DRGW SM #39120, 39293 and 391**

: DRGW 39120

These D&RGW stock cars were found at Wasson, a siding 2.6 miles from Creede. Barely remained numbers on ends suggest these cars as #39120, 39293 and an unidentified from left to right in the photo above. I believe these are the only existing standard gauge D&RGW stock cars except #39210 formerly preserved at Depot Park Museum in Sonoma, CA and moved to Niles Canyon Railway in 2020.

: DRGW 39120
: DRGW 391**

According to Morning Sun Color Guide(MSCG) to Rio Grande, 39100 – 39199 series SMs were built between 1939 and 1940, and 39200 – 39399 series SMs were built between 1944 and 1945. The unidentified car seems the one another from the series 39100 – 39199 according to the barely read built-date on it.

According to the D&RGW Freight Equipment Diagram, 39200 – 39399 series SMs were built by the railroad and had Bettendorf or Andrews trucks, Murphy pressed steel roof, Murphy 2-piece ends, Ajax hand brake, and steel Apex running boards.

: DRGW 39293

Resources for these Rio Grande standard gauge stock cars are few, contrary to the narrow gauge equipment. Chuck Conway writes that the Rio Grande stock cars were condemned in the ’70s and sold to a scrapper near Alamosa[1]. These cars seem escaped from there.


D&RGW 39100 – 39399 series Stock Cars:
The Official Railway Equipment Register for July 1974 shows the group with only 21 cars of possible 300 cars in place, described as follows:

The D&RGW series 39100 to 39399 is shown with AAR Designation SM and description “Stock” only.

The inside length of these cars is 36 feet 6 inches, inside width 8 feet 10 inches, inside height 8 feet 8 inches, outside length 39 feet 4 inches, extreme height 13 feet 5 inches and capacity 2800 cubic feet or 88,000 pounds.

All photos were taken on Sep. 7, 2017

revised, Aug. 17, 2018

revised, Sep. 23, 2020

[1] Conway, Chuck (1987) “Last roundup”, August 1987 Trains, Kalmbach Publishing
* 1958 photo of DRGW 39100 appears in Dec. 2018 Trains magazine

: DRGW 391** and NG stock car


これらRio Grandeオリジナルの番号を保つ貨車たちは、コロラド州Creede近くで見つけた。いずれも家畜を運ぶstock carである。標準軌の３両は、1939年から1940年にかけて自社工場において古い有蓋車を改造して制作された、D&RGW 39100-39399 series SMの内の#39120、39293および同系の１両。数が極めて少ない現存Rio Grande標準軌stock carである。

並べて置かれている、模型でもおなじみのナロー・ゲージstock car は1904〜5年AC&F製である。こちらは比較的多く保存されているようだ（Cumbres & Toltecに10両、Durango & Silvertonに８両、Colorado Railroad Museumに３両）。