Re: 497 Monero to Highway 84 crossing

Thanks for the links to Ernie's photos. Your second link has two vertically trimmed photos with 498 encountering cows. It would be great if you could post these photos full size to show the mountains rimming the valley - they would show far better than my dark and fuzzy too-late-for-photos shots that I am including (against my better judgment) for their rarity of a rarely photographed section of the narrow gauge. Those not wishing to risk a slight amount of eye strain may want to skip the next four photos.





This photo does show the beautiful southern cliff edge of the valley. I sure wish I could go back and take this scene on a beautiful day in the sunshine, but now it is more than a half century too late



Here is the final view of December 5, 1967, with 497 approaching the highway 84 crossing on the climb to Azotea. Ernie and Jeff have also made it here after photographing the arrival of 493 in Chama, as shown in Ernie's photo on page 55 of "The Final Years Alamosa to Chama". That is Ernie's car on the edge of the road.



Back in the 1960s we thought the narrow gauge would be gone soon, but the people would always be there, so there are very few photos of the narrow gauge fans of that time in action. Well, here is one from earlier that day. that just happened to catch Ernie taking a picture of Extra 493 West descending Cumbres. Who could have known that just the reverse would be happening over time - Ernie gone, but the narrow gauge surviving





Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/14/2020 09:21PM by Olaf Rasmussen.