Re: Random Fuzzy Photos #35

Earl Wrote:
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> The lettering style I/we applied was created by
> Ernie Robart in 1976 when he did some arche-
> ology on 484's tender & discovered the original
> lettering applied by Baldwin in 1925.  He traced
> it off and created the C&TS lettering that was
> used until the vinyl lettering started showing up
> in 1991 or so.


I presume you're referring to the larger 6" lettering, Earl -

Ernie's ORIGINAL stencil with the fully-spelled-out 4" lettering must have been inspired by old photos, as he first used it on September 1, 1970 – the beginning of the resurrection of the Narrow Gauge Over Cumbres, when the D&RGW delivered the first shipment of equipment to the C&TS in Antonito:

Photo copyright © 1970, 2010 by Ernest W. Robart - All Rights Reserved.

IIRC, our good friend Ed Stabler took the above photo from the back of his pickup using Ernie's camera, and then stayed up all night keeping #483's fire going.  I took this one the following morning before hopping on a speeder with the track gang headed up to work on the kink near Calico Cut:


Ernie took this shot himself that morning, as the first C&TS train headed southwest to Lava:

Photo copyright © 1970, 2010 by Ernest W. Robart - All Rights Reserved.

- Roosso