Re: Alamosa February 24 1945

That trip of 491 from Salida down to Alamosa is interesting. It left Salida with only 4 loads and 18 empties - not a really heavy train. It had to triple the hill from Mears Junction up to Poncha Pass. I would imagine that that was because the 38 coal loads left at Mears Junction by 497 on Feb. 22 were picked up. If so, 491 hauled a train of 38 loads of coal, 4 loads of cinders, 16 empty boxcars, 1 empty caboose (for rebuilding) and the train's own caboose up the hill, right? That would for sure mean tripling the hill!!

We know where the 4 loads of cinders went. Now it's down to 38 loads and 18 empties after dropping the cinders. At Alamosa there were 19 loads and 4 empties. Two of those empties were the two cabeese.Were 19 loads of coal and a whole whackin' bunch of boxcars left at Moffat and Hooper? What would they do with all that coal? Were the boxcars simply being dropped into sidings for storage?