Re: Prototype Pics by Tom Gildersleeve - March, 1963
| November 19, 2015 02:44PM |
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Hello, Kevin -
To illustrate Michael's answer your question, here are three photos from Tom Gildersleeve's slide show - lent to me several years ago for the "Help Save #483" screen saver project. Though taken in March, 1963 - the last year of winter operations over Cumbres - I believe they show a typical snow-fighting train from the era of the Farmington gas and oil boom of the fifties and early sixties, or probably - except for the flying Rio Grande logos - any time after the arrival of the K-36's in the mid-1920's. This first shot shows the train arriving in Antonito as a double-header from Alamosa:
Photo Copyright © 1963, 2013 by Tom Gildersleeve - All Rights Reserved.
Double-headed freights were usually switched in Antonito, with the helper being placed farther back in the train. This was also done with the snow-fighting trains - as you can see, the flanger is now between the helper and the road engine as the train departs Antonito:
Photo Copyright © 1963, 2013 by Tom Gildersleeve - All Rights Reserved.
Here's the same train arriving in Chama, more than 24 hours later:
Photo Copyright © 1963, 2013 by Tom Gildersleeve - All Rights Reserved.
Per the captions in Tom's book* and the narration on his slide-show DVD, this particular snow train experienced several delays and derailments between Antonito and Chama. Tom had followed #491 with an eastbound freight from Durango to Chama the day before, and spent all day on March 21st waiting for the corresponding westbound to arrive from Alamosa.
- Roosso
* 'Narrow Gauge Then and Now', by Tom Gildersleeve and Nils Huxtable - HIGHLY recommended!
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/19/2015 06:00PM by Russo Loco.
To illustrate Michael's answer your question, here are three photos from Tom Gildersleeve's slide show - lent to me several years ago for the "Help Save #483" screen saver project. Though taken in March, 1963 - the last year of winter operations over Cumbres - I believe they show a typical snow-fighting train from the era of the Farmington gas and oil boom of the fifties and early sixties, or probably - except for the flying Rio Grande logos - any time after the arrival of the K-36's in the mid-1920's. This first shot shows the train arriving in Antonito as a double-header from Alamosa:
Photo Copyright © 1963, 2013 by Tom Gildersleeve - All Rights Reserved.
Double-headed freights were usually switched in Antonito, with the helper being placed farther back in the train. This was also done with the snow-fighting trains - as you can see, the flanger is now between the helper and the road engine as the train departs Antonito:
Photo Copyright © 1963, 2013 by Tom Gildersleeve - All Rights Reserved.
Here's the same train arriving in Chama, more than 24 hours later:
Photo Copyright © 1963, 2013 by Tom Gildersleeve - All Rights Reserved.
Per the captions in Tom's book* and the narration on his slide-show DVD, this particular snow train experienced several delays and derailments between Antonito and Chama. Tom had followed #491 with an eastbound freight from Durango to Chama the day before, and spent all day on March 21st waiting for the corresponding westbound to arrive from Alamosa.
- Roosso
* 'Narrow Gauge Then and Now', by Tom Gildersleeve and Nils Huxtable - HIGHLY recommended!
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/19/2015 06:00PM by Russo Loco.
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488 stops for water at Los Pinos tank on closing day Oct. 1979. Photo courtesy Don Richter
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