Re: 1988's Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

Now for the fun part… They wanted the train at Cumbres tomorrow morning. It was now 230p. It’s an 1:10 run to Big Horn. If we were moving now, we’d be there at 340pm. #4 is due there are 345pm. We still need to get water. Lava Loop was out of service for some reason. So, if we don’t make Big Horn, we’re stuck in Antonito until 500pm.
We went for it… At 240pm, out of town we went, 484 wound up to a “real healthy” 22+ mph as far as Furgeson’s Trestle. From there it was just hot, hard running. The normal way to run out there is dial in the magic speed that makes the scheduled time, then go at that speed all the way to Big Horn. I ran hard down the straights, eased off around the curves, the opened 484 up again down the next straight. We really scorched the ballast (what little there was). We only had some crappy old hand held radios back then, but somewhere around the Whiplash the conductor got ahold of #4 and told we were coming at them with all we had, and don’t pass the east switch at Big Horn until we showed (this was years before we had a dispatcher). On a normal day you pass MP 297 at the top of the Whiplash one hour after leaving Antonito. We rounded the top of the Whiplash at 3:25 - . We made a parachute drop stop into the East Switch at Big Horn. As the brakeman was lining us in we heard 488 whistle for the Big Horn Yard Board. We rolled in and stopped at 335pm – 55 minutes after leaving Antonito. The brakeman went ahead to the west switch, while the conductor lined behind us. I jumped off to get this pic as 488 rolled by on the money at 345.



The train crew suggested we not do that again – ever. I thought it was a blast, but 05635’s lack of structural integrity became obvious at speeds much above 18 mph. Most of the time the exterior walls were moving in different directions, and the interior walls looked like jello. From Big Horn is was a much more sedate trip into the afternoon sun. We departed Big Horn at 352, stopped for water at Sublette from 425 to 436, rolled through Osier as 538, and pulled to a stop at Cumbres at 630. We set the train out, the train crew got a ride home to Antonito, but Gerald I weren’t done. 484 needed to go down the hill for the night for some servicing. After getting water to headed down the hill at 654, rolling into Chama at 800pm. We wyed the engine, and tied up at 830p. 15hrs on duty.

But, Tomorrow Is Another Day!!!






The Semi-Official Notes:

Tues Aug 30
In 500pm
Drive to Antonito
Movie Extra 484
9 cars
Train called for 630a
Work around Antonito
Drive to Chama
Out 630pm
13-1/2 hrs



Wed Aug 31
In 530a
Drive to Antonito
Movie Extra 484
484- Blea, Gallegos & Ruybal
8 cars
Out shop 645a, on spot 286 725a, lunch 1215-115, in at 434, Ant 450, tied up 530
Drive to Chama out 645p
13 ¼ hrs

Thur Sept 1
In 530a
Drive to Antonito
Movie Extra 484
484 – Blea, H, Gallegos, Glynn
9 cars
Out shop 650a, lv Ant 705a, work around 286, lv 286 435, laid out #4 10 min. tied up 530p.
Drive to Chama
Out 645p
13-1/4 hrs

Off Fri 9/2, on Trowbridge Charter 9/3-4/88

Mon Sept 5
In 700a
Drive to Antonito
Movie Extra 484
484- Anderson
On spot all day, filmed in town
Tied up 624p
Drive to Chama
Out 800pm
13 hrs

Tues. Sept 6
In 530am
Drive to Antonito
Movie Extra 484
484 – Blea, Gallegos, Salazar
Film in morning
Run to Cumbres.
Ant 240, BH 335 – 352 meet #4, SB 425-436, OS 538, CU630, set out train, lite to Chama, cu 654, ch 800
Tied up 830p
15 hrs



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/23/2017 08:57PM by Earl.