coach-mail #40
into a combination coach-mail-express/baggage car, but this was never put into
effect. Here's what it would have looked like —
|
 |
More information on former Pullman (DSP&P) sleepers Bonanza
and Leadville will be found
here.
More information on former Pullman (U&N) sleeper
Rambler will be found
here.
PHOTOGRAPHS & PLANS
(Photos with Source and Page in blue are
best to show car details.)
|
# |
DATE |
PHOTOG. |
LOCATION |
SOURCE |
PAGE |
C |
REMARKS |
|
(1) |
1906+ |
L.C. McClure |
Shawnee |
Poor |
142(ME) |
NA |
C&S coach-RPO #41 or #43 |
|
DPL WHC |
#MCC-564 |
DP |
|
(5) |
1906-1910 |
Unknown |
Buffalo |
|
|
KM |
C&S coach-RPO #118 |
| |
1918 |
O.C. Perry |
South Denver |
Kindig |
406(u) |
OP |
C&S coach-RPO #41 or #43 |
| |
1929 Aug |
R.B. Jackson |
Denver* |
Chappell |
212(u) |
RJ |
C&S coach-RPO #42, middle car |
|
Kindig |
259(u) |
RK |
| |
1929 Aug |
R.B. Jackson |
Denver* |
Chappell |
212(d) |
RJ |
C&S coach-RPO #42 |
|
(2b) |
1929 Aug |
R.B. Jackson |
South Platte Canyon* |
Chappell |
213(u) |
NA |
C&S coach-RPO #42 |
| |
1929 Aug |
R.B. Jackson |
Crossons* |
Ferrell/C&S |
97 |
RJ |
C&S coach-RPO #42 |
|
(2a) |
Aug 1929 |
R.B. Jackson |
Jefferson* |
Chappell |
213(d) |
NA |
C&S coach-RPO #42 |
|
Digerness1 |
201 |
DD |
|
Ferrell/C&S |
102 |
RJ |
|
Kindig |
277(d) |
RJ |
| |
Aug 1929 |
R.B. Jackson |
Como |
Chappell |
216 |
NA |
C&S coach-RPO #42 or #43 |
|
Digerness2 |
74/5 |
DD |
|
Ferrell/C&S |
86 |
RJ |
|
Kindig |
408 |
RJ |
| |
No date |
Unknown |
Jefferson Tank |
Wagner |
328(m) |
GL |
C&S coach-RPO #40 |
|
(3) |
1932 |
R.B. Jackson |
Denver |
Ferrell/C&S |
208(dr) |
RJ |
C&S coach-RPO #42 |
|
(4) |
1938 |
R.B. Jackson |
Denver |
Ferrell/C&S |
208(dl) |
RJ |
C&S coach-RPO #40 |
| |
1938? |
W.A. Gibson |
Denver? |
Kindig |
390 |
GS |
C&S coach-RPO #42 |
| |
1939 |
R.B. Jackson |
Denver |
Poole |
191 |
HU |
C&S coach-RPO #42 |
| |
1940 |
William Pennington |
Denver |
Poole |
190 |
WP |
C&S coach-RPO #40 |
|
*
Same train. |
The
John Maxwell Collection offers a plan for Coach-RPO #40-43. It is
their plan MC-170.
 |
|
Car diagram for C&S mail-coaches #40-43 updated through
1916. (Note that this is not a scale
drawing.) Click pic for enlargement.
|
|
Car |
Mail Compartment |
Passenger Compartment |
|
Length |
Width |
Length |
Width (a) |
|
#40 |
18'-2" |
7'-6¼" |
23'-7½" |
7'-7" |
|
#41 |
18'-2½" |
7'-8½" |
23'-6½" |
7'-8¾" |
|
#42 |
18'-2½" |
7'-7½" |
23'-6" |
7'-9" |
|
#43 |
18'-2¾" |
7'-8" |
23'-6½" |
7'-8½" |
|
(a) at window level (vs. baseboard) |
SUMMARY
| 1906 C&S No. |
#40 |
#41 |
#42 |
#43 |
| Car Type |
Coach-RPO |
| Capacity |
14 seats / 28 passengers |
| Rebuild Date |
June 1906 |
| Rebuild by |
Pullman |
| Rebuild Cost |
$2,789 |
From $2,285 to $2,402
each |
| Length Over Endsills |
42' - 5" (1916) |
| Length Over Buffers |
48' - 1" (1916) |
| Truck Centers |
30' - 11" (1916) |
| Wheel Size |
26" (1916) |
| Truck Wheelbase |
5' - 6" (1916) |
| Width |
8' - 2" (1916) |
| Height of Body |
9' - 6" (1916) |
| Body Above Rails |
2' - 10" (1916) |
| Weight |
1912 |
20 tons |
| 1916 |
43,300 lbs. |
38,900 lbs. |
37,640 lbs. |
37,700 lbs. |
| Platform Roof |
Bullnose |
| Heating |
Spear Heater |
| Lighting |
Oil Lamps |
| Interior Finish |
Mahogany / Mail end white paint
(1916) |
| Termination Date |
1941 |
1928/29 |
1939 |
1939 |
| Termination Method |
Dismantled |
Retired/
dismantled |
Dismantled/
body sold |
Dismantled/
body sold |
|
