Re: A small, sad farewewll . . . and a lingering question

guymonmd Wrote:
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> . . .  Who was that brakeman?


It's still unanswered, Guy -

I thought your question was answered by Woody Woodward a few years ago, as posted on [ngdiscussion.net], but on closer examination of the photos I see that's not the case.  The firemen that day were Gale Cunningham on #483 and Jim Shawcroft (later an engineer for the C&TS) on #484, shown departing Alamosa below.  Woody clearly identified the person filling #483's cistern during the water stop at Sublette as brakeman Dennis Cummins (why not fireman Cunningham?),* but enlargements of the relevant areas of that photo and the one taken a short while later showing a brakeman on the slippery car­tops a quarter mile west of Sublette clearly show that this was NOT Dennis:


In the Sublette photo, Dennis is wearing dark green coveralls and a dark blue or black cap, whereas the brakeman on the top of the train is wearing a green jacket, blue pants and a red or dark orange hat, and since it's fairly unlikely that a change of uniform had taken place at Sublette it's fairly unlikely that Dennis is the brakeman pictured in the "Slippery Footing" photo (fourth enlargement above).

Can anyone help solve this mystery from nearly fifty years ago?

- El Abuelo Loco y Viejo

*  The engineer on #483 was Eldon Morgan.  Woody Woodward indicated in his p.m. to me several years ago that the engineer of #484 that day was Lee Otteson, and that road foreman Jim Pierce – who was also on board for that last run over Cumbres Pass – is oiling around #483 in the Sublette photo.  I'm guessing that Pierce, the conductor and the brakemen had all eaten their lunches in the caboose while the train was under­way, and that they took over the servicing chores at Sublette while Cunningham, Morgan, Otteson & Shawcroft grabbed a quick bite, since none of these last four appear in the Sublette photo.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 10/14/2017 03:24PM by Russo Loco.