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Jim Noonan's "Rio Grande Southern"
All photographs by Bill Mohn
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Bridge 9-A, known as the "High Bridge" was about 835' long and 140' high. The original bridge was replaced about 1903. The new bridge was about 800' west of the original location. Portions of the "new" bridge were rebuilt in 1908 when a flash flood knocked out about 180' feet of the bridge. Just south of bridge 9-A was the Valley View passing siding with a 11-car capacity. South of the passing siding was a water tank. The siding and Valley View was often used by the Galloping Geese to cool their motor during hot summer days. The combination of a 4% grade and hot weather was often more than a Goose could handle. Livestock movements provided lots of revenue for the RGS. Trains of empties were made up at Ridgeway and moved for loading to Placerville, Rico, Dolores and other locations along the RGS. Normally these trains had one or two helper locomotives. The helpers were cut off and
turned at Dallas Divide for the return to Ridgeway. While the RGS did own a few stock cars, most of this traffic moved in stock cars leased from the D&RGW. The RGS also borrowed D&RGW K-27's to help with the annual "stock rush". | |  |
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 | | Left - Denver & Rio Grande K-27 #456, on lease to the RGS has a stock extra bound for Placerville just south of Valley View siding. During the spring, and again in the fall, the RGS moved solid trains of mostly D&RG stock cars from points on the RGS for interchange with the D&RG at Ridgeway and Durango
Dallas Divide, milepost 13.3, at an elevation of 8,989' was little more than a flag stop on the RGS. It had two sidings, a wye, section house, bunk house, coal shed, several other structures and stock pens. While the approach form the north was a steady 4% grade from Hagen to the summit, the decent to Placerville was only 3%.
Apparently the stock pens at Dallas Divide were used primarily in the spring. The high country rangeland around Dallas Divide was used by sheepherders for summer grazing.
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 | |  Left and Above - Meet at Dallas Divide |
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| | Above - Having met Extra #456 at Dallas Divide, a northbound freight led by #41 is about to stop for water at the Valley View water tank. RGS #41 was built by Baldwin in 1881 for the Denver & Rio Grande. | |
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 | | Placerville, milepost 26.6 was originally a mining camp. In later years, it became an important point for shipping sheep and cattle. For a number of years it was one of the busiest livestock shipping points in western Colorado. The stock pens were located on a long spur to the west of town known as "Old Placerville".
Placerville was the main supply center for miners and ranchers living along the San Miguel River and the nearby Paradox Valley. Both Texaco and Conoco had bulk oil distributors at Old Placerville. |
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Extra #456 has arrived in Placerville and is preparing to switch the stock pens west of town | | |
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