Re: Amazed

I am glad there are those out there that appreciate the old stuff be it D&RGW or early C&TS. We used to get the Narrow Gauge News from Bob Richardson and eagerly read what was happening in Rio Grande steam land.
It was sad to hear the line was going to be abandoned, as we had spent a fair amount of time out there in the 50's and 60's enjoying the steam on the NG. It was like going back in time, since the old coaches and depots and infrastructure was all still there, while other areas of the country had gone completely diesel in a more modern world than the NG regions. But thats what gave it the charm and scenery that brought us fans back for more. Talking to train crews while drinking a bottle of coke from the Gomez's store in Gato in an amazingly rustic location was like being at the end of the earth in a steam world frozen in time. The place was enchanting to a kid, especially Durango and Silverton in those days.
I remember sneaking into the Alamosa roundhouse and shops in 1968, and the day after we shot 483 and 493 from Chama to Alamosa the engines were still hot in their stalls. 481 was inside the shop completely refurbished, but would never run again on the D&RGW. One of the major losses when the Rio Grande ceased operations was the Alamosa Shops and facilities there. That whole place could have been one great museum, a place to restore NG engines, and today a place to house the SL&RG. The Rio Grande was not a great help to the early C&TS folks, as they rushed the equipment down there, and there were no sidings to switch, and soon thereafter they pulled the rail connection at Antonito. I heard some of the machines from the Alamosa shop did find there way to Chama eventually before the shop was demolished.
While Durango was always called the NG Capitol of the world, to me in the 50's and 60's it was always Alamosa. That is where the shop was, and where the freight came in to be offloaded from SG to NG cars, and where trains were made up to operate behind steam the last couple of decades the railroad would operate. Alamosa is also where the fantrips originated that ran 2 and 3 days over the railroad. Imagine going on an excursion from Alamosa all the way to Durango in one day. Today it takes 6 hours from Antonito to Chama.
I always admired some of the major area photographers from that time period, like Richardson, Kindig, Krause, and Hastings who captured the essence of the daily existance of the NG in Colorado and New Mexico. For me in the C&TS days, the biggest thrill was seeing Rotary OY operate clearing the railroad 3 different times, and being able to recreate some freight trains with Rio Grande engines similar to the way the railroad actually operated in the steam era. Skipping all that today its just fun to watch and listen to a former D&RGW engine pound away with great stack talk as it climbs the 4% grade in spectacular scenery from Chama to Cumbres. Who knew in 1956 I would still be able to talk about steam over Cumbres in 2012-3. Happy New Year.
Steamingly,
Greg Scholl


484 on water train near Gato 1966 (Eastbound from Durango)