Some of the things that happened that first year of the D&S were quite spectacular--for example, the 493 was purchased from the D&RGW and trucked to Durango from Alamosa with the intention of putting it back into service, which unfortunately didn't happen. I like this picture of Charlie as he was conferring with one of his lieutenants during the unloading of the 493:
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and as he progressed, and the railroad needed things, they were purchased. After a potentially disasterous run-away work train with over loaded ballast cars, Charlie promptly purchased the 4 EBT hopper cars to replace the drop bottom gons that moulder away to this day in Silverton. He brought them out on his Hi-Acre farm trucks and I recall him giving me an update on the progress of the trucks as they came across the country and his musings that the over weight charges he was being nailed with by almost every state was costing him more that what he paid for the cars.
Also that first year, work commenced on putting in the passing sidings that would be required to operate a train originating in Silverton and running to Durango on a daily basis. The Elk Park siding got its second switch restored, a new passing track was established on Hermosa Hill, and that's about when the Home Ranch siding came into being. That one promise of a Silverton train was quite exciting to the Silverton business community to the extent that my business partner and I purchased the Exchange Livery building on Greene Street, the former town garage, to rebuild into a 16 room hotel. But the D&S staff successfully argued that a Silverton train would pose far too many operating problems to be practical and Charlie scrubbed the plan. We were stuck with that building for several years before selling it, and it is a large gift store today. Keeping up with Charlie's dreams and what was happening was pretty interesting those first few years.
Fritz
