The two color photos, that Rod included a link to, were taken on March 12, 1941, and are part of a set of about a dozen color slides taken on that date. They are available on the Friends of the Cumbres and Toltec website in the Dorman Collection. They are not grouped together, as it appears the catalogers did not realize they were part of a set. The details for this date are below from a posting from Jimmy Blouch.
March 12, 1941 (Wed.) Rotary snowplow OY, with engine 476, made Tres Piedras turn, after turn to MP 303 west of Big Horn with engines 486 and 476. This was the 7th and last time rotary OY was used on the Santa Fe branch in 1941.
Antonito extra 476 west, rotary OY
Conductor Roberts (caboose 04343)
476 engineer Hindelang
Rotary OY engineer Shumaker
Rotary OY pilot Tozer
Roadmaster T Eagan on board
Depart Antonito 10:55 AM
Work from 10:55 AM to 8:00 PM between Antonito and Tres Piedras clearing snow.
At No Agua, 2:55 PM, Eagan reported: “Found heavy snow Mile Post 297 to Mile Post 306, wind blowing but not drifting.”
Arrive Tres Piedras time not shown, 25 minutes water and turn, meet No. 426. (Photo of rotary OY on the wye, on this date, appears on page 126 of the Dorman book "The Chili Line and Santa Fe: The City Different". Details in photo caption are incorrect. Photo is from a color slide in the Dorman Collection - RDS077-076)
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Depart Tres Piedras time not shown, following No. 426
Arrive back Antonito 8:00 PM, by federal law tied up, go to Alamosa after 10 hours rest.
Train No. 426 with engines 475 and 471
Conductor Willis
Engine 475 engineer Baskett
Engine 471 engineer Tripp
Conductor Hines and brakeman Timmons deadhead Santa Fe to Antonito
Depart Santa Fe 10:30 AM with 7 loads 2 empties (1 empty flat, 1 empty refrigerator, 2 poles, 62, 320, 306, 63)
Espanola 20 minutes switching
Arrive Taos Jct. 2:25 PM (see color slide from Dorman collection RDS077-138)
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Depart Taos Jct. 2:31 PM
Tres Piedras wait 50 minutes for rotary, meet rotary
Arrive Antonito 5:30 PM with 6 loads 4 empties. (Photo of 475-471 on this date, after arrival at Antonito, appears on page 143 of the book "The Chili Line and Santa Fe: The City Different". Details in caption incorrect. Photo is from a color slide in the Dorman Collection - RDS077-099)
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The color photo found at the link below is a particularly interesting one. It is from the group of slides taken on March 12, 1941 - RDS077-133 . It was taken at the wye at Tres Piedras. On the very right edge of the photo is the almost indiscernible front end of engine 475, the lead engine on train 426. To the left of the closest telegraph pole is the switch stand, with switch lamp, of the switch to the north leg of the wye at Tres Piedras, which was about a mile north of the station. Due to the unevenness of the ground, the wye track is not readily visible in the photo. To the left of the switch stand is the 426's brakeman, ready to open the switch for the rotary train in the distance. In the distance is the approaching rotary snowplow OY, pushed by the 476, as noted in Jimmy's posting above. The photo would have been taken between 4 and 4:30 PM.
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Edited 11 time(s). Last edit at 02/07/2016 08:59AM by Jim McKee.
