Some questions about the CTS history in the early days

Doris Osterwald's book - Narrow Gauge to Cumbres - has a photo of workers laying track in Antonito in June of 1971. It appears from the photo that a wye and a runaround track were laid, along with constructing the 1st non-historic Depot (now the Commission office). Doris also mentioned an early volunteer group with the name, Narrow Gauge Railroad Association, that "rode the trains as car attendants."

Several questions for anyone on the board who was working on the RR back then, or who has knowledge such as Vern Glover, Earl, or others:
* Who did the track work and built the 1st depot? Scenic Railways? A contractor retained by the New Mexico and Colorado Railroad Authorities? (The Compact that created the Commission had yet to be enacted back then.)
* When were the enginehouse, current depot, yard, and loop constructed in Antonito?
* How well did the volunteer car attendants work out? I recall hearing that there were conflicts.
* With no tank or stand pipe available at Antonito, do I recall correctly that the water service back then relied on the Lava tank?

Thanks in advance to anyone with knowledge regarding these questions.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/20/2020 01:26PM by Brian Shoup.