Right after the end of the season in 1989 shortly after I had started working for C&TS we made a caboose hop from Chama to Antonito. As I recall the purpose was to get the 484 to Antonito for the winter since it didn't need much winter work and to bring either the 487 or 489 one of which needed valve and cylinder boring and the other needed flues and a partial flue sheet back to Chama.
At any rate in those days the Alemite guns were in tired shape and by the time we had the engine serviced and ready to go it was much later than we planned. My wife Verleen (Veronica) brought along a little picnic and at the last second decided to bring a large pot of home made chili and some tortillas to put on the stove in the 0503 for just in case.
The air was crisp and clear and had that October snap that makes Cumbres Pass a place like no other on earth. As I recall the lunch was all gone by somewhere around tanglefoot. By the time we got to Sublette it was starting to get pretty dark so we decided to stop and the crew Earl Knoob, Gerald Blea, Henry Gallegos, Ray Martinez, my wife, and I feasted on the chili and coffee and got to know eachother while the late afternoon turned into genuine night.
Watching the smoke and steam from the cuploa of the 0503 in the light of the rising moon with the gangway ocassionally lit up when the firebox door was opened is a powerful lasting memory.
Later that evening near the last crossing of the state line as Veronica and I stood on the rear platform of the caboose the wind stole my hat while the romance of the moon, the steam, the sagebrush, the chili, and my wife beside me stole my heart.
We finally pulled into Antonito about 9:00 PM got the engine tied up and drove back to Chama.
I remember another time in 1990 when a derailment (487) at Big Horn had us out till almost sun rise but that is a story for another day.
