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Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad
DSP&P Coal Cars: History, Photos, Plans

The first order for rolling stock on the DSP&P went out in 1874 for 30 flat cars, 5 box cars, 5 coal cars, a coach, a combine, and 6 excursion cars. This initial batch of cars plus 2 small locomotives were sufficient for construction and revenue service for the next four years. Further construction brought the flat car count up to around 100, and these were also probably used as coal cars or ballast cars when needed. Subsequent orders over the next 10 years brought the total fleet of freight cars up to about 1300.

Coal Cars, often called gondolas, could carry many other commodities such as ballast and rock for roadbed construction, and gold or silver ore from the mines to smelters. A fair number of early flat cars were converted to coal cars by mounting side boards to hold the load.




 

HISTORY
The first 5 coal cars were made from some of the 1874 Hallack flat cars with added side boards. A larger but unknown number of the 1879 DSP&P #100 to 299 series flat cars also had side boards and were renumbered in 1885 in the DSP&P coal car series #8000 to 8038.



A group of 68 26-foot Litchfield coal cars were delivered in 1879, numbered 400 to 467. There is no record of these being renumbered into the 8000 series in 1885, unless they were grouped with the 100 to 299 series. 

                  Some of the author's DSP&P coal cars

Union Pacific Omaha shops provided 100 26-foot coal cars in 1882, numbered 300 to 399, followed in 1883 by 32 27-foot cars numbered DSP&P #468 to 499. These became DSP&P 8114 to 8213 and DSP&P 8039 to 8069 respectively.


1884 was a busy year with 3 batches of 27-foot cars from Peninsular and Union Pacific, carrying numbers 1200 to 1443. In 1885, the first batch of 100 became #8250 to 8349. The UP batch became  #8070 to 8113. The final group were known as the "Pocatella Transfer" cars. They had a 20 ton capacity and were capable of being converted to standard gauge while full of coal. These became DSP#P #8900 to 8999. Only the 20 ton Peninsular cars made it to the C&S in the 4800 to 4999 series. Some of the 1200 series cars ran as flat cars, at least in their early lifr.
 

PHOTO GALLERY

 

 

 

 

 

 

DSP&P #1437, the prototype for the Cimmaron model (above), circa 1884.


Hartford Products version of DSP&P coal car #344
 

PLANS by John Maxwell

DSP&P 26 Foot Coal Cars 300 to 499 and 1300 to 1443


 

DSP&P #300 - 499, 1300 - 1443 Series 26 Foot Coal Car

 

PLANS by Ron Rudnick

DSP&P 26 Foot Coal Car 257

DSP&P 26 Foot Coal Car


DSP&P 26 Foot Coal Car 325

DSP&P 26 Foot Coal Car 462


DSP&P 27 Foot Coal Car 487 and 482

DSP&P 30 Foot Coal Cars 1367 (before 1885 -- 8137 and 8121 (after 1885)

DSP&P 30 Foot Coal Car 1437

DSP&P 27 Foot Coal Car 8928 and 8954

DSP&P 27 Foot Coal Car  1257 and 3491


DSP&P / UP 26 Foot Coal Cars #3216 and 3187 (after 1885)


DSP&P / UP 26 Foot Coal Cars #8188 (after 1885)


DSP&P / UP 26 Foot Coal Cars #8059 and 8083 (after 1885)


DSP&P / UP 26 Foot Coal Car #8967 and 3497 (after 1885)

 

PLANS by Others