476 last run Durango to Chama November 10, 1967

In early November, 1967, 476 was scheduled for a run to Alamosa for a final overhaul at the Alamosa shops. I had just finished my MS in Chemical Engineering at NMSU and was a free agent for an indeterminate length of time, as I was waiting for my commission to the Air Force Officers training school at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas (as it turned out a December narrow gauge chase ended up leading me in a totally different direction). I drove to Durango and met up with Ernie Robart on November 8 to find Durango switch engine 473 picking up lumber loads at the Weidman mill to assemble into a train for the next days run of 476 to Chama.



On November 9, 476 left Durango with a solid train of lumber loads on both flat cars and in box cars.



Here 476 is crossing highway 550 just beyond Carbon Junction and is starting the hard 2 percent grade climb of Bocea hill



Here 476 has crested the 2 percent grade and is rolling downgrade about a mile east of Falfa



476 has dropped down the winding 1.42 percent grade into the valley of the Florida river, and is approaching the Florida tank and bridge





Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 03/15/2019 05:02PM by Olaf Rasmussen.