Re: An easy whereisit

Allrighty..... This is from the Chama Engine Callbook and the list Ernie Robart compiled on trains run in 1967-68 back then. Ernie's list is not 100% as he did miss at least one train in 1968, and doesn't have all the helper jobs run from Durango (especially for eastbounds up the hill out of Durango.

Aug. 28, 1967

Extra West - 498 (R. Morgan- G. Cunningham) 493 (J. Lira- S. Smith) 28 loads, 2 empties, 1015 tons

Extra East - 497 (D. Gibbs, Tafoya) 9 loads of lumber, 27 empties, 774 tons.

The pic looks like a lot more than 36 cars. It might be that 9x27 is what showed up in Chama. My guess is they reduced tonnage at Gato.

The next day...

Aug 29, 1967

Extra West - 498 (Gibbs, Tafoya) 28 loads, 2 empties, 1015 tons. Called at 815am

Extra East - 497 (Lira, Smith), 493 (R. Morgan, Cunningham) 9 loads of lumber, ?? empties, ?? tons. Called 900am.

No Cumbres Turn.

In trying to figure out where the extra cars came from, all the previous operations show X number of cars going to Farmington, Y coming back to Durango and the same Y number of cars going east on the next westbound train.

Except for July 7 when 493 went on the ground in Flora Vista on the way back to Durango and ended up coming back empty handed. The next train east on July 10 had only 4 loads and 3 empties to Chama. Which means the empties that should have gone east (about 24 pipe empties) were still hanging around plugging things up. My guess is they went east with 497 on August 28, to get them out of the way. They gave 497 487 as helper up the 2% out of Carbon Jct. to Falfa and then sent them on their way east, hoping to get over the weed-grown rollercoaster to Gato where they set the cars out.

Fun stuff.