Re: What was your first experience with NG?

I suppose my first experience was in the 1950's, soon after I was born. I have a vague memory of visiting the Narrow Gauge Motel museum and getting some precious (at the time) postcards. I also remember following long double-headed freights out of Alamosa. My parents were both from the Alamosa area and my grandparents still lived there. My dad's work allowed him to spend our entire summers in Colorado, particularly Alamosa. My dad grew up with the narrow gauge, riding the Chili Line, San Juan, riding up on Cumbres to see the snow in 1932, etc. His father dragged him on these trips and then later he rode it himself. He and his father were history buffs and suspected the narrow gauge was somehow unique, but they never bothered to take a picture. My dad says he never realized its "importance", till he was serving as a US Army officer in the South Pacific in WWII. He says he had a young soldier in his command who asked all kinds of questions about "the narrow gauge" when he realized his commanding officer was from Alamosa, Colorado. So by the time I came along and was growing up, my father would take me on train-chasing trips, whenever we heard a whistle in the Alamosa yard. We sometimes chased the train as far as Antonito, but never further than that. Again, my dad never took photos. I have just two fuzzy photos I took myself with my sister's instamatic of 497 under steam in front of the freight house, having just come in from Cumbres. My dad never could tell you what a K-37 or a K-36 was, but he knew the narrow gauge was special, and I am thankful he passed that on to me.