The Rocky Mtn. RR Club offered cassette tapes of the 1949 MT last run back in the early late '70s or early 1980s --- contact a club member, likely someone has a copy. The recording was made by an announcer that worked for a radio station in Colo. Springs that was on the trip.
In Durango, radio KIUP went on-air December 10, 1935 as the 500 watt "Voice of the San Juan Basin." In the early-mid 1960s, Wayne Moorehead was one of the station announcers that would bring a portable tape recorder and interview
Silverton Mixed passengers arriving back in Durango in the late afternoon and the station would play the tapes back on-air a little later.Wayne was not a young guy at that time so it's possible he made the San Juan recording. It would be worth investigating this priceless possibility -- as Earl mentioned.
KIUP has degenerated into sports/talk and is no longer locally owned, as has happened to so many local AM broadcasters. You sure won't hear ads for Graden's Flour Mill or French's Hardware anymore.
Eddy