Roger Callender* and I remained off the train after a photo runby at the Elk Park wye while riding the last Alamosa Kiwanis Kolor Karavan in 1966. We intended to walk the rest of the way to Silverton, taking photos along the way, and to flag down the southbound train if we didn't make it all the way to town. After the train had departed, we noticed smoke in the dry grass uphill from the tracks, and did the best we could to smother the rapidly spreading fire by kicking dirt onto it from the slope above. Luckily, the fire-safety speeder showed up after a couple of minutes and the operator had a large spray-can of water, some shovels, etc., so the three of us were able do dowse the fire. Roger and I were rewarded by a ride from Elk Park to the ore bin of the Detroit Mine, where we got off to take pictures and then hiked the rest of the way into town.
In 1970, I hitched a ride from Osier halfway to Rock Tunnel on the C&TS pre-train speeder, and in the early 80's Gary Getman gave my wife and me a ride with him in the fire-safety speeder from Chama to Cumbres (Nancy and I alternated driving our car and riding the speeder at each grade crossing).
Depending on the condition of the track, riding a speeder can be anything but smooth. I'm sure the track is better today than forty-plus years ago, but for $500 the D&S better provide some pretty good cushions!!
El Curmudgeono Loco
* A couple of decades later, Roger was elected president of the Rocky Mountain RR Club for a term or two.