Railroads & Locomotives Locomotives Rosters The ways to and from Denver

The ways to and from Denver

By J David Ingles | July 10, 2001

| Last updated on November 3, 2020


Passenger-train consists from a 1967 trip from Springfield, Ill. to Colorado, Utah, Montana, and back

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In the Fall 2001 issue of Classic Trains magazine, Senior Editor Dave Ingles recounts his train trip to and from Denver in May 1967. His detailed notes of train consists and time-keeping of arrivals and departures are presented here.
Illinois Central
May 11, 1967

IC #21, Green Diamond, Springfield, Ill.-St. Louis
IC 4023 E8A
IC 4109 E9B
CofG 812 E8A
REX 7295 express box
IC 401 Railway Post Office (RPO)
IC 4112 diner-lounge
IC 2619 coach (dropped 9 cars in Springfield)
Leave – Springfield 12:05 pm (-43 min.)
Arrive – St. Louis 2:15 pm (-35 min.)

Norfolk & Western Railway
N&W #209, City of St. Louis, St. Louis-Kansas City
N&W 2478 GP9
N&W 3812 E8A
N&W 3800 E8A
MP 158 express box
N&W 1408 storage mail
N&W 1301 storage mail
N&W 1335 storage mail
N&W 1376 storage mail
N&W 96 RPO
UP 7001 dome coach
UP 5554 coach
UP 5474 coach
UP 6109 lounge
UP 4807 diner
UP National Scene sleeper
Leave – St. Louis 3:40 pm (on time)
Mexico 5:45
Moberly 6:40
Arrive – Kansas City 8:55 (-10)
Union Pacific Railroad
UP #9, City of St. Louis, Kansas City-Denver
UP 928 E8A
UP 968B E8B
UP 909 E9A
UP 9322 express box
SP 6730 storage mail
N&W 1408 storage mail
UP 5901 RPO
UP 5778 storage mail
UP 6331 storage mail
UP 5515 coach
UP 7001 dome coach
UP 5554 coach
UP 5474 coach
UP 6109 lounge
UP 4807 diner
UP National Scene sleeper
UP Pacific Home sleeper
UP National Frontier sleeper
Leave – Kansas City 9:40 pm (-20)
Lawrence 10:25
Topeka 10:55
Arrive – Denver 8:05 am May 12 (+5)
Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad
May 18-19

DRGW #7, Prospector, Denver-Salt Lake City
DRGW 5554 F7A
DRGW 5553 F7B
1211 baggage-storage mail
1230 combine
1242 coach
805 Castle Peak diner
1273 sleeper
Leave – Denver 5:30 pm (o.t.)
Moffat Tunnel: enter 7:31:45, exit 7:42:00
Granby 8:10
Kremmling 8:50
Bond 9:40
Grand Junction 1:30 am May 19
Provo 7:15
Arrive – Salt Lake City 8:00 (o.t.)

Union Pacific Railroad
May 20

UP #35, Butte Special, Salt Lake City-Butte
UP 961 E9A
UP 946B E8B
UP 961B E9B
CB&Q 8872 box storage mail
UP 5730 storage mail
SP 6765 box storage mail
UP 3096 express baggage
UP 3095 express baggage
UP 5632 express baggage
UP 2064 RPO
UP American View, sleeper w/ dinette
UP 5472 coach
UP 5553 coach
UP 5452 coach
plus trailers on flatcars and caboose
Leave – Salt Lake City 7:30 pm (o.t.)
Add freight cars, 7:40-8:20
Leave – Ogden 9:15 (-20)
Cache Junction 10:25
Arrive – Silver Bow, Mont. 7:15 am May 21 (o.t.)
Leave – Silver Bow 7:20 (-5)
Arrive – Butte 7:30 (o.t.)

Into Butte:
UP 927 E8A
UP 9?? E?B
Erie ???? express box
SP 6623 storage mail
UP 5740 storage mail
UP 5632 express baggage
UP 2064 RPO
UP American View, sleeper w/ dinette
UP 5472 coach
UP 5553 coach
(other head end, and coach 5452, cut off at Pocatello, apparently)

Northern Pacific Railway
May 21

NP #26, North Coast Limited, Butte-St. Paul
NP 6701A F9A
NP 6704B F9B
NP 6509C F7A changed out at Livingston for:
NP 6702C F9A, NP 6706B F9B, NP 6701C F9A
NP 407 bag
NP 429 RPO
NP 555 dome coach
NP 583 coach
NP 551 dome coach
NP 328 Loch Ness Slumbercoach
NP 495 lounge
NP 463 diner
NP 377 dome sleeper
NP 371 sleeper
Leave – Butte 7:45 am (o.t.)
Logan 9:40 (o.t.)
Bozeman 10:12
Livingston 11:15-11:30 (-24)
Billings 1:25-1:35 pm (-23)
Forsyth 3:05 (-8)
Miles City 3:55
Glendive 5:23 (-7)
North Dakota state line 6:00
Dickinson 7:10-7:14 (o.t.)
Mandan 8:55-9:10
Bismarck 10:18-10:22
Jamestown 11:50-12:00 May 22
Minneapolis, Minn. 6:05-6:15 (+5, o.t.)
Arrive – St. Paul 6:40 (o.t.)

Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad
May 22

MILW #6, Morning Hiawatha, St. Paul-Chicago
MILW 101C FP7
MILW 103B F7B
MILW 33B E9B
MILW 99A FP7
MILW 2161 RPO
MILW 1301 bag mail
MILW 539 coach
MILW 609 coach
MILW 604 coach
MILW 617 coach
MILW 59 dome lounge
MILW 125 diner lounge
MILW 180 Forest Grove parlor
MILW 188 Dell Rapids obs parlor
Leave – St. Paul 8:01 am (o.t.)
Red Wing 8:45
Winona 9:40
La Crosse, Wis. 10:12 (-1)
Sparta 10:35
Tomah 10:50
Portage 11:40
Columbus 12:05 pm
Watertown 1223 (-1)
Oconomowoc 12:38
Milwaukee 1:13-1:28 (-8)
Glenview, Ill. 2:52
Arrive – Chicago 2:55 (-10)

Gulf, Mobile & Ohio Railroad
GM&O #3, Abraham Lincoln, Chicago-Springfield, IL
GM&O 103 E7A
GM&O 103A E7A
GM&O 458 bag
GM&O 464 bag
GM&O 2592 combine
GM&O 5932 parlor
GM&O 5933 parlor
GM&O 5700 diner
GM&O 5806 coach
GM&O 5805 coach
GM&O 5804 coach
GM&O 5802 coach
Leave – Chicago 5:05 pm (o.t.)
Joliet ??
Pontiac ??
Bloomington 7:20-7:45 (-8, -10)
Lincoln 8:15 (-11)
Ridgely yard delay 8:38-8:50
Arrive – Springfield 8:57 (-12)
Key to initials:

CB&Q Chicago, Burlington & Quincy
CofG Central of Georgia
DRGW Denver & Rio Grande Western
GM&O Gulf, Mobile & Ohio
IC Illinois Central
MILW Milwaukee Road
MP Missouri Pacific
N&W Norfolk & Western
NP Northern Pacific
REX Railway Express Agency
SP Southern Pacific
UP Union Pacific

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