February 01, 2019 08:52AM
|
|
Registered: 16 years ago
Posts: 2,220
|
Dan;
I think it was 1997 (Earl would have the exact date). I arrived from California after driving about 10 hours and got to Chama only to be told to meet Earl at Osier. He didn't say why, just do it. I spent the next couple of hours negotiating the back roads to Osier just to arrive in time to see you pull up in the Eureka. This was probably about 6 pm. Your team turned the locomotive and then got invited for dinner(I tried to video this, but my camera was out of battery power.
I took Earl home from there as he had to work the next day, and the Eureka went back towards Antonito (and encountered the fire on the way). It was either the next day or the day after Earl assigned me to be pilot on the Eureka out of Antonito (even though I hardly knew the east end of the railroad).
We left Antonito in the morning and got to Osier in the mid-afternoon. I remember we had to take the siding at Toltec for the regular east bound train and me not being familiar with the lay of the land, I didn't see it until we rounded the curve just before it so we had to back up to get to the switch. On the way back the sun set around Lava and you stopped to light the headlight. Since the headlight was so weak (how did those guys do railroading with this stuff????), we were using flashlights to help guide the way. We got back into Antonito around 9:30 pm as the last light was extinguished from the sky.
This was the trip where I met George Sapp. I remember the incredible amount of wood that the Eureka consumed and the fact it took not just an engineer and fireman to operate, but also 1 or two wood passers!. Not too long after this Ken Burns did his series on the American West (?) and I remember watching TV and all of a sudden there's a shot of the Eureka going past with me hanging out of the cab watching the track ahead!
Great stuff! I'd give non-essential parts of my body up to do it again....
It's amazing to think that the Eureka was built 6 years after the Golden Spike at Promontory and in 6 more years it will be 150 years old and still going. If that iron and steel could talk...
John Coker once said "These ARE the best of times!" He was right...
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/01/2019 08:53AM by Dave Peterson.
Subject |
Author |
Posted |
|
el gringo grande |
January 18, 2019 05:04PM |
|
Brian Norden |
January 18, 2019 05:54PM |
|
Dan Markoff |
January 18, 2019 07:13PM |
|
jameswaite |
January 19, 2019 12:53AM |
|
el gringo grande |
January 19, 2019 01:51AM |
|
jameswaite |
January 19, 2019 09:27AM |
|
Rader Sidetrack |
January 19, 2019 09:59AM |
|
jameswaite |
January 19, 2019 10:12AM |
|
el gringo grande |
January 19, 2019 04:22PM |
|
jameswaite |
January 20, 2019 04:42AM |
|
el gringo grande |
January 19, 2019 01:48AM |
|
Craig Kumler |
January 19, 2019 09:29AM |
|
Whitcomb1 |
January 19, 2019 09:44AM |
|
Dan Markoff |
January 19, 2019 06:00PM |
|
rehunn |
January 19, 2019 06:16PM |
|
Dan Markoff |
January 19, 2019 07:34PM |
|
rehunn |
January 20, 2019 11:54AM |
|
el gringo grande |
January 20, 2019 05:10PM |
|
Dan Markoff |
January 22, 2019 04:51PM |
|
Brian Norden |
January 22, 2019 05:49PM |
|
Dan Markoff |
January 23, 2019 07:34AM |
|
rehunn |
January 23, 2019 09:14AM |
|
Russo Loco |
January 24, 2019 06:28PM |
|
Dirk Ramsey |
January 24, 2019 08:04PM |
|
el gringo grande |
January 23, 2019 10:13AM |
|
Dan Markoff |
January 23, 2019 10:41AM |
|
Chris Walker |
January 23, 2019 01:01PM |
|
Dan Markoff |
January 23, 2019 04:15PM |
|
philip.marshall |
January 23, 2019 05:05PM |
|
Chris Walker |
January 23, 2019 05:26PM |
|
Dan Markoff |
January 23, 2019 05:44PM |
|
philip.marshall |
January 23, 2019 06:16PM |
|
Dan Markoff |
January 23, 2019 10:40PM |
|
jameswaite |
January 24, 2019 02:20PM |
|
Dan Markoff |
January 24, 2019 02:59PM |
|
Brian Norden |
January 23, 2019 10:41PM |
|
philip.marshall |
January 23, 2019 10:59PM |
|
Brian Norden |
January 23, 2019 05:59PM |
|
Dan Markoff |
February 12, 2019 12:00PM |
|
Earl |
January 23, 2019 10:47PM |
|
Dan Markoff |
January 24, 2019 11:04AM |
|
Dave Peterson |
January 24, 2019 04:14PM |
|
Brian Norden |
January 24, 2019 08:42PM |
|
Dan Markoff |
January 24, 2019 11:28PM |
|
Brian Norden |
January 25, 2019 11:36AM |
|
mransr |
January 24, 2019 04:20PM |
|
Dan Markoff |
January 25, 2019 09:20AM |
|
Mike Stillwell |
January 25, 2019 10:09AM |
|
Dan Markoff |
January 25, 2019 10:18AM |
|
Brian Norden |
January 25, 2019 11:24AM |
|
Dave Peterson |
January 25, 2019 12:56PM |
|
Dan Markoff |
January 25, 2019 04:29PM |
|
Mallory Hope Ferrell |
January 28, 2019 03:41PM |
|
Dan Markoff |
January 28, 2019 07:19PM |
|
rehunn |
January 28, 2019 10:16PM |
|
Dan Markoff |
January 29, 2019 08:19AM |
|
Mallory Hope Ferrell |
January 30, 2019 02:13PM |
|
Dan Markoff |
January 30, 2019 02:58PM |
|
MD Ramsey |
January 30, 2019 03:16PM |
|
Dan Markoff |
January 31, 2019 07:45AM |
|
John Cole |
January 31, 2019 09:15AM |
|
Dan Markoff |
January 31, 2019 09:55AM |
|
Tom Moungovan |
January 31, 2019 10:42AM |
|
Dave Peterson |
January 31, 2019 04:58PM |
|
Dan Markoff |
January 31, 2019 07:22PM |
|
Dave Peterson |
January 31, 2019 11:53PM |
|
Brian Norden |
February 01, 2019 12:09AM |
|
Dan Markoff |
February 01, 2019 09:50AM |
|
Dan Markoff |
February 01, 2019 08:24AM |
|
Dave Peterson |
February 01, 2019 08:52AM |
|
Dan Markoff |
February 01, 2019 09:45AM |
|
Dave Peterson |
February 01, 2019 09:59AM |
|
Russo Loco |
February 01, 2019 11:05AM |
|
Dave Peterson |
February 01, 2019 11:37AM |
|
GeorgeGaskill |
February 01, 2019 07:44PM |
|
el gringo grande |
February 05, 2019 03:01PM |
|
mransr |
February 12, 2019 11:56AM |
|
Colorado76 |
February 05, 2019 06:43PM |
|
Brian Norden |
February 05, 2019 07:33PM |
|
Greg Maxwell |
February 05, 2019 08:34PM |
|
rehunn |
February 05, 2019 09:22PM |
|
Greg Maxwell |
February 06, 2019 03:18PM |
|
rehunn |
February 06, 2019 03:23PM |
|
Colorado76 |
February 06, 2019 08:55PM |
|
Dan Markoff |
February 10, 2019 02:18PM |
|
Greg Maxwell |
February 10, 2019 03:02PM |
|
Dan Markoff |
February 10, 2019 06:18PM |
|
Brian Norden |
February 10, 2019 08:57PM |
|
Dan Markoff |
February 10, 2019 10:53PM |
|
Brian Norden |
February 10, 2019 11:42PM |
|
Dan Markoff |
February 11, 2019 04:55PM |
|
Greg Maxwell |
February 11, 2019 07:59PM |
|
Brian Norden |
February 12, 2019 12:48AM |
|
Dave Peterson |
February 12, 2019 08:11AM |
|
Dan Markoff |
February 12, 2019 09:08AM |
|
Dave Peterson |
February 12, 2019 12:15PM |
|
Dan Markoff |
February 12, 2019 01:37PM |
|
rehunn |
February 12, 2019 03:34PM |
|
Chris Walker |
February 12, 2019 03:39PM |
|
rehunn |
February 12, 2019 05:16PM |
|
Chris Walker |
February 12, 2019 05:22PM |
|
Earl |
February 12, 2019 10:15AM |
|
Brian Norden |
February 12, 2019 10:59AM |
|
Greg Maxwell |
February 12, 2019 11:41AM |
|
Russo Loco |
February 10, 2019 11:55PM |
|
Brian Norden |
February 11, 2019 11:16AM |
|
Russo Loco |
February 11, 2019 06:29PM |
|
Randy Hees |
February 20, 2019 07:08PM |
|
GeorgeGaskill |
February 11, 2019 12:54AM |
|
Dan Markoff |
February 11, 2019 09:26AM |
|
rehunn |
February 11, 2019 10:01AM |
|
Brian Norden |
February 12, 2019 11:28AM |
|
Craig Kumler |
February 12, 2019 09:52AM |
|
gato |
February 18, 2019 08:10PM |
|
rehunn |
February 18, 2019 09:09PM |
|
Dan Markoff |
February 19, 2019 09:27AM |
|
Russo Loco |
February 19, 2019 11:34AM |
|
Dan Markoff |
February 19, 2019 11:50AM |
|
Brian Norden |
February 19, 2019 01:33PM |
|
Chris Walker |
February 19, 2019 02:20PM |
|
Grant Houston |
February 21, 2019 09:35PM |
|
Greg Maxwell |
February 21, 2019 11:16PM |
|
Brian Norden |
February 22, 2019 12:42PM |
|
OC MP62 |
February 22, 2019 03:24PM |
|
OC MP62 |
February 22, 2019 03:56PM |
|
Russo Loco |
February 20, 2019 11:28AM |
|
Brian Norden |
February 20, 2019 05:16PM |
|
Greg Maxwell |
February 19, 2019 01:21PM |
|
Dan Markoff |
February 19, 2019 03:54PM |
|
Greg Maxwell |
February 19, 2019 05:30PM |
|
Dan Markoff |
February 19, 2019 06:39PM |
|
Craig Kumler |
February 19, 2019 10:08AM |
|
rehunn |
February 19, 2019 10:30AM |
|
Brian Norden |
February 19, 2019 11:04AM |
|
Dan Markoff |
February 19, 2019 11:56AM |
|
Russo Loco |
February 22, 2019 07:12PM |
|
Brian Norden |
February 22, 2019 09:39PM |
|
John Cole |
February 23, 2019 08:20AM |
|
rehunn |
February 23, 2019 11:49AM |
|
Greg Maxwell |
February 19, 2019 06:36PM |
|
Brian Norden |
February 19, 2019 08:07PM |
|
Dan Markoff |
February 20, 2019 08:13AM |
|
Dan Markoff |
February 20, 2019 05:24PM |
|
rehunn |
February 20, 2019 05:54PM |
|
Dan Markoff |
February 21, 2019 05:01PM |
|
Randy Hees |
February 21, 2019 06:33PM |
|
rehunn |
February 21, 2019 10:19PM |
|
GeorgeGaskill |
February 21, 2019 10:39PM |
|
Brian Norden |
February 21, 2019 11:17PM |
|
Dan Markoff |
February 22, 2019 10:36AM |
|
OC MP62 |
February 22, 2019 07:58PM |
|
Dan Markoff |
February 24, 2019 11:47AM |
|
rehunn |
February 22, 2019 08:12PM |
|
Dan Markoff |
February 24, 2019 05:21PM |