Steve Connor and I think Bob Shock went to Alamosa that winter. Their seniority allowed them to bump everyone but Pete isaacson and Ben Greathouse. Isaacson retired about that time. That meant more senior men got to run the narrow gauge. In my 1980 interview with Bob Shock he stated he operated both narrow gauge and standard gauge diesels.
Stanley Smith is another man who could have bumped Andy Payne. Smith started firing in Durango in 1956.He went to Alamosa when he got out of the Army. Gayle Cunningham is another Alamosa fireman with more seniority than Payne.