Special Edition Boxcar 3468 in Rio Grande Gold:
In 1964, the D&RGW crews in Durango, Colorado were in full swing revamping the image of the Silverton Branch. A failed attempt to abandon the branch line prompted the railroad's newfound commitment to more properly exploit the growing tourist trade. New steel coaches arrived in 1963 and 1964 to accommodate a second train on the daily runs to Silverton, Colorado. The railroad also purchased property around the depot to attract new businesses that would cater to the visiting throngs of tourists and rail buffs throughout the summer. Rio Grande Land was born! Baggage car 126 and Combine 212 had previously been used to haul general supplies for the Silverton trains. Now they were outfitted with concession equipment for the growing passenger business. It was therefore decided to utilize freight Boxcars nos. 3468 and 3219 to handle the baggage needs. To keep these cars looking comparable with the decade-old "Grande Gold" paint scheme, they were decorated in the bright livery to compliment the passenger car fleet on the daily summer runs to Silverton. Previously hauling everything from wallboard for the construction industry to barite headed for the oil fields of Farmington, New Mexico, boxcar 3468 had been in routine freight service between Alamosa, Colorado and Farmington throughout the 1950s. Blackstone has recreated the 3468's gold paint scheme just as it was freshly shopped in April of 1964.

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New Supply Car 03057:
Most of the outfit boxcars used on the Rio Grande narrow gauge throughout the 1900s came from the old 4000 series boxcars of the previous century. Each one was built for a unique purpose, ranging from kitchens, sleepers and diners for the working stiffs to rolling offices for foremen and supervisors. Only three 3000 series boxcars were converted to work service. Boxcars 3057, 3131 and 3085 were converted to work cars after previously being used in revenue service. The original boxcar numbers were retained with the simple addition of a "0" at the front to distinguish the reassignment. D&RGW's work equipment roster of January 16, 1956 listed the 03057 as a supply car in Alamosa and unassigned to any regular work service. Outfit cars were often assigned to particular work manifests, such as rotary trains or wrecking trains, depending on the need at any given time. They were used to haul supplies to aid the maintenance-of-way and train crews in the thankless tasks of clearing snow slides or cleaning up the latest derailment on the division it was assigned. The 03057 would have been typically kept with or near a work consist (often in Alamosa) with full supplies, ready for a call to service at any time.

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New 3000 Series Boxcars:

New Stock Cars: