D&RGW Passenger Notes

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This page was last updated on September 23, 2021.

Passenger Paint Schemes

"They were probably red although the Pullmans may have been brown until Pullman switched to green in 1900. The passenger cars were changed from red (not all - some narrow gauge chair cars stayed red thru the 30s) to green by the Grande engineering department in 1918 because green lasted six weeks longer before requiring repainting." (Dennis OBerry, citing a conversation with Jack Thode in 1995)

Three C&O Cars

D&RGW 1248, 1249, 1250

The following comes from comments recorded at an informal D&RGW Car Department brunch held on March 7, 2019. Among the attendees were three retired employees, including the former Passenger Car Shop Foreman, all of whom were present when the three "ex-C&O" cars arrived on the property.

The three "ex-C&O" were modified and repainted by the shops forces at Burnham. After the three "ex-C&O" cars arrived on the property still in C&O colors, and they were immediately moved to the Burnham Shops. Because of intense interest by Management, various employees from the Car, Tin, Pipe and Electrical Shops went to work on them immediately modifying the observation ends and the roof line. The sheet metal / tin shop employees manufactured the new raised portions for the roof which were a slip-fit while the structure for the standard diaphragm was added to the end. Once completed, the interior ceiling, walls, etc. were refinished.

The cars were then sent to the paint shop where they were cleaned and prepped, and the new orange, silver, black 4-stripe scheme was applied by the D&RGW painters.

Car Changes

The major issue with D&RGW steel heavyweight cars is that they changed early and often. The coaches aren't as much of an issue, because the sides remained basically the same (with the change in size and/or removal of transoms) and many changes were internal. The diner-lounges though and the other lounges were modified often. That isn't a huge problem with most people interested in the late 40s for steam-powered trains, as opposed to the earlier, non-air conditioned variants prior to the mid-1930s. Those interested in the post-steam era have less worries, but still a lot of changes. (Bob Webber, email dated September 9, 2014)

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