Re: Last D&RGW n.g. "Freight", Cumbres to Chama - Dec. 5, 1968
| December 06, 2018 04:25PM |
|
Jim McKee Wrote:
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> From postings several years ago:
>
> Left Alamosa 7:45
> 473 out of Alamosa:
> Lee Otteson engineer
> Stan Smith fireman
> 483:
> Carl Jack engineer
> Jim Shawcroft fireman
> Hardly Gilliand conductor
>
> Also riding train was Jim Pearce, Road Fireman of
> Engines. Stopped every five miles to inspect
> {recently} shopped 473.
I figured that Jim Pearce was along. #473 was fresh out of the shop, and Jim had also ridden the last REAL freight (at least as far as Chama) on August 28-29.
> Minor injector problems at La Jara
> Arrived at Antonito 9:30
> 483 moved to point.
> Stopped at sublette for water at 1:00 pm
> Denny Cummings cuts tree down and ties it
> on roof of 0540.
Was Cummings one of the brakemen? Did he work the whole way, Alamosa to Durango?? His tree was cut down east of Chama on 12/05 and rode the roof of 0540 all the way to Durango on 12/06 . . .
> 483 cut off at Cumbres and runs light into Chama. IMHO this should read #473 — see below.
> 6:00 entire train at Chama.
>
> Next day
> Andy Payne engineer 473 west 483 goes east.
> Lee Otteson and Jim Shawcroft deadheaded back to
> Alamosa. Carl Jack had seniority on Otteson and
> Stan Smith has seniority on Shawcroft so they were
> the engine crew back.
Thank You for all these details, Jim -
Per Greg Scholl, Ernie was shooting movies part of the time on 12/05, which accounts for no stills at Los Pinos and only a few stills at the top of the pass. His shots do show #473 separated from the train, though, and this next-to-last shot of the train leaving Cumbres – brightened for information at the expense of photo quality – clearly shows that it was straight-stacked #483, not diamond-stacked #473, which led the train downhill to Chama from Cumbres:
Photo copyright © 1968, 2018 by Ernest W. Robart - All Rights Reserved.
(Not at all surprising, since #473 had recently been shopped, plus heavier #483 would probably provide somewhat more effective braking to hold back #481 on the four-percent downgrade.)
Roosso
-------------------------------------------------------
> From postings several years ago:
>
> Left Alamosa 7:45
> 473 out of Alamosa:
> Lee Otteson engineer
> Stan Smith fireman
> 483:
> Carl Jack engineer
> Jim Shawcroft fireman
> Hardly Gilliand conductor
>
> Also riding train was Jim Pearce, Road Fireman of
> Engines. Stopped every five miles to inspect
> {recently} shopped 473.
I figured that Jim Pearce was along. #473 was fresh out of the shop, and Jim had also ridden the last REAL freight (at least as far as Chama) on August 28-29.
> Minor injector problems at La Jara
> Arrived at Antonito 9:30
> 483 moved to point.
> Stopped at sublette for water at 1:00 pm
> Denny Cummings cuts tree down and ties it
> on roof of 0540.
Was Cummings one of the brakemen? Did he work the whole way, Alamosa to Durango?? His tree was cut down east of Chama on 12/05 and rode the roof of 0540 all the way to Durango on 12/06 . . .
> 483 cut off at Cumbres and runs light into Chama. IMHO this should read #473 — see below.
> 6:00 entire train at Chama.
>
> Next day
> Andy Payne engineer 473 west 483 goes east.
> Lee Otteson and Jim Shawcroft deadheaded back to
> Alamosa. Carl Jack had seniority on Otteson and
> Stan Smith has seniority on Shawcroft so they were
> the engine crew back.
Thank You for all these details, Jim -
Per Greg Scholl, Ernie was shooting movies part of the time on 12/05, which accounts for no stills at Los Pinos and only a few stills at the top of the pass. His shots do show #473 separated from the train, though, and this next-to-last shot of the train leaving Cumbres – brightened for information at the expense of photo quality – clearly shows that it was straight-stacked #483, not diamond-stacked #473, which led the train downhill to Chama from Cumbres:
Photo copyright © 1968, 2018 by Ernest W. Robart - All Rights Reserved.
(Not at all surprising, since #473 had recently been shopped, plus heavier #483 would probably provide somewhat more effective braking to hold back #481 on the four-percent downgrade.)
Roosso
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488 stops for water at Los Pinos tank on closing day Oct. 1979. Photo courtesy Don Richter
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