Re: 473 Incognito

Ernie's research was the primary source for what I put together. Unfortunately. it is all in CO and I'm in AZ for the winter.

From what I recall there was a plan to get 473 to Alamosa for shopping in the late fall of 1967. It and either 497 or 498 (both were in DGO) were to double head east in early Dec. I haven't found what was planned from the ALA end. Perhaps 476 and 478 were done and ready to come home then. The weather turned bad the 498(7?) was sent out as a caboose hop east for a mission I don't recall. Perhaps a one engine westbound set out some loads in Gato. The 49? went on the ground at the crossing at Falfa and 473 had to come to rescue and pull it back on. After that they gave up for the winter. The eastbound tonnage (lumber from Wiedeman's mill south of town) was transferred to trucks.

473 sat out most of the 1968 Silverton season because is was rather tired and needed work.

One train that Ernie missed was on the same day the 476 and 478 were test run to Lava and back, 498 ran to Gato. This was in the middle of tearing up the Durango yard for the new loop and a home was needed for a bunch of freight cars whose track they were sitting was getting torn up. So 498 went east to Gato with a good sized string of empties and if I recall picked up the stragglers that were left the previous fall, Returning to Durango. Bob Shank happened to be in DGO in leave from the Navy and got pics of it. The coal tipple was already gone but most of the elevated ramp track was still intact. Andy Payne was the engineer and shot a pic of 498 in Gato.

As mentioned earlier, 473 finally got to Alamosa after Butch Cassidy was finished.