1906 Denver and Salt Lake Railroad coach 715
edited by David Barth, 22 January 2010.
Courtesy The Forney Museum of Transportation at 4303 Brighton Blvd., Denver,
Colorado 80216. Photos were taken in May 2009.
Coach 715
This wood-bodied, wood-underframe coach was built in 1906 for the Denver Northwestern & Pacific railroad. The coach
was relettered in 1913 as Denver & Salt Lake Railroad, retaining its 715 number. The car's career ended in
1943, and it was sold to the Chicago Freight Car and Parts Company that dealt in used railroad equipment and
parts.
Characteristics of Coach 715:
Builder: Pullman Company
Capacity: 70 seats
Lighting: Gas
Heat: Hot water and steam
Clerestory Windows (upper windows): stained glass with lead came
The History of the Denver & Salt Lake Railroad
The Denver Northwestern & Pacific Railroad was begun in 1903 by David Moffat, running from Denver to Salt Lake City.
The route ran from Denver to the west, over a continuous 2 percent grade to the town of Coal Creek then to the
Continental Divide beside the steep slopes of Boulder Canyon and South Boulder Creek to Mammoth, later renamed
"Tolland." After passing Tolland, the rails ascended with grades up to 4 percent, crossing the Divide at Rollins
Pass (also known as Corona Pass), then descending through Middle Park and Grandby. The railroad was extended to
Hot Sulphur Springs in 1905. In 1906 it reached Kremmling. In 1908 it was extended to Steamboat Springs.
In 1913, the railroad became known as The Denver & Salt Lake Railroad it reached at its final destination of Craig,
Colorado. In 1928 the Moffat Tunnel was bored beneath the Continental Divide between Nederland on the east side and
what is now Winter Park on the west, shortening the distance to cross the Divide by 22.8 miles. The railroad became
known as the Moffat Line because of the vision of David Moffat. In 1934 it connected to the Denver & Rio Grande
Western line to Salt Lake City bia the Dotsero Cutoff.
Under a 1947 reorganization, the Denver & Salt Lake, Denver & Salt Lake Western (Dotsero Cutoff), and Rio Grande
Junction railraods were merged with the Denver & Rio Grande Western. All main line rail traffic east and west
through Colorado is now routed through the Moffat Tunnel and the Dotsero Cutoff.
