Narrow Gauge Railroad Discussion Forum

In the 1980's (1982?) we drug 495 from Antonito to Chama to use it's drivers under 484 - which was out of service with bad tires and a bunch of other stuff. I remember firing the engine and shoving a string of passenger cars into the display track around an insanely sharp curve. We pulled back, the slack stretched. The engine slipped, then dug in on sand, grunted back about 5 feet as 495 slid and with a BANG started rolling free. I was brakie on the outfit that hauled it over. We had gone east the day before with the engine and 12 of the boxcar coaches (all we had then) and a caboose. We set out the passenger cars at Osier and cab hopped to Antonito. The next day we headed west into a blizzard (late Oct.) with 495 (all rods down) and the caboose. At Osier we picked up the cars we set out the day before and put 495 in the middle for the trip on to Chama.

Cut to around 1988. Antonito was raising a stink because we took "thier display engine" and never gave it back. 495 was still driverless out the north end of the shop, blocked up on its pony and trailer trucks. At first the decision was to send 492 over there and work was started stripping here cab. Some of us raised a cry about 492 being the only K37 capable of running and should not be sent to a fate worse than death stuffed and mounted in Antonito. Furthermore we volunteered to put 484's worn out drivers under 495 to make it roadworthy. Amazingly, the bosses said OK.

The first thing that happened when we drug 495 into the shop is it nearly derailed in the shop. It had sat on a twisted piece of track and the wood blocks between the trailer and pony trucks and the frame and compressed to fit the track. Upon entering the shop, one pony truck axle lifted and the flange started to climb over the rail. Another 10 feet and she would have ended up in the drop pit. That problem solved we scrounged up old shoes and wedges and stuffed the wheels under her. The spring rigging was still in place so we didn't have to mess with it too much other than to lace up the pony and trailer trucks. Amazingly, it went back together pretty well.

The next day 484, 5 cars for idlers, 495 and caboose 0503. Headed east. I fired and remember it being a real hard pull. At Osier the bearings started to get warm and by Big Horn we were stopping every 5 miles to drown the boxes with oil. Once past Lava (it's now late and dark and our enthusiasm for this whole thing has pretty much vaporized) we headed straight in with out melting anything. I think 495 sat in the yard for the winter, then got shoved back to her spot she came from the next spring. She did get pull out sometime later when she was moved to the enginehouse to have her asbestos removed.

BTW it turned out 495's drivers were out of quarter. It took a lot of messing around to get the drivers in tram and get the side rods on. Still 484 had a pound underneath her that never could be found - until about 1990 when we sent her drivers to DGO for turning and when they put one set on the quartering machine, then found the crank pin was off over 1/8".

No wonder 484 ate rod brasses and ran warm to hot all the time (plus rattling your fillings loose). Needless to say, we did no more driver swapping.