winter railroading

Cold days and frozen lines.
The cold has settled in and operations become more difficult. One of my favorite responses to the question, "How cold was it?" is that: "I'm not certain of the reading, but it was so cold my shadow froze to the ground."
On Friday, the Cascade Express had problem getting water at Tank Creek, due to partially frozen pipes. After discovering that, the train went on to Hermosa. But there the pipe was completely frozen. No water available. The train got back to Durango about 20 minutes late, but with some water in the tender--not much, but enough.
Earlier in the week the air line to the turntable had frozen. How can an airline freeze? Well, there is enough moisture in the air so that it can condense. Thawing the line is not fun, but it got done.
Durango is cold, but Silverton is colder. It amazes me that the railroaders could handle operations over the years. There surely are many great stories for sharing. How about some?
Happy New Year -- Bill