Re: C&TS Derailment Today

Engine 497 (Casias and Miller), pulling the regular Antonito train to Osier, derailed near MP 302 on Friday morning. Everything from Pilot to Trailing truck was on the ground and a foot from the track. The Pineapple was above the train at Sublette. It picked up a caboose and 3 rider boxes from the freight special which was also above, ran back to MP302, and took the passengers to Osier, where they were attached to the regular Chama train.
Engine 489 (Coker and Ross), which was the morning helper, was dispatched to MP302 to assist in re-railing 497.
The crews worked quickly and professionally to accomplish the job.
Never before having witnessed a total derailment, I figured we were in for a two-day job, but was astonished by the calm, deliberate effort. Everybody on the team seemed to know what they needed to do and when and how to do it. With Bill Collins, Ed Beard and Bob Wright leading the effort, it progressed through the afternoon and evening. Around dark, someone showed up with a generator and lights. Soon there arrived a water pump and hose so that 497 could get a much-needed drink from 489's tender. Then El Coke and Jim Ross ran back up to Sublettte to refill their tender, and 497 got another drink.
With temporary rails in place, and the engine jacked up and resting on new rail and on ties and wedges, a few well-timed shoves by 489 got all but the pony truck on the track. A bit of jacking and shoving was all that was needed to finish the job.
At 11:30 PM 497 was back on the rails.
The Antonito train will not run today (Saturday).
Instead there will be a triple-header out of Chama.
I got home from MP 302 at around 1 AM.
497 and the empty train arrived Antonito at 2:37 AM. El Coke is arriving in Chama with 489 as I write this at 2:45 AM
It was a masterful job by all concerned. Bill Collins and his crew, Ed Beard, Bob Wright, Max Pacheco and his crew, El Coke and Jim Ross, Marvin Casias and Nathaniel Miller, all made what looked like a disaster in the making, into a tough day with a happy ending.
Reports are that there were almost NO requests for refunds. The crews did a masterful job of making the passengers happy in spite of the problem.
I got a lot of pictures. I'll post them later...
Jay