C&TS - September, 1981

In the end of August things changed for me at the C&TS. I had been working Wed-Sun with Mondays and Tuesdays off. At the end of the month, Dale Martinez went back to school at Adams State in Alamosa and was only available to work on weekends. So, I got his weekday firing slots. As we only ran 5 days/week - Fri-Tue - I went out firing on Fridays, Mondays & Tuesdays, and worked in the shop on Sat and Sun. My days off were on the days we didn't run. So..... not too many pics were taken.

On Fridays, I fired for George Knauff to Osier and back. On Mondays I fired all the way to Antonito - to Osier with George, and on to Antonito with the old Rock Island head named Bill Paluska. I spent the night in the upstairs apartment in the Antonito Depot, and ate at the Narrow Gauge Café over by the motel. On Tuesdays, I was up early to clean the fire on the engine, then fired for
Bill back to Osier where I continued with George back to Chama. My first firing trip on the regular trains was Mon, Aug 24. George and I had 487. We had a couple of dump gons full of ashes to be dumped between the tracks at Osier to fill in the mudholes that formed every summer. There was concern as to how much the cinders weighed, so they cut 4 coaches out of the train and replaced them with the 2 dump gons. The result was an easy pull up the hill. We dumped the cinders at Osier, and I continued on to Antonito with Bill and a 10 car train.

The next day was a repeat of the previous day, out of Antonito to Osier with 10 cars, and back to Chama with 10 cars.

On Friday, September 11, I ran for the first time. George had me run 487 from Lobo Lodge to Coxo. On the way back I ran 488 from Los Pinos to Cumbres. 487 had always been my favorite. She was the first NG locomotive I ever saw. In 1967 when my dad and I made our first trip to Durango, we caught 487 coming north out of Farmington with a freight train. Now I was running and firing her over Cumbres..... I was floating about 6" off the ground for several days!!!

On the way to Antonito on Sat, Sept 12, 489 developed air compressor troubles. It just would not run fast enough to keep up air pressure going down hill. It was decided that 489 could make enough air to get back to Cumbres the next day, but not enough to take the train off the hill. So, in the morning of Sun. Sept 13, 487 ran light up the hill, followed by 488 with the regular train. I don't know who ran and fired 487. George and I were on 488. Again, I ran from Lobo Lodge to Coxo. Here we see 488 at the water plug while 487 sits on the west leg of the wye.


My job for the next 3 hours was to be engine watchman for 487, while 488 went east and I waited for the ailing 489 to work her way west. After killing the dynamo, shutting the pump off and throwing a chain under rear driver to keep her from running off, I settled down for a few hours of peace and quiet (and some picture taking) up at Cumbres....



At about 230, I started waking 487 back up, got the pump and lights running, pulled the chain, to be ready when 489 came in. 489 showed up on time at 300pm, stopped on the far side of the road, cut off from the train and pulled up to get water..... as seen from my perch in 487's cab.


Dale had been firing for George from Osier, and he took over on the 487 to bring the train off the hill, while George took 489 down the hill. I presume the extra fireman for 489's trip off the hill was from the shop. Here is a view from the fireman's seat as 487 backs to the train and 489 shuffles off over the hump and down the hill..