Re: OY Rotary topic is drifting

There used to be a fence that ran the length of the property from the north end to somewhere south of the depot. The only access to the yard was down the road that you see going through the gate at the far left of the pic. That is how the vehicles in the pic got down there. Additionally, there was a walkway up the hill where the two people are walking.

The first time I went to Chama was in August, 1971. The parking lot gate was closed. You had to sign into a guest log that the watchman kept at the gate. The next day, when the train ran, the gate was open for cars to enter.

Eventually new entrances were created at both ends of the parking lot. The original entrance road remained in place for several years. Meanwhile the fence remained in place. We removed it in the parking lot to widen the parking lot. I believe the fence still exists from the north parking lot entry to the north end of the yard, behind the oil dock.

In reality, the fence was pretty pointless. You could gain access to the yard be simply walking around the ends of the fence. After 1971 or so, the gates were never closed.