Putting it in perspective..

Prehaps so.... With nothing by small C class power, every train would have been around 10-20 cars - on flat ground, with a couple more helpers on Cumbres. In terms of carloadings, the 50-56 period was the busiest. It would be facinating to find a train register or dispatcher's sheet for the WWI era.
Somewhere I read the busiest time ever in Chama in terms of number of locomotives dispatched/serviced was April, 1952. Somewhere I have some records of all that. but can't find them. The railroad literally ran as many trains as it humanly and mechanically could. I heard they serviced 400 locomotives that month.
Another thing, in late 1950, there were 17 "big" engines out of Alamosa: the 3 K-28's, 482, 484, 485, 488 and the 10 490's. On 10/28/50, 10 of them were in Chama at one point. Figuring boiler washes, engines in shop, etc. I would guess nearly every big narrow gauge engine te DRGW could field out of Alamosa went through Chama that day.
The situation in April, 52 was worse as 482 and 485 had been sent to Salida. 473 was in the Alamosa shop after derailing on the Silverton Br. 476 and 484 were also in for overhaul, leaving only 13 engines. At least they didn't have to run 215-16 then.