All Aboard for the San Juan

- by Rich Millard

For the 2008 season, the D&SNG is unveiling another
addition to our "Classes of Service" offerings Passengers desiring a more upgraded experience on their "Journey to Yesterday" can now book passage aboard the San Juan car.

The 1930s were a time of transition for the D&RGW narrow
gauge. As roads into the remote mountain areas of Colorado were being improved, they were beginning to compete with
automobile, truck, and bus traffic.

Beginning in 1936, an ambitious plan of "modernizations" was embarked uponas the D&RGW unveiled its plans for two deluxe narrow gauge passenger trains, the San Juan and the Shavano. During a six-month period ending in March of 1937, 38 passenger cars and 15 locomotives were modernized at the Alamosa and Salida Shops.

Modifications to locomotives of the K-28, K-36, and K-37 class included the addition of steam heat equipment and an air signal system. Twenty seven mail and baggage cars were equipped with electric lights, steam heat, and an air signal system. Coaches 272, 310, 312, 319, 323, and 325-327 had their open platforms replaced with closed vestibules.

Spacious seating for 24 was provided with new single and double reclining Heywood-Wakefield seats and sofas with Mohair upholstering. The interior of coach 272 is shown above, shortly after the modifications were complete.

A total of five parlor cars were also remodeled to bring up the rear of these trains. Parlor cars Gunnison and Salida graced the rear of the Shavano, running between those two namesake cities, while the Parlor-Dinnette cars Alamosa,
Durango, and Chama rotated duties on the San Juan, between Alamosa and Durango.

Passengers could now travel the narrow gauge in modern comfort. The success of these trains was relatively short-lived. In 1938, just one year after service began, LCL business (lessthan- carload) freight, formerly handled in baggage cars on passenger trains, was diverted to the new Rio Grande Motor Way trucks. Passenger traffic increases never materialized, and the D&RGW hastily decided to cut their losses.

On November 24, 1940, the Shavano made its last trip. Most all of the equipment was transferred to Alamosa for use on the San Juan Train. The San Juan then continued service for another 11 years, making its final run on January 31, 1951. It was the last year-round daily three foot gauge passenger train in the United States.

With a sudden surplus of passenger equipment, three of the San Juan coaches (310, 325, and 326), along with Parlor-Dinette Cars Durango and Chama, were sold to Walter Knott for his new venture in Buena Park, CA. By 1957, the remaining four San Juan passenger coaches (312, 319,
323, and 327) and one remaining Parlor- Dinette car, Alamosa, had been stripped of their deluxe interiors and outfitted with bus seats to carry 44 passengers on the
route from Durango to Silverton.

Interiors of these once-proud coaches have remained little-changed over the years, though in the late 1970s the D&RGW did ship them to their Burnham shops in Denver, CO to add less maintenanceintensive scribed steel siding and aluminum windows. In January of 2008, former San Juan car 312 began a transformation back to reclaim its place in the rich history of the famed trains of Colorado's past.

Although not an exact replica of the original San Juan coach interiors, the D&SNG has reinterpreted the overall character that these coaches once embodied. The coaches of the new San Juan Class will once again carry passengers in upscale
comforts high-lighted by wide and plush Hale and Killburn reversible seats, newly refinished ornate ash wood-work, flooring, and solid bronze coat-luggage racks.

The large closed vestibuled platforms protect passengers from inclement weather and feature original brass railings from the 1937 modernizations. A rich Tuscan Red paint
with gold lettering and trim, customary on all D&SNG premium-class coaches, completes this stately makeover. Passengers 12 years of age and older are encouraged
to experience this newest addition to our premium-class services. Complimentary refillable souvenir mugs will keep your thirst quenched all day long as you experience the boundless scenic wonders aboard this timeless classic!