Wow has this brought back memories. I find it really interesting to think in terms of having to rely on the trade press of the time to find out what was going on at the railroads. Living in the present day of instant information on the Internet it is hard to believe how ‘ignorant’ of what was going on we could be back then.
My being bitten came in stages, largely because there was very little information around. I don’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t love trains. My mother used to say that as an infant, I’d stand up in the seat and strain to see out the windows of the car whenever we heard a train. Anyway the first bite came when I was 13 years old with a used back issue of Trains Magazine from 1954, which I bought in early 1959. There was an article in that issue entitled “Lady With a Past” by Morris Kafky. It told the story of the Rio Grande Southern’s No. 20. I fell head over heels for that pretty little 4-6-0. The story told of 20, 42 and D&RGW 346 being at the Narrow Gauge Motel and Museum south of Alamosa, Colorado. Since the family was going to Denver to visit relatives that Summer I talked them into going via Alamosa. Of course, by this time this entire collection had been moved out, mostly to the Colorado Railroad Museum, but remember this was five years after the magazine had been printed and there was little active information about this stuff so off to Alamosa we went. I remember I didn’t really understand this narrow gauge business and I remember thinking “Gee, that looks like old Lionel three-rail track out there,” as we drove north from Antonito.
We stayed at what was left of the Narrow Gauge Motel/Museum, but no one would tell us where the equipment had gone. Seems there had been a rift between the players and, well, you know how it goes. Anyway, we heard about some steam engines down in town and stopped into the yards to see what the deal was. Seems the shop foreman, who saw our license plate frames which said “El Cajon, California” on them, had a sister who lived out there and he invited us in to see the engines. Bite number two was 489, under steam, on the Alamosa turntable. Bite number three was climbing in the cab of dead 482 and playing engineer. They were servicing 489 and a 490 I can’t remember to go west. Wow.
We went on into Denver, still not knowing about the Colo. RR Museum and missed all other narrow gauge that year. The interest had been peaked, however, and in the next year I learned of the Silverton. This led to another detour on our 1960 trip to Denver. Just like Trent, 476 and R.D. Shock took the biggest bite out of me ever or yet! I was absolutely mesmerized by the exhaust and whistles of that grand little lady of steam as she beat her way to Silverton. I discovered the end platform of coach 306 and you couldn’t pry me off of it! Covered with cinders and soot and head over heels in love with Colorado Narrow Gauge Railroading! The return trip to Durango found me back on the platform (those were the good old days!) and an overnight in Silverton found me in possession of _Narrow_Gauge_In_The_Rockies_ by Beebe and Clegg and it was all over but the shouting. That summer we also discovered the CRRM and the 20 of my dreams. My sources were getting better. That discovery and the further discovery that the painted lady of Knott’s Berry Farm, C-19 No. 41, was from the same Rio Grande Southern RR was to change my life forever. I lived at Knott’s during the 60’s! More family trips to Colorado in 61, 63, 65 and 67 set the hook forever, including chasing the first freight of the season from Antonito to Chama in 67. Marvelous memories.
My biggest lament was that I was in Nam when the C&TS was saved and started up. I would have given my eyeteeth to be there.
A Trains article from 1969 had a line that I have never forgotten: “Narrow Gauge gets in the blood, and will not out.” It certainly will not.
