JoeK Wrote:
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>
... What would be a good situation is a Flanger
> { + Cumbres Turn } charter one day and the next a
> Christmas train for the kids. I haven't seen a Christ-
> mas train out of Chama in the last couple years.
GREAT suggestion! There's almost always some snow by Thanksgiving, but not so much that the RR is impassable. The very last D&RGW trains over Cumbres were run on Dec. 6 & 7, 1968, and IIRC didn't require any extra effort by way of snow removal - see pic on [ngdiscussion.net]. Running a Christmas train the next day is a super idea, provided there's enough going on to keep the moms and kids happy while we're out chasing choo-choos on day one ...
> And if anyone hasn't been to Chama in December,
> it's about as pastoral as possible. The low angle
> of the sun provides excellent opportunity for video
> & photos. In December the area looks like an X-
> mas post card. {But} camping in the campgrounds
> isn't really possible and would require the riders
> to be in hotels.
So the question is if this is a
>
workable scenario?
Maybe, Joe -
IF set up far enough ahead so lodging is guaranteed - but then there's the problem of guessing what Mother Nature will be up to
...
Another downside is that the two trains Tom Gildersleeve caught on March 14 & 22, 1963, were returning to Alamosa after flanging / spreading westbound the day before, so they weren't scattering enough snow around to enhance photos. IIRC, the tank cars were added to fill out the load, and make life easier for the next day's Cumbres turn(s), since both locos had to return to Alamosa anyway.
-
Rüsso