Decided I'd go forth with a book by book review of my latest book collection, The RGS Story. This will take place maybe twice a week, as I finish reading each volume. Will do First 2 volumes now, with Volume 3 to follow, when I'm done reading. Volume 1 - "Over the Bridges-Ridgway to Telluride" Russ Collman, Author Del A. McCoy, publisher Sundance Publications Ltd, Denver, CO. 1990 Second printing, 1999 ISBN 0-913582-48-4 416 pages Comes in a clear vinyl dust cover. Contents Route map of the Rio Grande Southern Preface and Acknowledgments List of detailed maps Lists of Bridges Drawings and Photographs of Bridges Introduction The early years of the Rio Grande Southern The first District - Ridgway to Rico Stations, Sidings and Major Bridges Map list Dallas town map Original Ridgway town plat With proposed RGS Railroad track age Ridgway - Original RGS Locomotive terminal Ridgway - Town plat and railroad facilities Ridgway - Second RGS Locomotive terminal RGS profile chart Ridgway to Dallas Divide Dallas Divide (Peake) Dallas Divide to Placerville * Dallas Divide to Placerville (roadmap) Brown Brown - Placerville - Vance Junction * Placerville to Telluride Omega Old Placerville Placerville town plat Placerville to Vance Junction Saw Pit Vanadium (Newmire) * Placerville to Illium Vance Junction (USGS Map) Vance Junction station grounds Proposed Vance Junction(Illium) depot site Vance Junction - Illium - Telluride.(USGS Map) RGS Profile chart (Under D&RG ownership) * Uncompahgre National Forest Map The early days of the Rio Grand Southern, the D&RG and General William Jackson Palmer. Mainly deals with early building of the railroad, from early route surveys to daily battles with Mother Nature and the problems of getting supplies into the extreme remote sections of the railroad. One almost has to read the books to get a much better understanding. It's a very nice set to add to ones book library, IF you're lucky enough to find all volumes!! If there's a library with copies available, they'd be well/worth checking out and reading!! Unless extremely lucky, piecing the 12 volume collection together, as I have had to do, may cost you from maybe $1,200 and UP!! Guess I'm a lucky one, this time. Next up, Volume 2.
I always look for books with a good number of maps. Those really help place how things were, when trying to envision a place never seen.
This set has plenty of maps. More of the town trackage though. Gives a good idea of how it was laid out. Also the mine spurs and such. Maybe not quite as much reading, but the photo captions plus regular text is still very interesting stuff. To go back in time to those days, just see what is was like.....
