In reviewing some of my pix from back in the 60's, I have been trying to reconstruct how the long eastbound trains were put together at Cumbres. As I think most folks here know, eastbound trains from Durango were broken apart at Chama and taken up the 4 percent grade in sections by two (or three) engine "Cumbres turns". A typical operation when I visited in the early 60's was two Cumbres turns on the first day, and then the crew would take a third cut up on the second day, put the three cuts together at Cumbres, send the helper light ahead of the train to Alamosa, and then the road engine would bring 60-70 cars down the hill to Antonito and Alamosa. So my question is how did they assemble the train at Cumbres.
Here is my theory based on bits and pieces of memory and a few pix. The first Cumbres turn would set its cut out into the west end of the long siding (or long storage track as it was called in orders). The second turn would setout its cut in the east end of the long siding. The next day when the third cut arrived it would stop on the mainline, the helper would cut out and run around the cut on the short siding, and the caboose would use gravity to roll down to a joint with the cut on the mainline. After the helper had taken off to the east, the road engine would cut off the cars on the mainline and back into the west end of the long siding through the crossover and double over that cut of cars to the cars on the main. Then it would cut off and run down to the east switch for the long siding, and double over the third cut to the mainline. After stretching the train, lacing up the air, making a brake test, and presumably setting some retainers, they would take off down the hill behind the helper. The reason for doubling over the cars in the long siding in two cuts is that the operation is on a grade, and the engine would have trouble shoving back everything in one cut. That is my theory at least.
I'm curious is anyone here has anymore definitive information about all this.
JBWX
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/30/2016 03:18PM by John West.
