Trivia About The Picture at The Bottom of the Page.

The pic taken on the last day of the 1979 season has some historic significance.

1979 was the first year 488 was returned to service after being retired by the D&RGW in 1966. It was the second engine Scenic Ry's "brought back from the dead". Both 488 and 487 were stripped down for overhaul back in 1973 or so. When the economy tanked and the Arab Oil Embargo hit, Scenic decided that 487 would be put back together, and 488 would have to wait for better times. It took five years and the arrival of State and Federal money to make that happen. the forced retirement of 483 on 1977 probably play the part too.

This day in 1979 was the last day Scenic operated the railroad using the over and back, 4-days-a-week operating format that had been in effect since 1972. The price of gasoline was rocketing upward, and Scenic's fleet of aging gasoline powered busses were showing serious reliability problems. Big problems. Like blown engines and stuff like that. Rumor going around was the busses cost as much to run as the trains. I doubt that, but.... The next year, 1980, began the two train format that exists to this day.