I have mentioned it before here, but my father, who was a student at Adams State College, was a passenger on this first run of the "San Juan". He had ridden the train a number of times, but he actually recalled this trip well. The principle thing that impressed him was being able to watch the rotary train from the "San Juan" as they climbed the pass. Till the day he passed away in 2010, he remembered this trip and its significance being the first run of the "San Juan". He wasn't really a railfan, but he had a real affection and appreciation for the narrow gauge, which he passed on to me.
Bill M.
As a bit of a postscript-- I had a friend email me, asking why I referred to this trip as the first run of the "San Juan", when the train had been running this route for years. Well, the reason is that the train was never named the "San Juan" till this time when the train was rebuilt and "modernized". It ran as the "San Juan" from this day till it ran for the last time in January, 1951.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/09/2012 03:18PM by Bill M..