Re: That "fake" stack....

In the 60's, the track between Durango and Hermosa was in pretty sad shape. Then the Labor Day weekend flood hit in 1970 (I was there for that "event") and took out a huge amount of track up in the canyon. For several years after that, both the track from Durango to Hermosa and up in the canyon was in pretty rough shape. Quite honestly, after the 1970 flood, I was surprised that the D&RGW didn't go for abandonment. Had they not had miles of scrap rail from the removal of the Chama-Durango and Durango-Farmington line, they probably would have.

The track really didn't improve much until the Bradshaw era.

As for the fake stacks, I always hated them. The last K-28 to get one was the 473 in the early 1960's. After that, they all sported them, with a few exceptions. When 473 was sent from Durango to Alamosa for shopping near the end of freight operations (it had to run light because it was in such bad shape), it did not have the fake stack for that trip.

Later, one of my prized photos was one of 473 switching in the Durango yard immediately after the Bradshaw takeover in 1981. Bradshaw's folks wasted no time getting rid of the fake stacks, and my photo of 473 shows her without that fake stack, but still painted in Rio Grande livery. I think that combination didn't last more than a few days.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/13/2012 02:51PM by Wade Hall.