Re: Hairpin Creek, 317 and 452

Thank you for the link to Otto Perry's photos on November 26, 1942. Those photos are a wonderful series of 317 and 452 climbing the east side of Cerro with two westbound turns from Cimarron to the summit. Unfortunately the Hairpin descent is not covered, so Hairpin Creek remains "dark" as far as photos are concerned. But now I have to go back to find the location with the train running north with a view of the small peak to the south. I am guessing that it could be the first horseshoe turn below the summit on the east side rather than at the summit itself, but a turn lower down seems more likely. Unfortunately the series of photos on the DPL is quite scrambled as to location and sequence, so the sequencing does not narrow down the possible location. So I will take that as a challenge and head back to the east side of Cerro at the first opportunity.

BTW - the only K27 in the series of Perry photos is 452. Studying the photos it appears that 317 brought 22 cars from Gunnison to Crystal Creek : 1 stock, 6 coal, 1 tank, 9 stock, 1 tank, 3 coal, and caboose. 317 then brought the train in 2 sections from Crystal Creek to Cimarron. From Cimarron to Cerro the train was brought in two sections with 452 as rear end helper. 452 then took the re-assembled train from Cerro to Montrose. The photo of 452 with a westbound stock train at Lujane does not appear related to this Gunnison-Montrose movement unless these stock cars were picked up at Cerro or Cedar Creek and added to the head end of the train.