Re: Making up trains at Cumbres (Loco conjecture & diagram)
| June 02, 2016 03:37PM |
|
John West Wrote:
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> . . . 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 set out 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 . . .
>
> I'm curious is anyone here has any more de-
> finitive information about all this.
I can't add much, John -
Except that it seems more logical to me that if three turns were planned, the first turn (most likely a long string of empties*) would run through on the long 'storage' siding, leaving its cars EAST of the crossover so that the road engine of the second turn could leave its cars on the WEST end of the long 'storage' siding and "escape" through the crossover. Otherwise - because of the orientation of the crossover - in order to leave its cars on the east end of the long siding, the second turn's road engine would have to pull the entire cut past the east switch and then push it back uphill onto the 'storage' track. On the following revision of a portion of Ernie's map of Cumbres Pass circa 1965, the first cut is shown in red, the second in green and the third - shortly after its arrival - in blue. The helper engine of the first two turns would leave the caboose on the main a little east of the west switch of the wye (red 'X'), turn on the wye and head home to Chama. Meanwhile the road engine and switch crew would position and tie down their string of cars, then the road engine would turn on the wye and head home with the switch crew in the caboose.
{Added 11:15 p.m.} As pointed out by JBWX (above), after the third turn arrived on the morning of the following day,** the road engine would uncouple, move forward, and back through the crossover to the second turn's cut while the helper was executing a flying drop of the caboose onto the rear of the third turn's string and then running around it using the short north siding and heading off to Alamosa. The road engine would then pull the second turn's cars through the crossover and back them on the main to couple to the third cut, then run down the main to the east switch, back up the storage siding to the first cut, pull the first string out onto the main, and - often with some difficulty - back the first turn up the main to couple to the now-connected second and third turns. In the early sixties, when the RR was still busy hauling supplies to Farmington and oil from Chama to Alamosa, a well-known photographer (not Ansel Adams, although it certainly reflects his style) caught this view of a re-assembled three-section train heading east past the tank at Los Pinos:
If only two turns were planned then the first cut - if not too long - could be left on the west end of the storage track. (Remember there was no highway across the tracks back in those 'olden days'; the road, such as it was, passed under the bridge west of the water column.)
- Roosso (Notso?) Loco
* As in this Paul Orlow shot of an October, 1961 Cumbres Turn from Tom Gildersleeve's vast collection:
** By the early sixties, traffic to Farmington had dropped off to the point that the San Juan Extension was no longer a 24/7 operation, and helpers were no longer stationed at Chama. IIRC, the usual practice was to run to Chama from both Alamosa and Durango on Monday, run the westbound to Durango and two Cumbres Turns on Tuesday, and then a round trip to Farmington for the Durango crew on Wednesday. The crew from Alamosa would make their third Cumbres turn on Wednesday morning, couple the three cuts together as described above, and head for home. The same pattern was repeated on Thursday - Friday - Saturday, and everybody got a day off on Sunday. If eastbound traffic wasn't too heavy, the second Cumbres turn on Tuesday (or Friday) would be combined with the first turn, and the road engine would pull the train on to Alamosa that day, as there would be no need for a third Cumbres turn on Wednesday (or Saturday).
Edited 10 time(s). Last edit at 07/20/2018 05:31PM by Russo Loco.
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> . . . 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 set out 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 . . .
>
> I'm curious is anyone here has any more de-
> finitive information about all this.
I can't add much, John -
Except that it seems more logical to me that if three turns were planned, the first turn (most likely a long string of empties*) would run through on the long 'storage' siding, leaving its cars EAST of the crossover so that the road engine of the second turn could leave its cars on the WEST end of the long 'storage' siding and "escape" through the crossover. Otherwise - because of the orientation of the crossover - in order to leave its cars on the east end of the long siding, the second turn's road engine would have to pull the entire cut past the east switch and then push it back uphill onto the 'storage' track. On the following revision of a portion of Ernie's map of Cumbres Pass circa 1965, the first cut is shown in red, the second in green and the third - shortly after its arrival - in blue. The helper engine of the first two turns would leave the caboose on the main a little east of the west switch of the wye (red 'X'), turn on the wye and head home to Chama. Meanwhile the road engine and switch crew would position and tie down their string of cars, then the road engine would turn on the wye and head home with the switch crew in the caboose.
{Added 11:15 p.m.} As pointed out by JBWX (above), after the third turn arrived on the morning of the following day,** the road engine would uncouple, move forward, and back through the crossover to the second turn's cut while the helper was executing a flying drop of the caboose onto the rear of the third turn's string and then running around it using the short north siding and heading off to Alamosa. The road engine would then pull the second turn's cars through the crossover and back them on the main to couple to the third cut, then run down the main to the east switch, back up the storage siding to the first cut, pull the first string out onto the main, and - often with some difficulty - back the first turn up the main to couple to the now-connected second and third turns. In the early sixties, when the RR was still busy hauling supplies to Farmington and oil from Chama to Alamosa, a well-known photographer (not Ansel Adams, although it certainly reflects his style) caught this view of a re-assembled three-section train heading east past the tank at Los Pinos:
If only two turns were planned then the first cut - if not too long - could be left on the west end of the storage track. (Remember there was no highway across the tracks back in those 'olden days'; the road, such as it was, passed under the bridge west of the water column.)
- Roosso (Notso?) Loco
* As in this Paul Orlow shot of an October, 1961 Cumbres Turn from Tom Gildersleeve's vast collection:
** By the early sixties, traffic to Farmington had dropped off to the point that the San Juan Extension was no longer a 24/7 operation, and helpers were no longer stationed at Chama. IIRC, the usual practice was to run to Chama from both Alamosa and Durango on Monday, run the westbound to Durango and two Cumbres Turns on Tuesday, and then a round trip to Farmington for the Durango crew on Wednesday. The crew from Alamosa would make their third Cumbres turn on Wednesday morning, couple the three cuts together as described above, and head for home. The same pattern was repeated on Thursday - Friday - Saturday, and everybody got a day off on Sunday. If eastbound traffic wasn't too heavy, the second Cumbres turn on Tuesday (or Friday) would be combined with the first turn, and the road engine would pull the train on to Alamosa that day, as there would be no need for a third Cumbres turn on Wednesday (or Saturday).
Edited 10 time(s). Last edit at 07/20/2018 05:31PM by Russo Loco.
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488 stops for water at Los Pinos tank on closing day Oct. 1979. Photo courtesy Don Richter
The NGDF was started by Don Richter and is currently operated in his memory by Nathan Holmes and others. Others who have contributed to the upkeep of this board are (in no particular order): Charles McCandless, Everett Lueck, Ted Wilton, Cole Adams, James Bane, John Moellmer, Jon Bentz, Linn Moedinger, lloyd lehrer, Rod Jensen, John Craft, Steven Forney, Herb Kelsey, Bill Ramaley, Russ Sperry (El Russo Loco), Josh McNeal, John West, Jim Armstrong, Bob Bergstrom, Greg Scholl, Blake Forbes Doug van Veelen and Mark Fuller.