Russo Loco Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hi, Doug -
>
> If so, those flats were already in Durango before
> August 29, 1968. My photos of the very
> last revenue train from Alamosa to Chama,
> 08/28/68, show only boxcars in the consist -
> most likely bags of drilling mud chemicals -
> possibly including my own father's patented
> 'Polytone' - headed to Farmington.
>
> IIRC, the last revenue train south of Durango
> operated on 08/31/68.
>
> - Russo
Russ, Your photo downgrade near the present Dalton shows all boxcars,
and if you look very closely you see 2 cars at the end that are different. These two would be the two loads of wallboard in bulkhead flatcars headed to Farmington Lumber. On the films of Ernie Robart on August 31st(last revenue freight day), the first car is a load of rail, picked up in Durango, followed by the two bulkhead flats of wallboard, then the rest was box cars of drilling mud.
The D&RGW made the train up correctly putting those 2 loads last, so that when the train reached Carbon Junction, they would then be first for the run to Farmington. In the upcoming video, I also have a B&W still from Ernie that we used showing the 483 delivering these two cars, being the very last revenue freight delivery by D&RGW NG Steam in 1968. This was the shipment that they tried to delivery by Rio Grande motorways, and the Hardware in Farmington refused it stating that they had requested delivery by rail. The stuff was then sent to Alamosa and loaded on the train!!
I posted a couple of images earlier of 493 switching coal cars at the tipple, and later the train took one coal gon to Alamosa. Not sure where this coal came from....was Monero producing coal this late, or was it from the Durango area?
Greg Scholl