Thanks Cole, Earl et al -
Ernie Robart kept very thorough records of the early operations of the C&TS - as he had done for the last few years of D&RGW narrow gauge operations
* - but I don't have access his notes, only to about 60 photos (out of more than 9,000) that I scanned for him a couple of years ago. Based on the dates of Ernie's photos, it appears that after the first train arrived in Chama on 09/06/70 the volunteers operated trains nearly every weekend in both September and October of 1970, hauling equipment from Antonito to Chama.
Based on photos of #483 taken on September 7th, it appears she returned to Antonito on Labor Day with at least caboose 0503 and probably the tool car and the kitchen car in tow. Ernie didn't send me any slides from the following weekend - September 12-14 - so I don't know if any trains ran then or not, but there were trains on 09/20 and 09/27, shown here leaving Osier and just a few miles west of Antonito, respectively
:
The "Governors' Special" excursion was run the following Saturday, October 4th
:
All photos © 1970, 2007 by E.W. Robart - posted by permission
(To be continued.)
* See 'Rio Grande Narrow Gauge - The Final Years, Alamosa to Chama' by Joseph P. Hereford, Jr. and Ernest W. Robart
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/28/2018 12:49PM by Russo Loco.