West from Alamosa, when the pipe was moving and trains ran 24/7, the Alamosa night switch crew would gather up all the transferred narrow gauge loads and empties to go west that night and set it out on the "Farm Tracks" just south of Alamosa. The night car knockers would lace up the air hoses, check journals and get the train ready.
Mid morning the westbound crew would be called. They would get their engines off the departure track by the roundhouse, pick up their caboose and head out to the train. After getting the train together and an air brake test done they would head east. Arriving in Chama in the late afternoon or evening. That evening the Durango crew would pick up the train and continue west in the dark, setting most of the train out at Carbon Jct. and arriving in Durango about dawn.
The Farmington Branch crew would come on duty, and head south to Carbon Jct, pick up the train and head south. Switching in Farmington was a long drawn out affair, but late by afternoon they would have their train together and headed home, arriving back in Durango in the evening.
The eastbound crew came on duty inn Durango that evening and would pick up the train at Carbon Jct and head east into the dark. Getting to Chama about dawn. The Durango crew would go on its rest to be ready to take the next westbound that was due in that evening. Meanwhile the Alamosa crew that showed up in Chama the evening before, was on duty, getting ready to take the first of probably 3 Cumbres Turns up the hill. There was at least 2 hill turns and a "run through" a day out of Chama. The run through train left Chama with another cut of cars, gathered up the cars at Cumbres and headed east to Alamosa.
The basic idea was a daytime transfer in Alamosa, a nighttime train make up, a daylight run to Chama, a nightime run to Durango, a daytime run to Farmington (as daylight was a must to switch the daily mess down there) and back to Durango, followed by another night run to Chama, then daylight trips up the hill and on to Alamosa.
When things got REAL busy things went really nuts and they would call crews so as to be rested and on duty when the incoming train arrived, When the westbound train left Cumbres, the Durango crew was put on duty. When the Durango crew got to Ignacio, the Farmington Branch crew was called, and met the westbound down at Carbon Jct.. When the northbound Farmington went by Aztec, they called the eastbound Durango crew.....and so on....and on....and on.
I think the largest number of trains out of Alamosa in a week was 10. That was about the maximum number of trains they could field with the number of crews they had. The info I have show no night runs to Farminngton. There are runs departing at 2-3am to get to Farmington a dawn to switch in the daylight, but no "all nighters" to Farmington and back.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/22/2020 11:21PM by Earl.
