Re: THE 463

Russ, George, Todd and Jim - thanks to all of you for the comments. Glad you enjoyed the picture. Despite all the rain, I have very fond memories from those years (this image is from '96), as my son Dave had grown old enough by then for us to do yearly just-the-guys, father-son narrow gauge trips through much of the 90s. This was from one of those.

Russ and Jim - I quite agree about shooting steam on cloudy days. It has its advantages, and some of my favorite shots over the years have been made in some pretty marginal weather. With the right light, threatening weather makes for far more interesting skies than does cloud-free blue, and if the sky's a uniform gray, you simply look for a different kind of shot. I draw the line, though, at the torrential downpours with lightning striking all around, that seem to be my norm whenever I hike out to Rock Tunnel.

And finally, the favorite locomotive thing. Well, the K-27s are my favorite, and I don't see anything wrong with that. It certainly doesn't mean that I don't appreciate other locomotives. I do. Very much. Even standard gauge! :-) But back when 463 was running, the Chama yard could have K-36s, and a K-37 sitting in the yard under steam, but I'd invariably make a bee-line for 463 if it was there. I'd eventually get to the others, but only after I'd spent sufficient time staring... well, y'know.

Scott