Re: Alamosa November 12 1944

So the extra at 11:55 a.m. gets four K-36s from Chama to Cumbres for 41 loads and one empty, but the 8 p.m. Cumbres turn gets three engines for 18 loads and one empty? Math isn't my strong point, I admit, nor are D&RGW operating procedures, but I'm looking at the cost of calling up a third engine and crew for the Chama turn and wondering what the point was. The third engine did let the later train make the trip 20 minutes faster, yes, but it doesn't seem like the railroad was so busy that clearing the line more quickly would have been an issue. Who would have made the call on how many engines a train required? Was triple-heading that hill the routine, altered only in extraordinary circumstances? Did running the third engine make the turn so much easier on all three K-36s that it was justified by limiting wear-and-tear?

By the way, I love these posts so much that I save reading them as a reward for getting through whatever is the most tedious chore of the workday. Then, as you can see, I savor every detail.

-- Lawrence

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Lawrence Biemiller
Washington, D.C.