The following memories were rekindled by the excellent articles on the D&RGW narrow gauge in the January/February, 1998 issue of Vintage Rails.
On Labor Day weekend in 1970, while John Norwood was enjoying his Kentucky Dew and T-bone at Needleton, I was with the volunteer track gang in Chama helping to bring #483 into town with the first train from Alamosa in nearly two years. We spent most of the day clearing the tracks to the east where a new highway embankment had partially buried them. Later in the afternoon, while some of the crew cleared asphalt from the new grade crossing, three or four of us drove to the west side of town to "borrow" some rail from the abandoned Rio Grande tracks to replace that mangled or lost when the road was paved. We dragged a 120-foot length of rail right through town behind a pickup truck, unbolted it and spiked it down, and rolled the train into town about three hours too late for the party and bar-b-que that had been planned to welcome it. The TV news in Denver took notice of the fact that the "professional" Rio Grande Silverton Train hadn't run that day due to the washout, while we "amateurs" on the Cumbres & Toltec had completed our trip.
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In late October 1970, I took advantage of a long weekend at the school where I was teaching to bring two students from Thailand and a lawyer friend on a quick camping trip to Colorado. It was snowing north of Durango, so we headed down to Chama. On arrival, we immediately headed for Kelly's Mexican Café (!), "official" train crew and railfan headquarters in those days. I warned Bill, Amnaj and Pravidja that when eating the mild chili there I needed at least three beers to put out the fire, and definitely to avoid the hot. The students ignored me. "Oh Mr. Sperry" they exclaimed when their dinners were served, "first time in America we have really good food." (Thai chilis are apparently even hotter than the potent New Mexico standard.)
Next morning, we checked to see if there was any action on the railroad. What luck! I was told a freight had been planned to pick up some cars at Osier and take them to Antonito, but they were short a brakeman. "We can help with that part", I said, pointing to Bill (who wasn't even a railfan) and exaggerating my own experience at the Orange Empire RR Musueum a little, "if you let the boys ride along." Eddie Martinez, the long time night watchman at Chama and conductor for this trip, checked with engineer Sid McKinley, who also agreed. The rest of the crew consisted of Rich Braden, fireman / student engineer, and Herb Owens, brakeman / student fireman. My friends and I joined Eddie in the caboose; Sid, Rich and Herb headed for the engine and whistled off. I rode the roof of the caboose as far as Lobato Trestle, but the wind and snow flurries eventually drove me inside.
We stopped for lunch and engine water at Cumbres. Later, as we approached the Cascade Creek trestle, a huge boulder blocked the tracks. It took all eight of us the better part of an hour to work it over the outside rail and off to the side -- it's a good thing Bill & I and the boys were along, or they'd have had to back the train to Cumbres. At Osier I threw the switches, helping Herb to couple three gondolas full of ties into the train. The sun broke through the clouds as we cleared the Rock Tunnel, the next hour or so, with evening sun on the steam and fresh snow on the pines, was among the most beautiful I can remember, on or off a train.
Somewhere along the way, Eddie fixed dinner in the crew car; Sid stopped the train, and we all sat down to eat. A few miles later, something in the chili disagreed with Sid; he stopped the train and retired, moaning, to a bunk in the crew car. Rich took over the throttle, and Herb became fireman. Rich stopped for water at Sublette. Later as we tipped downgrade near Big Horn the train stopped very suddenly, and I ran up to the engine. Rich had noticed that the water had dropped out of the gauge! The top two try-cocks blew pure steam, but the third one sputtered; he cautiously turned on the injector and waited while water became visible in the glass and slowly rose to a safe level. I stayed on the engine to help shovel coal (not a major task as we drifted downgrade), and we whistled off.
The engine was turned at Lava Tank and run backwards to Antonito, since there was no way to turn it there. (Sadly, the wye and beautiful stone depot in Antonito were not included in the C&TS preservation.) We didn't get into town until nearly midnight, and were up until about 2:00 am throwing ties out of the gons. We spent the rest of the night in the caboose, and the next day drove another volunteer's car back to Chama while he rode the train.
